Bring it in, reader. We’re reaching out from your phone (or computer or tablet) to give you a bear hug, not just because it’s Friday, but because it’s apparently the key to success, as you’ll read in today’s newsletter:

We’ve Hit Peak Cocktail Ice

BY JOSH SIMS

When it comes to ice, does size matter? Well, that all depends on the drink. “If you’re serving a slow-sipping cocktail, like an Old Fashioned, you want a big block of ice because the dilution is slower,” explains Tom Macy, New York-based cocktail educator and founder of Social Hour Cocktails. “Or if you’re shaking a cocktail and want more aeration to give a drink more foaminess, then you want big cubes, too.”

For some, this kind of technical detail is what the increasingly nerdy world of mixology is all about. In recent years, the cocktail sphere has become more than a little obsessed, not so much with invention or ingredients as with chunks of frozen water.

One ice expert believes things may be getting out of hand: "I don’t think the interest in ice needs to go as far as it’s gone, but I don’t see cocktail culture going back on it now either.”

In yesterday's poll, we asked who you would rather hang out with: your male or female friends? Here's what you said:

The Man Hug That Could Go Down in Hockey History

Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark aren't like other NHL goalies. The Boston goaltenders have been trading starts in net for the entirety of this season after doing the same thing for most of last year. An unconventional approach, the goalie-swapping paid dividends during the regular season last year as the Bruins finished with the most wins and points in league history before spectacularly flaming out.

Undeterred, Boston continued rolling out the Swayman-Ullmark combo platter this season and once again got good results, finishing the season at 47-20-15 in second place in the Atlantic Division. Now taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs, the goalies are still trading places in net. And they’re also continuing to do something else they’ve done since October 16 of 2021: hug it out.

IN THE NEWS

The NFL Draft was offensive...for defensive players.

Good news about canceled flights. (Only time we'll ever write that.)

One automaker is betting on American-built, three-row electric SUVs.

The World Cup is two years away. Some fans may already be out of luck.

Falcons Rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. Is Ready to Tackle the NFL

Michael Penix Jr. was limited to just 21 games but able to extend his NCAA eligibility after suffering four season-ending injuries during his four years playing quarterback at Indiana. He then transferred to Washington and played 28 games during two seasons for the Huskies, including the CFP National Championship Game against No. 1-ranked Michigan. Aware of the concerns about his injury history, despite putting almost 2,000 plays on tape since being sidelined in the 2021 season, Penix sent an open letter to NFL general managers on The Players’ Tribune in the lead-up to last night’s draft.

We now know how that worked out: The soon-to-be 24-year-old will be inking a four-year deal, with a team option for a fifth, with the Falcons, despite some seeing the pair as an odd fit because Atlanta gave veteran QB Kirk Cousins $100 million in guaranteed money this offseason.

“I always feel like everything is meant to be,” Penix told us.

Closet Constructor: The Office Is Your Playground

This week’s central question: what to wear to work in the year of our lord 2024? In a work-centric culture (particularly the white-collar industries) dumping a modicum of thought into what you put on every morning has implications for your productivity, coworker relations and, quite possibly, your career. But, in the face of an industry-wide revolution, business casual, a dubious and unclear apprehension to begin with, is no longer the north star for office HR to point to that it once was.

Where to Shop Small for Your Home in NYC

New York City is replete with unique home shops that will keep you from the temptation of the big box options that are available just about anywhere. From gold-mine vintage stores curated with the furniture pieces of yesteryear to cool-kid shops stocking handmade ceramics, the homeware options available at your fingertips are more than any New Yorker needs to handsomely appoint their abode. This list of some of our favorites is by no means exhaustive, which speaks to just how many incredible retailers are to be found in NYC.