An irreverent and wide-ranging treatise on building and maintaining a standout brand in business or in life, from the marketing mastermind behind countless iconic booze labels. Steven Grasse made a name for himself as not only a distiller but also the mind behind beloved brands like Hendrick's Gin and Sailor Jerry Rum and the guy who made cheap-beer-standbys like Narragansett and Miller High Life cool again. Through his work in advertising and marketing, Grasse has changed the game in the booze world and become an authority on building an authentic, enduring, and deeply beloved brand. Food & Wine has called him "the punk-rock prince of small-batch spirits." So how did he do it? Through practicing brand mysticism, a mentality for all endeavors based on keeping an open mind, taking risks, and developing authenticity-skills that have benefited him in booze, business, and beyond. In this book, he's sharing this practice with the world. Through lessons (big life things that feel like just cool stories), case studies (how did Sailor Jerry become the punk rock Captain Morgan?), and magical ingredients (what makes a great message sing), Brand Mysticism guides you through the steps it takes to channel entrepreneurial spirit into a brand, a business, a creative practice, or a life that breaks with tradition to achieve the remarkable.

From the author behind the hit novel "How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide" comes this collection of eleven short stories about the sexes, sex, and sexiness in New York. "The References" -- The final few lines of one's resume are usually devoted to references that can tell a would-be employer you're the right person for the job. One's life references are a little different, but even more important. "The Ambiguous Woman" -- A man struggles to figure out exactly what a woman is thinking while on a date with her. "The Boyfriend Trials" -- A fed-up thirty-year-old woman has a most interesting methodology in searching for the perfect partner. "Health" -- Arthur Lampkin is the sex-ed teacher at a Staten Island high school whose life is a living hell of comical sex-ed tools, oversexed teenagers, and an undersexed home life. "The Feminist" -- Kelly Meyers is the only male professor at an all-girls college. "Comedic Romance" -- Love in real life never happens like it does in Hollywood rom-coms. "He Proposed" -- The day a woman gets proposed to is the most exciting day of her life. And, she can't wait to tell you all about it. "Born. Again" -- What happens when a sexually promiscuous New York atheist spends a weekend with a chaste Midwestern Christian? "Gross Humans" -- If you knew what most couples did behind closed doors, you'd be repulsed. "Ain't Nothing Like a New York Romance" -- There can't possibly be a better place to fall in love than New York City. Can there? "The Cheat Sheet" - plot redacted]