gin.tonic

A gin and tonic, or even a simple gin and soda, has always been one of my favorite drinks when relaxing at home. It's sweet yet simple to make and the ingredients are always on hand. The Wall Street Journal's "Building a Better G&T" by Kevin Sintumuang replaces simplicity with quality. While highlighting high-end gins that I look forward to tasting, I was more interested in the tonics. A gin and tonic that's not clear? Apparently the proper connoisseur buys small-batch tonic syrup to take control of the flavor. Adding one ounce to soda water, you decide which natural flavors perfect your drink and adjust intensity to taste. I'm told a gin and tonic is hardly masculine but natural brown coloring might help its image problem.

This isn't the only article by Kevin Sintumuang that will help you upgrade your bar. Sintumuang is also a contributor at GQ and writes many articles specializing in beer ("Oktoberfest, USA") and cocktails ("The 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America"). Check out the latter article for great suggestions in SF or simply Google his name to find more great advice.

[caption id="attachment_3088" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Leopold's Gin | 80 Proof | $40"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3089" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Tonic | Photo by oliviaraejames"][/caption]

 Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Tonic photo by oliviaraejames

orange.juice

It doesn't matter how you drink it but everyone loves orange juice. There's my perennial favorite -- the mimosa -- but straight-up works equally well as a good picker-upper. The Castro in San Francisco has endless opportunities for brunch and most serve bottomless mimosas for under $10. My first experience was at the touristy (yet fun) Lime, which is an experience everyone should have. The restaurant/lounge looks like a Firby fanclub (pink... everywhere) but their food is unexpectedly good. The wait for a table usually exceeds an hour and there are many good alternatives but Lime is the best place for your first brunch in the area. Well-dressed, drunk and friendly describes everyone I experienced, which is beyond your typical brunch experience.

If you're going to buy the Cecilware OJ100 Automatic Orange Juice Machine by Zumex, I suggest replacing your typical variety with blood oranges.  Cafe Flore (about 300 feet away) does exactly this (but the mimosas aren't bottomless). They taste much better and the red tint more exotic. At the end of the day, if you're spending $4,738.00 for an automatic juicer, you probably know what you're doing. Processing 14 oranges/minute and capable of holding two gallons of juice, the machine expects you to regularly entertain a good-sized crowd.

sf.liquor

San Francisco is the latest city to be honored with an Absolut bottle designed after the city. I've seen them in stores but haven't bought any yet, though it'd be nice to have one for the sake of a souvenir. With flavors of grape, dragon fruit, and papaya flavor, it's worth grabbing a few extra to drink. Celebrating the best city in the country, pick up an SF bottle before they're sold out.

bottle.opener

The Jensen Steel Elephant Bottle Opener, designed by the Jacob Jensen Group, is small by nature but worthy of greater recognition. Simple and elegantly designed, the opener was found on The Fancy and available for $55 on Amazon through FJORN Scandinavian. If you enjoy Jacob Jensen's designs, check out the previously featured Telephone 3 and World Timer.

personal.brewery

The WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery doesn’t make much sense in terms of money or time but it adds some cool factor to the home. Alongside a home theater and game room, a personal brewery will create the perfect hangout. Unfortunately, you’ll need to invite friends back for round two because it takes seven days to brew. Found on Uncrate and available for $4,500, their website provides additional information and includes a video demonstrating the process.

perfect.temperature

Coffee Joulies are the hypothetical equivalent of the icy-hot patch. The stainless steel beans are filled with a "special non-toxic material... designed to melt at 140 degrees Fahrenheit." The beans quickly cool your drink but you need not worry about a cold cup of Joe.  Once the cup reaches 140 degrees, the liquid solidifies and reverses the process, keeping your coffee hot. The beans are presented on the Kickstarter website with an original goal of receiving $9,500 in contributions to turn the creation into reality. Through the website, the two creators have raised $140,612 from 2,410 backers and still have 19 days to go.

Originally found on The Fancy, each bean is designed to work with 5 oz. of coffee with a .75 oz displacement. The beans are the successful creation of two Dave's who collaborated while living on opposite coasts. West Coast Dave received his M.S. from Stanford (Go Card!) and proves the best things come from The Farm.

nambe.twist

The Nambé Twist Cocktail Shaker is a modern instrument with edge. While I'm normally a fan of straight lines and right-angles, the curves on the shaker -- designed by Fred Bould -- are classy but simple. I had seen the Nambé Twist Shaker on many websites before it appeared in the Stanford Magazine article featuring Fred Bould as alumnus  ('95) turned successful product designer. Part of the larger Twist line, the cocktail shaker is the only product I like but stainless steel is easy to mix and match. Available from Unica Home for $145, the shaker is "made of thermal-retentive Nambé metal" which can be "freezer-chilled before mixing, transferring the cold to your favorite concoction without adding unnecessary ice." A tight fit is guaranteed by rubber rings in both the lid and removable strainer and the 10-inch shaker holds 15 ounces, just enough for two.

iceberg.water

Artesian water is for poor people. Iceberg water, on the other hand, is the new Voss. Found on Lovely Package, Iluliaq water is collected from icebergs off Greenland "after more than 100,000 years" as Ice Age snow.  Voss, the preferred water of celebrities, contains 22 total dissolved solids as measures by parts per million; Iluliaq is below five. Featuring a glass cork, the water is currently unavailable on the Iluliaq website but normally sells for $50.

wine.stoppers

Found on MocoLoco, these bottle stoppers by Orrefors (a Swedish company founded in the late 19th century) are part of the Carat Bar and City Stoppers Collection by Lena Bergström. Available for $50 each, they make a great gift for oneself or others. Additionally, Orrefors announced this past November that they are collaborating with Karl Lagerfeld to produce a joint collection to be launched in Spring 2011.

champagne.bubbly

The Porche Design Studio seems random in their creations but perfect in execution. I once featured their modern lighters but the Veuve Clicquot's Vertical Limit cannot be missed. Designed by Porche Design Studio and found on multiple blogs including Luxist, the cellars are born from a pairing of Veuve Clicquot and the design team. All 15 cellars go for $70,000 but each comes with vintage bottles of celebration.

bar.stools

I really enjoy designs that use alternative materials to give modern products an industrial edge. Much like the MetroFarm Benches I featured earlier, Makr's Studio Work Stool uses rough components to create a minimalist masterpiece. Found on Uncrate.com, a White Walnut seat tops off the hand-welded steel body and makes a perfect compliment to the concrete and glass tumblers posted previously.

glass.bottle

Whereas Nalgenes are proud to be plastic, durable if not poisonous via polycarbonate, the Tkara Water Bottle is glass but apparently "designed with maximum durability." I'm not sure what's the standard for maximum durability when dealing with glass, but the water bottle is attractive and comes with an airtight seal. Available for $29.95, the 500mL water bottle will be available later this month.

charcoal.pitcher

The Stone and Charcoal Water Pitcher is available at Design Within Reach and contains stones from the mountains in Kanazawa, the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast. Lasting up to six months, the eco-friendly water purifer uses specially prepared Binchotan charcoal that helps deodorize water and Iouseki stones to create filtered, mineral-rich water. The pitcher runs $85 and comes with one set of filters. Additional filters can be bought for $20.

wine.wands

The Philip Stein Wine Wands use naturally occurring frequencies to enhance wine and speed the breathing process. Instead of waiting your wine to reach its best aroma and flavors, you can use the wine wands to get you there in less than five minutes. Using encapsulated glass jewels, the wands "replicate the natural frequencies of air and oxygen and speed up the aeration process." Found on Luxist.com, the wands are available in different colors on the Philip Stein website and run from $325 - $525.

steel.straw

People are always trying to match drinks with themes, but too oft they forget to match everything else. The Stainless Steel Straws will fit any sheek gathering and at $12.99 for a pack of four, it still makes a social night at home cheaper than going out. Reusable with "years of drinking fun," the 9" straws are available at After 5.

ice.cooler

I never really realized I needed an ice cooler, but in the spirit of consumption, why not? Created by Tools Design, the Ice Cube Cooler is available at Dansk Design for €74.69 (about $111) and designed for the "making, keeping, and service of ice cubes," keeping ice cubes as ice for a couple of hours. The top half flips to create an ice tray for the freezer - once frozen, knock the cubes out into the double-walled metallic bowl and use the tray as a lid, grabbing the ice via the tongs in the middle. Although the ice wont melt in the tray, liquor fresh from the shelf will be lukewarm, causing the ice to melt and  water down your drink. When trying to cool a drink versus keeping it cooled down, I'd suggest  Whiskey Stones as an alternative.

steel.pitcher

This Avanti Aqua Pitcher is made of high quality 18/10 steel backed by a lifetime warranty. Drip free with an ice block, the $31.95 pitcher can substitute for your glass decanters when you don't want to pull out your breakables.

whiskey.stones

Whiskey stones are a good way to cool a drink without dealing with ice meltdown, but presumably the liquor already came fresh out of the freezer, so the utility might not outweigh theory. I'm sure it works well with liquor brought straight from the store, but placing anything in my drink always makes it difficult to clean out the last strains, forcing you to either drink the rest in drops or leave what's left. Regardless, they look neat and under the right circumstances (say, a large drink drank over time) would make them ideal. The gray stony appearance would match well with some concrete tumblers.

christofle.water

I came across these modern water decanters at luxist.com. The one on the left is designed for still water and it allows the H2O to rest at the bottom, while the one on the right  allows the air bubbles to rise to the top for sparkling water. BS? Who knows, but they look great. Each decanter is about 14 inches high and costs $580 on the Christofle website.

glass.concrete

The day I saw these concrete tumblers posted on uncrate.com, though when I tried to go to the website it wouldn't load - later that night I logged on but they were already sold out. These tumblers are popular because of their rugged good looks and they make a more practical alternative to Baccarat glassware. $40 for two, the tumblers are unique from Charles & Marie - searching online for similar alternatives produces no results.