Life of the party

Gift Guide, part 2

As promised, Gift Guide, Part 2 (here’s Part 1) is here and it is full of suggestions for the hosts and drinkers among us. And much like part 1, I’m fond of (and so have written) combination gifts — a cookbook AND Italian 00 flour, for example. Is one a good gift without the other? Yes. Are they infinitely better together? Yes.

Quick note: all gifts from our Shop are sold through Amazon, which makes ordering and shipping incredibly easy. We earn an affiliate commission on anything you buy through our shop, but never fear: everything’s carefully curated by To Taste & friends.

We’d love to see more of you! Subscribe here and we’ll write to you every other Friday.

For the Hosts

They’ve lit the candles, tested the volume on their curated playlist, their somehow Michelin-starred lobster Thermador will somehow be served at the perfect temperature. But even they don’t have everything. For example, do they have the most perfectly whimsical set of Gray Malin playing cards to cap the evening? Do they have Jacques Pepin’s menu book for posterity? Shit, they do?

Well, those newly inspired to entertain will love a set of marble cheese knives and a marble and teak cheese board. Cheese boards at parties are the gateway, they are required. In fact, if you don’t set one out, does anyone know if they magically appear anyway?

Those who have graduated from Cheese Board 101 entertaining, of course, are ready for a white porcelain cake stand and a copy of Odette Williams’ Simple Cake.

And then the consummate hosts — the ones who like to gather a crowd, and often — need sturdier supplies, like unbreakable wine glasses and a wine glass marker, or a modern and minimal wine bottle insulator.

We’d love to see more of you! Subscribe here and we’ll write to you every other Friday.

For the Thirsty

They’ve decided they like French reds, Italian whites, and will sometimes even drink a Merlot. Celebrate your budding sommelier with a proper wine decanter and a copy of Maryse Chevriere’s excellent, required-reading Grasping the Grape.

Newer boozehounds will love help setting up their home bar with a W&P 3-piece cocktail set and an all-time classic bottle of Fee Brothers bitters. Some holiday-inspired cocktail napkins round things out nicely.

If it is hard liquor they’re into, a set of whiskey stones is a timeless gift for good reason. Pair that with a bottle of Whistlepig or SIA scotch whiskey and a homemade coupon for an evening of your delightful company.

Or grab a bottle of Castle & Key gin or Yola Mezcal — both incredibly good and both women-owned — a set of Swiss peelers (for the perfect twist), and a silicone ice cube tray, like the pros use.

For when morning inevitably comes: a classic, Italian Bialetti stovetop espresso maker, set of clean and simple espresso mugs, and Intelligentsia coffee beans.

We’d love to see more of you! Subscribe here and we’ll write to you every other Friday.

As ever, the best gift you can give is the gift of paying attention to whatever they’re into. Whatever they might want or need to further a hobby (yes, wine drinking is a hobby, mom). Whatever might show that you care about what they care about. Unless, of course, you’re shopping for that one coworker, in which case close your eyes and click on any of the above links. You’ll be in good shape.

Happy holidays, friends!