Food

BN 2015 GIFT GUIDE VOLUME #2: 10 BEAUTIFUL SPIRITS & SWEETS TO GIVE NOW

by Bobbi Lin. Courtesy of Food52. Vintage Copper Large Round English Tea Kettle, Mid-19th Century.

The BN 2015 Gift Guide has 10 extraordinary gifts (+ a bonus stocking stuffer) for your friends who really appreciate exceptional food, spirits, and you! Check them out below.

1. VINTAGE COPPER -- FOOD52

Copper cookware is the ultimate luxury in the kitchen. Vintage copper is all the more beautiful. Our friends at Food52 are offering a rare collection of 19th Century copper pots and pans in Provisions, their online store.

Check out the incredibly detailed exceptionally large Vintage Copper Large Round English Tea Kettle, c. 1850, with dovetailed seams up the back and around the underside. And the Vintage Copper English Round Gratin Pie Plate would make an enviable gift for your baker friend.

2. DIAMOND JUBILEE WHISKEY -- JOHNNIE WALKER

Created to honor Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne, the Johnnie Walker Diamond Jubilee Whiskey is the world’s most expensive scotch.

Made with grain and malt whiskies that have matured since 1952, then put in small marrying casks made from English oak, harvested from the Queen’s private Sandringham estate, each sip comes with a trail of history.

The bottle is a product of the combined work of over 60 artisans. Each sports a silver collar set with a half-carat diamond. It comes with a pair of engraved lead Cumbria Crystal glasses.

3. BRANDY -- L’OR DE JEAN MARTELL

Produced exclusively in the Cognac region of France, L’Or de Jean Martell is one of the most complex brandies in the world. It is made from a combination of more than 400 rare cognacs some of more than 100 years old. Bottled up in an elegantly designed crystal decanter, this spicy mix of gingerbread and blackcurrant will leave you with a taste that you won’t forget.

It makes a truly unforgettable gift.

4. AMARETTO LIQUEUR -- DISARONNO WEARS VERSACE

Disaronno and Versace collaborated to produce a limited edition bottle of the famous amaretto. Inspired by the blue, gold, and white motifs of the Versace Home Collection and the classic shape of the Disaronno bottle, this one-of-a-kind liqueur is a great gift for a spirits aficionado.

5.MOËT & CHANDON -- NECTAR IMPERIAL ROSÉ

If you are looking for a gift that will make a big beautiful splash, Moët & Chandon’s Methuselah Leopard Luxury Edition of Nectar Imperial Rosé is a perfect choice. This dazzling 6-liter bottle, coated in 22-carat gold leaf, patterned with a funky leopard motif, was designed by the renowned French engraver, Arthus-Bertrand.

With only 60 bottles produced worldwide, this rare treasure celebrates rare moments and rare friendships.

6. LEGACY BY ANGOSTURA

Got any special pirate friends that have been very, very good this year? Or very, very naughty (in a good way)? Legacy by Angostura is a very, very perfect gift. It is the world’s most expensive rum.

Made in Trinidad from a blend of Angostura’s rarest aged rums, Legacy boasts distinctive vanilla and honey notes, with spice, wood, dark fruit, and nutty undertones, and a long, oaky finish.

The crystal decanter is a work of art. Designed by esteemed British jeweler, Asprey, with a gorgeous sculpted silver stopper, housed in a beautiful handmade wooden box. Only 20 bottles were made.

7. THE LONDON BRICK -- TOM DIXON & PIERRE MARCOLINI

Haute Chocolatier Pierre Marcolini and renowned designer Tom Dixon have partnered to produce The London Brick, a brilliant limited edition box of divine chocolate sweets. It is shaped like a brick, layered in 2 trays, and filled with 36 heavenly intensely flavored pieces, each wrapped in bright candy-colored foil.

8. THE CUBE COLLECTION -- AMELIA ROPE

Award-winning chocolatier Amelia Rope, keeps it simple and sumptuous. Her chocolates are so luxurious, with such pure flavor notes and lush mouthfeel, she keeps you focused on either pale, dark, or sea salt varieties. The Cube Collection, with its beautifully colored cubes of chocolate joy, make a magnificent gift.

9. THE CHRISTMAS CABINET -- HOTEL CHOCOLAT

Hotel Chocolat is one of the few chocolate makers that grows its own cacao trees. Their chocolates are made with a higher cocoa to sugar ratio than most others, yielding a more intense chocolate experience that is healthier too.

The Hotel Chocolat Christmas Cabinet is a chocolate lover’s fantasy come true, filled with an impossibly beautiful assortment, including some truly creative, sumptuous flavors. If you dare to aim even higher, Hotel Chocolate’s Chocolate Hamper and Chocolate Spa ups your gift game big time.

10. T1 TEQUILA SENSACIONAL

The newest sensation from t1 is its exquisite Tequila Sensacional. This sipping tequila, crafted by Master Distiller Germán González is made from mature 100% blue agaves grown in the highlands. It is double distilled, then aged in used Scotch barrels for about 3 ½ years.

This dark golden liquid is a new type, aimed at true tequila connoisseurs, rewarding them with a beautiful, deep warm amber color, with a woodsy taste and hint of orange peel. Best served neat, or on the rocks

It’s a perfect gift for family, friends, and people you wish to see more of.........

BONUS STOCKING STUFFER: ROSE & VIOLET CREAMS -- FORTNUM & MASON

Need a beautiful little stocking stuffer for a sweet friend with a sweet tooth? Fortnum & Mason’s Rose Violet Creams are sure to elicit smiles. These beautifully boxed English rose and violet creams are delicately flavored, not heavily perfumed, covered with rich dark chocolate, and topped with candied rose and violet petals.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: by Bobbi Lin. Courtesy of Food52. Vintage Copper Large Round English Tea Kettle, Mid-19th Century.
Image: by Bobbi Lin. Courtesy of Food52. Vintage Copper English Round Gratin Pie Plate, Late 19th Century.
Image: Courtesy of Johnnie Walker. Diamond Jubilee Whisky.
Image: Courtesy of Martell. L’Or de Jean Martell Brandy.
Image: Courtesy of Disaronno. Disaronno Wears Versace.
Image: Courtesy of Moët & Chandon. Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé.
Image: Courtesy of Angostura. Legacy by Angostura.
Image: Courtesy of Angostura. Legacy by Angostura.
Image: Courtesy of Pierre Marcolini. The London Brick Collection Tom Dixon for Pierre Marcolini.
Image: Courtesy of Amelia Rope Chocolate. Amelia Rope Boxed Chocolate Cubes.
Image: Courtesy of Hotel Chocolat. The Christmas Cabinet.
Image: Courtesy of Hotel Chocolat. The Chocolatier's Table.
Image: Courtesy of T1 Tequila Uno. Tequila Sensacional.
Image: Courtesy of Fortnum & Mason. Fortnum & Mason Rose & Violet Creams.
Image: Courtesy of T1 Tequila Uno. Tequila Sensacional.
Image: Courtesy of Moët & Chandon. Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé.
Image: by BN App - Download now!
Image: Courtesy of Angostura. Legacy by Angostura.