Hasta La Ideas

Goat milk caramel sauce blended with Macallan scotch for delicious drizzling

When the San Francisco confectioner Happy Goat brought their deliciously artisinal caramels to the NYC Food Fair earlier this year, all it took was one bite before we were hooked. Using locally-sourced, free-range goat milk and Madagascan bourbon vanilla beans, founder Michael Winnike and a few friends mix up each batch in traditional copper pots for an addictive treat that is naturally lower in fat. Also, because goat milk is low-lactose and the closest in nature to mother’s milk, the caramels are also easier on the lactose intolerant.

After a few months of enjoying the caramels on a pretty regular basis, we wondered what they would taste like with a little Scotch mixed in—because, who wouldn’t want that? We connected Winnike with our friends at The Macallan, who were happy to help craft what has become one of the richest, most complex caramel sauces we’ve ever tasted.

The limited-edition jar sells exclusively from our Cool Hunting for Gap pop up shop for $19 each. After experimenting with the sauce on a few different foods, we recommend adding it to a cappucino, dipping apples in it or drizzling over any dessert in need of a little extra zing.

High-tech boomboxes, a turntable and a classic watch—all limited editions up for auction just in time for the holidays

Of the series of limited-edition collaborative products that we introduced this season, a few are so rare that we couldn’t even offer them for sale. To get your hands on some amazing objects with 100% of the proceeds going to NYC-based not-for-profits check out our four auctions below. Each ends Sunday 19 December 2010 so we can ship them to you for the holidays.

From the shores of Lake Neuchâtel to the Cool Hunting pop up shop at 680 Fifth Avenue, the Marvin “Toujours Plus” Malton 160 was produced in an edition of eight. The Toujours Plus, handcrafted for Cool Hunting, celebrates the reintroduction of Marvin to the U.S. market after a twenty year hiatus. This is the only remaining one, and it can be yours! 100% of the sale price will benefit Animal Haven Shelter, a New York City nonprofit dedicated to finding a loving home for abandoned cats and dogs.

Our other auction items involve a product that you can’t even get your hands on until later in 2011. TDK’s new produce range, called Life On Record, includes a three-speaker boombox
with a 6-inch subwoofer as well as two 6-inch coaxial drivers that can deliver a robust range of sounds.

In addition the line includes a two-speaker boombox with a shoulder strap. TDK further realizes their vision of bringing old-school chic into 2011 with the limited-edition turntable they’re pre-releasing through the auction. The new-age music-players will be available next year, but through our charity auction benefiting Musicians On Call, you can be the first kid on the block paying homage to Radio Raheem with editions customized in green leather by leather maestro Mathieu Brown.

Cool Hunting teams up with Rickshaw for this special CH Edition messenger bag and iPad case

Exceptionally durable, Rickshaw waterproof bags are designed specifically for the active urban dweller. The San Francisco-based brand not only keeps us impressed with their ability to make long-lasting, thoughtfully designed bags, but also their commitment to sustainability supersedes most environmentally-conscious labels. For example, Rickshaw produces their Zero Messenger bag using domestically sourced materials, recyclable nylon and designs it around the cutting process to reduce material waste.

We like this bag so much that for our collection of Cool Hunting collaborations we worked with Rickshaw to design a customized CH Edition. A stylishly functional messenger bag, our version features a “Cool Hunting Green” interior, waterproof X-pac black exterior, a detachable zippered inside pocket and extra compartments under the flap for all of your daily essentials and gear.

What’s more, we produced a limited-edition iPad case too, also featuring a fetching green interior.

Those in NYC can pick the bag ($150) and iPad Case ($30) up at our holiday Cool Hunting for Gap pop up shop or through our
online shop.

Our limited-edition Jill Platner bracelet and video premiere event

Crafting gorgeously organic shapes in her SoHo, NYC studio for nearly two decades, designer Jill Platner uses old-school artisan techniques to make modern jewelry that looks as good as it feels to wear it. The Massachusetts native moved to NYC to study at Parsons, where she took up metal-smithing and began realizing her true passion.

An avid surfer, Jill integrates her passion for the outdoors into her designs and all of her work is sturdy enough to withstand an active lifestyle. Unexpected materials like strong Tenara thread, both UV ray- and salt water-resistant, make her jewelry at once rugged and comfortable to wear.

We’re excited to include several pieces by the talented designer in our pop up shop, and having been a fan for over a decade, I’m psyched to have collaborated with Jill for our CH Editions collection. Re-envisioning her signature rawhide bracelet, we worked together to introduce a dove grey leather to her trademark sterling silver toggle clasp for 12 extended-length versions.

The limited-edition bracelets sell from our online shop for $205, but be sure to attend our dedicated event at the Cool Hunting for Gap pop up tomorrow, Wednesday, 8 December 2010, to catch the premiere of our behind-the-scenes video of Jill Platner and her studio.

Chill out with our exclusive blend of smokable herbs designed to ease stress

On a farm bordering the Hudson River, just north of Woodstock, NY in the quaint historic area of Germantown, herbalist Lauren Giambrone creates unique ointments and tinctures for a variety of ailments using freshly picked herbs from her garden and peddles them under the label Good Fight Herb Co. Accepted as one of three apprentices at the rigorous Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, since finishing Giambrone has applied her extensive knowledge to remedy common conditions as well as more modern maladies, like overworked New Yorkers (which is an immune-building tincture).

For Cool Hunting Giambrone created a healthy mix of mullein, mugwort, damiana, sage and lavender herbs, intended to ease stress and serve as an alternative to carcinogenic tobacco. Dubbed the Cool Hunting Herbal Smoke Blend, the concoction can be consumed on its own or added to other smokable herbs—especially those that may induce slight paranoia.

Selling from our CH Edition online shop for $15, the Herbal Smoke Blend comes with a pack of unbleached, 100% vegan rolling papers. More Good Fight Herb Co. medicinals can be found at Brooklyn’s Marlow & Sons General Store.