Hasta La Ideas

Raw unfiltered honey produced in Seattle backyards

Corky Luster is a Seattle-based certified beekeeper. Two years ago he launched Ballard Bee, an enterprise he calls an “urban pollination company.” His fast-growing initiative includes 60 onsite beehives at his Northwest Seattle home, plans to expand to 100 in the coming year and hives placed throughout his neighborhood. Luster maintains the hives and compensates sponsors for their time and the use of their property with jars of Ballard honey—a deal so sweet that next season’s spots are already filled.

Each jar’s laboratory-inspired packaging lends a modern feel to the product, while the honey itself actually comes in a more natural state than most conventional brands. Whereas many mass producers heat their honey and press it through very fine filters which not only destroys natural enzymes but also alters the taste, Luster’s honey is raw and unfiltered.

Ballard honey sells in 22-ounce jars at vendors throughout the Northwest, as well as online from Blackbird for $21 per jar.

Take our culture quiz and compete to win a trip to Puerto Rico to experience the art of rum-making first-hand

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It’s one thing to master making a cocktail, and yet another to actually craft a spirit. Here at CH, we’ve experienced first-hand the skill and art that goes into creating a variety of our favorite drinks. The balance between rigorous dedication to tradition and having an eye on innovation is a principle that resonates just as much in the art and design world as it does in a distillery, which is why we’re excited to be a part of the Master of All Skills project. DonQ Rum, founded 146 years ago in Puerto Rico, offered us and a small group of other great sites the opportunity to work with them on crafting our very own rum. However, before anyone gets to celebrate the creation of our specially produced spirit, DonQ has an even more exciting opportunity for Cool Hunting’s readers.

DonQ tapped Cool Hunting to create a quiz that tests your knowledge of all things cultural, with the opportunity to win an exclusive party for you and 25 of your friends and a trip to Puerto Rico to experience the art of rum-making firsthand. For more information on prizes see the Master of All Skills site, and if you’re ready to take the challenge on, our quiz is waiting after the jump.

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.

Make holidays more merry with beautiful bottles of booze

With small batch spirits and one-of-a-kind bottles on the rise, an increasing number of producers are literally bringing something new to the table.

Whether it’s a 100-proof rye whiskey or champagne encased in copper you’re after, these boozy options will make you welcome at the door of any holiday party. Pair any of these drinks with an appropriate literary choice authored by a famous drunk (Hunter S. Thompson, Dylan Thomas, Hemingway, etc.) or with a book like 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die for a gift that will please any lush on your list.

For more, see our piece on giftable spirits from 2009.

Aged for at least ten years in American oak barrels, the creators of WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey hand-bottle this 100-proof spirit on a former dairy farm in Shoreham, VT. The result is both strong and well balanced, picking up fans with each sip. Pick it up from Drink Up NY for the sale price of $70.

Joe Keeper at Silver Lake, CA’s Bar Keeper recommends Karlsson’s Gold Vodka, which is made from fingerling potatoes, as a gift. He loves the “nice viscosity” and the pepper grinder that comes with it adds a fresh-ground peppery zip. It sells from
Park Avenue Liquor Shop for $36.

Made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay grapes, Beau Joie’s Rosé bottle comes beautifully wrapped in 2nd-generation copper scrap. The knight-inspired copper armor helps keep the champagne cold longer by eliminating the need for an ice bucket. Get it from Wally’s for $110.

Joe describes Cardamaro Amaro as “funky and delicious.” Infused with two odd ingredients—cardoon, a relative of the artichoke, and Blessed Thistle, an herb used to treat the bubonic plague during the Middle Ages—the amaro is produced in Italy’s Piemonte region by the winemaker Giovanni Bosca. Vino has it for $23.

Celebrating their 10th Anniversary, the small batch whisky makers at Compass Box have made a name for themselves in the world of whisky. This holiday season, the 10th Anniversary bottle of Hedonism (£200) comes from a single cask of 38 year old Invergordon. Compass Box has combined Highland, Islay and Island single malts to create Flaming Heart, now bottled with a new label designed by Alex Machin (£72). Additionally, the name for Double Single (£100) refers to a whisky being comprised of one single malt and one grain. All limited editions, they sell online from Compass Box.

When we asked Michel Dozois from Névé Luxury Ice for boozy holiday gifts, he immediately recommended Crusoe Spiced Organic Rum. Made with organic molasses and fair trade sugar cane, Dozois loves to create cocktail recipes with this spicy spirit that also incorporates cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla and orange. The bottle is available from
K & L Wine Merchants for $32.

Another recommendation from Dozois, the award-winning bitters by Bitter Truth come in flavors like Old Time Aromatic, Grapefruit, Ghocolate and Greole (($17 each). Perfect as a gift for a friend perfecting their own cocktail recipes, you can also bring the traveler’s set on the plane ($20) to calm inflight nerves. Get them from Drink Up NY.

Food-focused highlights from our holiday gift guide and an event in NYC

Among the food-focused items in out 2010 Holiday Gift Guide we’ve selected ten stand-outs including some highlights from the Cool Hunting for Gap Pop Up shop—where we’re having an event dedicated to this favorite topic. For those in NYC, stop by the store from 12-2pm Saturday, 4 December 2011 to snap up products launching that day—including a chocolate bar collaboration we facilitated between Brooklyn’s Mast Brothers and Berkley’s June Taylor as well the deliciously addictive Happy Goat caramel sauce infused with Macallan whisky—and meet your favorite cookbook author while sampling goods from local artisans like Brooklyn Salsa Company.

The Essential New York Times Cookbook

The The Essential New York Times Cookbook contains over 1,000 recipes compiled by former NYT columnist Amanda Hesser. Dishes span Caesar to Fava Bean Salad to a 19th-century Raspberry Granita—all fully explained in a simple format.

State-by-Food Tote Bag

Shop your local green market with the State-by-Food Tote Bag, featuring illustrations of popular foods from each of the 50 states. No matter where you go, you will always have some inspiration to draw from.

Nudo’s Quattro Stagione

Olive oil for every season, Nudo spices up any salad, sandwich or pasta with four delicious flavors, all made from 100% hand-picked olives that go straight from the grove to pressing.

Tartine Bread

Nothing beats perfectly baked bread, especially when it’s baked using a recipe from Chad Robertson’s Tartine Bread, a James Beard award-winner and arguably the best bread maker in the United States.

Sing Sing Dinner Tray

The Sing Sing Dinner Tray is a refined replica of the trays used in New York’s infamous prison. Perfect for portion control, dinner in front of the TV or as a distinct tray for serving guests at your holiday party.

OXO Four-Piece Grill Set

For the BBQ ace with discerning tastes in and out of the kitchen, the OXO 4-Piece Grill Set comes with an attractive set of essential grilling utensils, each with retractable hooks and a patented design for the silicone basting brush, which keeps marinades from sliding off its bristles.

DeLonghi Gran Dama

Used daily by CH founder Josh Rubin, with the touch of a button the DeLonghi Gran Dama creates espressos, lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos—each with programmable amounts of coffee and milk, as will as adjustable cup sizes. The convenience is well worth the price.

Damn Good Cookies

While most of us are dreaming of dessert before our meal even starts, these cookies are worth the wait. Chocolate Gourmet’s “Damn Good Cookies” definitely live up to their name. Our mouths are watering just thinking about the delicious treats.

Avocado Salt and Pepper Shaker

The uniquely designed Avocado Salt and Pepper Shaker by Brooklyn-based ceramicist Daina Platais is cast from an actual avocado, her personal food favorite.

Brooklyn Salsa

Brooklyn Salsa engages us with its quirky names that represent the different boroughs of NYC. With flavors such as The Hot, The Pure, The Green, The Tropical and The Burnt, there are no shortage of options on how to spice up your next snack attack.