For some time now, branded residences by household names like Armani and Fendi have attracted those with a lust for designer luxury. Car makers have entered the real estate market, too, with unique offerings by Bugatti and Bentley as well as Porsche Design, which has launched residential towers in Stuttgart, Germany, and Miami, Florida. The German lifestyle brand, founded by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, creator of the iconic Porsche 911, now has plans to take their real estate endeavours to Asia.

This month, the company unveiled its third real estate development, a collaboration with Ananda Development, a Thailand-based developer, to introduce the Porsche Design Tower Bangkok. Construction on the 21-story tower begins next year and is set to wrap by the end of 2028. The ultra-luxury condo will be located on Sukhumvit 38, one of the most prestigious addresses in Bangkok.

Photo: @Porsche Design

“The Porsche Design Tower Bangkok is the next big thing for Porsche in Southeast Asia,” says Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG, in a statement. The region is becoming increasingly important for us, which is highlighted by major events taking place here these days. To name just one example: in January we celebrated the world premiere of the new all-electric Macan in Singapore.”

The tower’s striking design, as seen in renderings, is inspired by the kinetic movement of the 911 Targa roof mechanism, according to a press release. Its exposed pedestal structure, called “X-Frame,” takes cues from the design of the auto brand’s Mission R concept car and its exoskeleton structured to create a unique entry experience. A vibrant red light strip crowns the building, mirroring light displays on Porsche’s iconic sports cars.

The tower will house 22 exclusive duplex and quadplex “Sky Villas,” aimed at attracting “ultra-high net-worth individuals,” according to a press release. The abodes will range from 5,651 to 12,217 square feet, with a price range of $23 million to $60 million.

Owners can expect to find luxury furnishings and high-end appliances throughout the residences and the building that evoke the car company’s commitment to elegance, power and flawless craftsmanship.

The complex’s many amenities will include an 82-foot-long swimming pool, fitness center, spa, social lounge, and a luxury garage with “passion spaces,” similar to showrooms, that can be tailored to the individual liking of residents. Upscale restaurants and shopping malls are located nearby for a variety of entertainment options.

Visit pdtowerbangkok.com for more details

“Why on earth this stroke of genius stands unheralded and unsung in this fair and allegedly free land of ours shall, to us, always be a mystery…” –Charles Baker Jr., The Gentleman’s Companion: An Exotic Drinking Book

The above was published in 1939, when the author, an American food writer travelling through Asia, first discovered the Gimlet. This is honestly a fairly common reaction to a well-made Gimlet, and the only major thing that’s changed in the last 80 years is that while we didn’t know why it wasn’t more popular then, we know exactly why the Gimlet is not more popular now. The answer is a saccharine, highlighter-yellow liquid that can be found entombed in plastic on the bottom shelf of every liquor store in this country called Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice.

Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice, a.k.a. Rose’s Lime Cordial, wasn’t always this way. It started as medicine and was literally lifesaving technology when a Scot named Lauchlin Rose invented it in the mid 1800s. Before then—basically, from the beginning of human sea-travel until about 150 years ago—the biggest threat to a mariner wasn’t pirates or sharks or sea-madness but scurvy, which claimed some 2 million sailors between the 16th and 18th centuries. We now know scurvy is caused by about three months without any vitamin C, but it took millennia to figure that out. Once we did, there was still the problem of preservation, because some other forms of preservation (things like boiling it or storing it in copper) are, as it turns out, incredibly efficient ways to destroy the vitamin C. It was ultimately Rose who figured out a way to preserve lime juice with sugar in 1867, the same year the Merchant Shipping Act decreed that all British sailors must have an ounce of lime juice in their rations every day. Rose’s new “lime cordial” fortified the entire British Royal Navy against scurvy, all at the mere cost of suffering the nickname “limeys” for the rest of time.

The Gimlet fits into this like so: The sailors drank rum, but the officers drank gin. A shot of lime juice is some fairly unpleasant business, but alcohol seems to help the medicine go down, so one story is that it was Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette who first took his Rose’s Lime Cordial with a spot of gin. Another story is that the Gimlet was named for the metal tool used for opening the barrels to get the alcohol out. In either case, we meet the Gimlet officially in 1923, in Harry MacElhone’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails as equal parts Plymouth Gin and Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial. Fifteen years later Mr. Baker (above) calls it a “stroke of genius.”

So why aren’t Gimlets more popular now? Because Rose’s has become a zombified version of itself, embalmed with high-fructose corn syrup and sodium metabisulfate, and is now one of 125+ brands owned by the gargantuan Keurig Dr. Pepper group. This is a problem, because while you need a lime cordial to make a proper Gimlet, Rose’s is explicitly the type of mass market, highly processed bullshit that the whole “mixology” thing was resurrected to combat. It helped get us to where we are—Lord knows I made my share of Mojitos with Rose’s in those dark and early days—but fortunately for all of us, we now have a better way, because fresh cordials are quick, easy, and savagely delicious.

If a Gimlet with Rose’s is the speaker on your phone, a Gimlet with a fresh cordial is a concert hall. It’s like tasting in technicolor, what was a chemical note of lime now a chord of acidity, piquant and resonant. A good Gimlet is bright and full, sharp and piercing, with a clarity that sings no matter what gin you choose. To try a good one is to really get what Baker was talking about, or to see why Chandler and Hemingway wrote the Gimlet into their fiction, or to understand the type of joy that comes from knowing you won’t die from scurvy, after all.

Gimlet

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds. Strain off the ice either up into a cocktail glass or else onto fresh ice in a rocks glass, and garnish with a lime wheel or peel.

NOTES ON INGREDIENTS

Gin: As mentioned, use whatever gin you like. Some gin cocktails have ingredients which strongly prefer one brand over another—the raspberries in a Clover Club, for example, uniquely complement the rose petals in something like Hendrick’s—but here we’re just dealing with gin and lime, and all gins will go well with lime. My perennial favorite for shaken gin drinks is Beefeater, which indeed works great. You could also take a note from both the original recipe and from Naval history and make it with Plymouth Gin, which works fantastically well in both its standard (41.2 percent) bottling and its Navy Strength (57 percent).

Lime Cordial: There’s lots of ways to make a lime cordial, and as your faithful servants we’ve made / bought every single one we could find and tried them in side-by-side to determine the best. Our surprise and breakaway favorite was a cordial developed by Portland bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler, which has the perfect balance of full lime flavor and sharp zesty edge. It requires getting some citric acid, which sounds intimidating but is natural and abundant and about $10 next day on Amazon (recipe below). If you absolutely insist on not making your own cordial, a good option was to just make the Gimlet using fresh ingredients (2 oz. gin, 1 oz. lime juice, 30 ml. simple syrup) and throw a lime peel into the shaker to shake with the ice. It lacks the cordial’s intensity, but the extra zestiness helps.

What’s great about the cordial is that not only is this spectacular with gin, it’s delicious with literally any clear spirit: tequila, vodka, rum, you name it. The sweet and sour of it is already balanced, so you can just add soda for a quick and easy limeade, or use it as a starting point for your own creativity (i.e. a Raspberry Pisco Gimlet is what happens when you add three raspberries to the shaker tin and use pisco instead of gin). The cordial will last in the fridge for at least a month and in the video above, I show you my favorite way to make, but here’s the complete recipe below.

Lime Cordial Recipe

Recipe from jeffreymorgenthaler.com

Zest the lime and put the lime zest into a blender. Juice the zested lime(s) into the blender, then add the sugar, water, and citric acid. After blending on medium speed for 30 seconds, strain with a fine strainer. Bottle and refrigerate or mix a cocktail immediately, if you so choose.

ANANDA IN THE HIMALAYAS India
Using a more natural approach, Ananda in the Himalayas heals the gut, among other problem areas, through ayurvedic treatments and medicine with a holistic program overseen by a senior ayurvedic physician specialising in gastro health and metabolic disorders. The spa is ensconced in a former palace in the foothills near Rishikesh, making the location just as relaxing. From around $1,235 per night for seven- or 14-night programs

LANSERHOF SYLT Germany
On the weathered island known as the Hamptons of Hamburg, the year-old Lanserhof Sylt boasts a team of medical experts specialising in cardiology, neurology and dermatology, among other fields. Its gastrointestinal package includes a sonogram of the entire abdomen and comprehensive stool examinations. From around $6,940 for a one-week program, not including accommodations, which begin at around $1,145 per night

RAKXA Thailand
This integrative wellness retreat in Thailand has a seven-night gut-health program that blends medical technology with traditional regimens. Treatments include colon hydrotherapy and chi nei tsang (a form of abdominal massage); guests also undergo a food-intolerance test and leave with a month’s worth of supplements. From around $16,890 for a seven-night program

ARO HA New Zealand
The Revive & Thrive program here nurtures vibrancy with gut-focused, detoxifying plant-based meals. Guests enjoy nutrient-rich plates that support the gut-brain connection, enhancing overall wellbeing from the inside out. From around $6,950 for five nights.

When it comes to merging serious riding with high-end hospitality, LeBlanq isn’t the only game in town. if you are up for unapologetically indulgent weekends of eating, drinking and riding we have collected a few other travel operators to consider for your next cycling holiday abroad.

The Slow Cyclist 

The reassuringly named company was founded by British author Oli Broom, who spent 412 days riding—via 23 countries—from London to Brisbane to watch a few games of cricket (and raise money for charity). The company is part of the “slow travel” movement, which aims to minimise your impact on local communities while maximising your engagement with them—and what better way to do so than arriving by bike. The Slow Cyclist will put you on two wheels in locations you might never have considered, from the mountains of Transylvania to the volcanoes, lakes and gorilla-filled wilds of Rwanda. 

Cycling for Softies 

As its name suggests, Cycling for Softies focuses unabashedly on the luxury hotels and Michelin-starred dining that punctuate its easy trips (e-bike optional)—“a gâteau in every château”, in the words of author and client Kathy Lette. The company operates in five European countries, with itineraries traversing the regions with the best comestibles, whether Provence or Portugal’s Douro Valley. Your bags are transported between hotels each day, and you ride at your own pace, following an app that even details the best cake stops en route. 

Sportive Breaks 

If you want to go harder than even LeBlanq can offer, Sportive Breaks will fast-track you into the most sought-after events of the year. From L’Étape du Tour, in which “civilians” take on a hard mountain stage of the Tour de France, to the roughly 314-km-long Mallorca 312 and other spectacular closed-road, mass-participation events (known as sportive rides), this specialist eases the logistical pain, if not the physical. Our pick? The slightly gentler annual Strade Bianche, whose 87 and 142 km routes over the white-gravel roads of Tuscany are bucket-list stuff for many. 

Butterfield & Robinson
Established nearly 60 years ago, Butterfield & Robinson is the OG of the luxury cycling world. A coterie of loyal and well-heeled clients has followed the Canadian company into new fields, from safaris to superyacht charters, but bike trips remain its beating heart. Don’t bother packing energy gels or even your wheels: the aim here is seamless, stress-free travel, with itineraries curated by a firm with more experienced hands and likely a broader range of destinations— covering Europe, Asia, South America and Africa—than anyone else. 

Trek Travel 

The travel wing of the behemoth Wisconsin-based bike maker is your go-to for North American trips, with itineraries in 18 US states, Canada, Australia, Chile and Japan, and can organise custom private vacations for as few as one rider. As an official affiliate of the Tour de France and a team sponsor, Trek also offers excursions that follow the greatest race at a gentler pace: for around $17,000, you get six nights in top hotels in Nice and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, with VIP access to the final stage of this year’s event. 

After an impressive debut, HBO’s critically acclaimed social satire The White Lotus returned for a second installment, offering viewers more dysfunctionally affluent guests and put-out staffers and a serious case of travel envy. The immensely popular series has amassed a cult following within the luxury world, many of whom have strong opinions about where the show should film next—and who could possibly fill the Jennifer Coolidge–size hole in their hearts.

Ahead of season three’s arrival next year, we asked top designers, travel advisers, jewellers, chefs and sommeliers—plus a casting director, a mafia expert and even a former mobster—to take a turn in the showrunner’s chair. After all, who better to weigh in than those who spend their time catering to those “challenging” clients the show so successfully sends up? If you’re reading this, Mike White, take notes. 

WHERE WOULD YOU HAVE SET THE NEXT SEASON? 

• “Palm Springs, like Hawaii or Sicily, is one of those singular locations where you have a dramatic landscape and this sense of reality versus fantasy. It evokes Hollywood glamour, but there’s an underbelly. There are also a lot of over-the-top gays, which seems to be an important part of The White Lotus brand.”—Jonathan Adler, potter, interior designer, and author 

• “If they were to do it in Iceland, there’s so many riffs that they could pull just having a different climate. There’s a big troll culture there, the northern lights, volcanic tunnels—things you’ve never seen or encountered before.”—Jennifer Schwartz, managing partner at Authentic Explorations. 

• “As someone who loves to get off the beaten path and immerse myself into other cultures, I’d like to see a season of White Lotus in Egypt. You couldn’t possibly find a more dramatic setting than the pyramids or the River Nile.” Camilla Franks, Fashion Designer Camilla

IF YOU HAD TO CAST YOURSELF AS A NEW CHARACTER, WHAT ROLE WOULD YOU PLAY? 

• “The family decorator that gets killed. Local designer gone missing? Where should I send my casting tape?”—Jeremiah Brent, interior designer, founder of lifestyle brand Atrio, and Queer Eye host 

WHO WOULD YOU CAST? 

• “I think someone comedic like Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson from Broad City would be great. Who’s going to replace the Jennifer Coolidge of it all? So maybe it’s a duo, like Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston.”—June Rodil, master sommelier and CEO and partner of Goodnight Hospitality 

• “Kristin Scott Thomas, Emily Blunt, or Anne Hathaway. Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling—Rupert Everett for sure, and maybe even Meryl Streep.”—Jules Maury, head of Scott Dunn Private 

DO YOU HAVE A VACATION HORROR STORY À LA THE WHITE LOTUS? 

• “When I was in Egypt a few years ago, someone was murdered in the hotel. Some wealthy businessman brought in a hooker who ended up stabbing and robbing him at a very glamorous hotel in the middle of Cairo.”—Martyn Lawrence Bullard, interior designer and author

• “A huge group came in to celebrate someone’s 50th birthday. The night before, they were all out on the patio drinking and having a good time. On the way back to the room, the guest of honour tripped, fell, hit his head and passed away.”—Leigh Anne Dolecki, president of concierge association Les Clefs d’Or USA 

“We were hitchhiking in Thailand, trying to get to some restaurant that we had heard about from locals. Long story short, we ended up in the wrong car, and this gentleman decided to drive on the wrong side of the highway at full speed uphill. So, when we got to a red light we jumped out, but I left my cell phone in the car.”—Matt Kammerer, executive chef at the Michelin two-star Harbor House Inn 

• “A game ranger took a group out for a ride at night and said, ‘I’ll be right back, I thought I heard something,’ and walked away from the vehicle. He didn’t come back, and the guests started getting nervous. There’s a radio in the vehicle, so at some point they called in. As it turns out, a leopard had jumped from a tree and killed him.”—Lisa Beach, casting director whose credits include Wedding Crashers and Center Stage 

CREATE YOUR OWN WHITE LOTUS PLOT. 

• “I imagine Jennifer Coolidge’s husband turning up, but he’s with another wife. Weirdly, she’s not like that broken, older woman—she’s far more confident, sassy, together, well-dressed. Maybe she could be Jennifer’s niece or someone who lost their inheritance [from Coolidge’s character, Tanya] because he inherited all her money. There could also be a Jeremy Irons–type character from Brideshead Revisited sitting in a corner with a book, and maybe he’s really Jennifer’s long-lost son and he’s out to get revenge because he loved his mother so much. 

“To throw it off a bit, there’s always one of these families, but maybe rather than elegant, rich, refined people, they own car showrooms in Texas or somewhere in the Midwest. They arrive with their sugar-sodden children and are putting everyone’s noses out of joint, but we all love them by the end, and they’re the heroes.”—Adam Brown, founder of resortwear label Orlebar Brown, whose orange polo Cameron (Theo James) sported in the season-two opener.

• “There’s a group of people that came together. They’re on the Africa leg of an Abercrombie & Kent trip around the world, and they go by private charter to one of those wildly exclusive and expensive places like Singita. This woman in her 50s, maybe Viola Davis, is on this spiritual journey to Africa to discover her roots and really immerse herself in the culture. She has a name-change ceremony and goes to the sangoma, a witch doctor, who tells her fortune. 

“Suffice to say, she finds herself, but as it happens, sometimes these single women get a very bad case of what the locals call khaki fever. That’s when an American woman falls madly in love with their game ranger. 

“The guide, who’s the black-sheep heir to a South African diamond fortune, is going to be either Chris Hemsworth or Will Poulter. Somebody’s going to get killed on safari, but you don’t know whether they were eaten by a lion or thrown in front of one or bitten by a black mamba.”—Lisa Beach

WHAT HOTEL WOULD YOU USE AS A STAND-IN FOR WHITE LOTUS?

• “The Grand Hôtel de Cala Rossa in Corsica is one of the dreamiest hotels, and no one knows about it. When you go there, you’re either Middle Eastern royalty or some major European celebrity. It’s not like the South of France, where everybody’s just nobody and pretends to be somebody—this is the spot where people really go to hide.”—Sylva Yepremian, founder of jewellery brand Sylva & Cie

“The new One& Only Kéa Island would be fab, with all the Greek legends, intrigue and so much to explore: a stop in Athens, a visit to Amanzoe en route, diving for treasures.”—Jules Maury

WHAT DETAILS DOES THE WHITE LOTUS GET RIGHT?

• “I was obsessed with Villa Tasca from Daphne and Harper’s getaway in season two. The pool, the lounge, the citrus trees—everything about it was so dramatic and timeless. I love the idea of the historical murals on the walls reflecting the plotline.”—Jeremiah Brent

• “I think White Lotus shows the magic and the theatre of staying in luxury hotels. Suddenly, wherever you’re staying, as long as there are other guests, you find yourself in a live play where you get to know the other dramatic personae and speculate about them. That’s what White Lotus captures so brilliantly, and I think a lot of young people who only do Airbnb are missing out.”—Jonathan Adler

• “The Ferretti 97, the boat they used in the show, is one of the most luxurious, so I think it was appropriate. They used it for the day trip from Taormina to Palermo. It’s a five-cabin boat with six crew members. Last year, it was the biggest boat we had in Taormina.”—Vincenzo Sorbello, manager and CEO at charter specialist Vento di Grecale

• “I couldn’t help but be inspired by the overall styling and representation of resortwear in both seasons. In season one, you’ve got your laid-back, casual costumes, then really big and bold designer fashion in season two. Funnily enough, our 2025 high-summer collection is inspired by the TV series.”—Danny Ching, head of design at Frescobol Carioca

• “The Australian character, Murray Bartlett who plays Armond in the first season struck me because he is so true to life. Hotel general managers always play a straight bat to guests, but get them back of house and they are just lunatics. Behind closed doors they are always the ones to let their hair down.” Mike Dwyer, Virtuoso Adviser, Mainbeach Travel

• “Everyone paints Italian mobsters as old-world bigots, but although they never spoke within the guidelines of political correctness, they never judged people on the basis of colour, religion or sexuality. They only saw money, which, if it overrides hatreds, isn’t such a bad outlook. The Genovese family’s stronghold was Greenwich Village, and they either owned or controlled all the gay bars and clubs there for decades, long before ordinary Americans were ready to accept gays. In a strange way, the mob, by opening gay bars and clubs which were protected by mobsters, did more for gay rights than any other group in America.”—Louis Ferrante, author and former member of the Gambino crime family

WHERE DO YOU THINK THE WHITE LOTUS FALLS FLAT? 

• “It’s a crime to stay at the hotel the whole time. It’s like an insult to culture and the region, and kind
of cringey to see that as a viewer. It’s probably not top of mind [for the characters] to go wander down a back alley somewhere and see what grandma’s cooking, which is unfortunate.”—Matt Kammerer 

• “I think it was fantastic and genius for them to use Italian actors [including Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò]. They were amazing, and the hotel itself is a gorgeous property. The thing that was just very confusing is the fact that they did a juxtaposition of the hotel and a beach that was two hours away. We have clients that come, and they’re like, ‘We want to go to the beach—where’s the beach?’, and there is no beach because the resort is on top of a mountain.”—Jennifer Schwartz 

• “As a mum with an 11-year-old who has been to 31 countries, I would love them to have some younger role models—kids who learn languages, can sit at a table without a device, share their knowledge with parents.”—Cari Gray, founder of private-travel specialist Gray & Co. 

• “The thing that was a bit confusing was the miles between the hotel and the other parts of Sicily. With a powerboat, going from Taormina to Cefalù, it takes about nine hours of navigation or more. But in the show, it only took, like, an hour.”—Vincenzo Sorbello 

• “The idea that the drug dealer [Stefano Gianino] would belong to an influential mafia family from Palermo is a grotesque representation of the mafia. The mafia is a more complex phenomenon, characterised by people in power—politicians, businessmen. Imagine a plot with criminals and lawyers putting a strategy together to invest the proceeds of a crime. That would’ve been a better representation of the mafia.”—Antonio Nicaso, author, professor, and expert on organized crime 

WHAT FORMER CHARACTER WOULD YOU LIKE TO RETURN?

• “I would love Portia [Haley Lu Richardson] to come back. What if she inherits a little bit of Tanya’s fortune, and then you see this kind of rags-to-riches story and how money can really damage a character. There was just a loving quirkiness about her that I really enjoyed watching. She was like a little mirror image of Jennifer Coolidge’s character, so I could almost see her growing int something very similar.”—Sylva Yepremian

IS THERE A FAN THEORY YOU WANT TO SEE PLAY OUT? 

• “The main one is, what’s going to happen to Tanya’s money? I feel like Belinda needs some sort
of compensation, if not Portia.”— Danny Ching 

• “There are always these rather horrific scenes that shock you, so I quite liked the idea of Tanya’s husband [Jon Gries] going into a meat grinder in the end.”—Adam Brown 

[picture credits]

Plotline proposed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, interior designer

TOP ILLUSTRATIONS BY Brahm Revel