The Modern Materialist

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• Happy Hour: Ravi Wine Chiller

  Here’s a pretty cool little item, pun entirely intended. The Ravi Wine Chiller is a wine (or other liquor) bottle attachment you store in your freezer. When it comes to time to have a nice glass of wine, all you do is snap the frozen part into the included bottle plug, and then pour. Is there more? Why yes, there's more after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 08 2008, 05:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, Happy Hour, drinkware

• Happy Hour: Krups Beer Tender

  Let’s be totally honest with each other, Materialistas: the Krups Beer Tender is only one step above a Kegerator. But it’s a really big, classy step. You want to know why? Because you can only get it from Williams-Sonoma. And you know how you know you can only get it from Williams-Sonoma? Because they tell you twice in the product description: Available exclusively at Williams-Sonoma, the innovative Beer Tender from Krups allows you to enjoy fresh, perfectly chilled pub-style draft beer at home. The sleek, self-contained appliance features a patented system engineered for compatability with Heineken’s compact five-liter DraughtKegs, the only kegs available featuring the CO2 technology that keeps beer fresh for up to 30 days. The internal carbonation unit ensures that each serving delivers a crisp, refreshing draft brew topped with an optimal head of foam. Freeing up space in your refrigerator, the Beer Tender is simple to use. Just insert a keg and position its tube, then close the lid and select the desired serving temperature. A powerful Peltier cooling system provides precise chilling to three preset temperature settings. Displayed on a digital panel, readouts include both current temperature and desired temperature. Volume and freshness indicators show how much beer remains in the keg and how long it will maintain top quality. 11 3⁄4" x 19" x 16 1⁄2" high. A Williams-Sonoma exclusive. More after the jump... Read More... Posted Mar 07 2008, 05:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Food and Drink, Happy Hour, drinkware

• Quiet Reflection: For That First Cup of the Day

  [$17.06 USD, Lazybone]  These anamorphic cups by Ross McBride are charming in a swirly, fantastical sort of way, and I sort of wish I had them so I could add them to the massive collection I've been amassing since I got this free mug back in junior high:   Read More... Posted Mar 07 2008, 01:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: drinkware

• Happy Hour: Floppy Disk Coasters

  Some of our younger readers* may not remember floppy disks, but Supermandolini sure does. They’ve taken the design of our old friend the 5.25 disk, and turned it into a modern coaster. When you start getting drunk, and reminiscing about the good old days when “an entire computer was 40 MBs, and we wondered how we would fill all that memory up!” or fondly look back on Kings Quest taking up three floppies of information with its ground-breaking graphics, be sure to put your drink down on one of these, and not the table. [$54 per 6-pack, Supermandolini] *Hooksexup caters to a lot of very precocious babies. Fun-fact! [Via Technabob] Posted Mar 06 2008, 05:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: geeky, Happy Hour, drinkware

• Happy Hour: Wanna Sip?

  These may be the sexiest tumbler glasses every made. I don't even care that they're designed specifically for cognac, to increase "the pleasure of the deep color and movement of the liquid." I think my pleasure would be increased even if they were filled with apple juice. Or cranberry juice! Or anything that sat in the bottom of the glass, cocked to the side seductively as if to whisper huskily, "Wanna sip?" But yeah, the cognac would be pretty good. [$50, Fitzsu]  Posted Feb 29 2008, 05:00 PM by Wendy Atterberry with | with no comments Filed under: Happy Hour, drinkware