Lost Cowboy

When most people are raising a glass of champagne to toast in the New Year tonight at midnight, I will be raising a tumbler of bourbon.

My Bourbon of choice for such occasions in recent years has been Knob Creek, and I love it.  However, tonight I will be pouring myself a nice glass of Basil Hayden’s.

There are many fine bourbons out there and I resolve to try as many as I can in 2013 – in moderation of course.

Happy New Year!

And…

CHEERS!

I have the perfect vintage find for New Year’s Eve – this awesome collection of vintage horns curated by New York City’s Partners & Spade.

There is nothing like the classic sound of a tin horn to help ring in the new year – so much more fun than those cardboard horns which cheap plastic mouth pieces.

I love how collections like this look too.  I would love to have a display of horns like this on the mantel while celebrating the New Year.

About Partners & Spade:  “Partners & Spade, established in 2008 by Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti, is a storefront and studio on Great Jones Street in the NoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan. The studio produces films, books, apparel and conceptual products as well as marketing and branding projects for select corporate clients. The storefront, open on weekends to the public, presents a constantly re-imagined group show of artwork, objects, collections and ideas generated by an ever changing cast of collaborators.”

Let this collection of vintage horns help us bring in a new year full of great vintage finds.

Happy New Year!

Germans know how to indulge to celebrate the holidays. Therefore it is no wonder that the perfect antidote for over indulgence was developed by a German: Underberg Bitters.

About Underberg Bitters: “Fight fire with fire with this traditional European remedy for ‘over-indulgence’. These herbal bitters have been used as a digestive aid to follow a big night of eating and drinking for over 150 years. Two things contribute to Underberg’s distinctive character: it’s unique beneficial digestive effect and the unmistakable portion-sized bottle, wrapped in straw-paper. Convenient, practical and always exactly the right quantity for well-being. Underberg has indeed become worldwide the symbol for good health and satisfaction. Underberg – it cannot be explained; it must be experienced. Hubert Underberg launched his unique product in 1846, after many years of painstaking development work. His Underberg natural herbal digestive soon became greatly appreciated in many countries, earning it numerous awards and medals throughout the world.”

I purchased a set of Underberg Bitters before Christmas and the little bottles came packaged in a delightful collector tin. I am looking forward to serving the Underberg Bitters at an upcoming dinner party. The individually wrapped bottles will look great at the place settings along side the individual salt cellars (of course).

Read more about Underberg Bitters here.

Underberg is available in the US from Smallflower Apothecary.

Meanwhile, I love these vintage Underberg advertisements:

…for the rest of us!

HOLIDAY FIND:

Elf the Musical on Broadway (featuring Mr. Wayne Knight as Santa).

GIFT WE WANT:

Last but not least… A Slanket!  Of course!

WAY TO GIVE BACK:

Buy a pair of pants from Bonobos and help provide water to millions in Africa.

Just a day or so past the Winter Solstice and it looks like Lake and Mount Chocorua are all ready for the season.  The lake is pretty much frozen over and the peak of the mountain is covered in snow.  A great sight to mark the season…

HOLIDAY FIND:

The traditional German Christmas cookies – debouche – from NYC’s Leckerlee.

GIFT WE WANT:

The National-Geographic Shut-the-Box Game.

WAY TO GIVE BACK:

Help a young person receive an education by supporting Scholarship Ameirca.

A quote of the day for the season:

“It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season- like all other seasons- is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them.”

– Lemony Snicket, The Lump of Coal