Latest news with #Manhattans
NDTV
19 hours ago
- General
- NDTV
5 Common Kitchen Tools You Can Use To Make Restaurant-Quality Cocktails At Home
On Fridays, as soon as the clock hits 5, most of us start wrapping things up and thinking about just one thing: unwinding with our friends at home over a good drink. It's a simple joy, right? But let's face it, not everyone has a fully stocked bar waiting at home. Maybe you've just moved into a new place, you're on vacation, or you've only just started building your home bar setup. That's when the struggle begins. You want a nice cocktail, but the tools just aren't there. The good news? You really don't need anything fancy to make a great drink. With a little bit of creativity and classic Indian jugaad, you can make cocktails that taste just as good, if not better, than the ones you get outside. So if you've been holding back because of missing tools, here's something that will help. These five simple tricks will show you how to use basic kitchen items to create amazing cocktails right at home. Here Are 5 Quick Ways To Make Restaurant-Quality Drinks Without Any Fancy Tools 1. Shake It Up In A Regular Jar No cocktail shaker? Not a problem! A regular glass jar with a tight-fitting lid works equally fine and is a great substitute. Just add your ingredients and ice, secure the lid, and shake like there is no tomorrow. The jar's transparency allows you to watch the mixing and sturdiness makes it durable. When pouring, you can use the jar's lid to strain out ice or other ingredients, which will give you the feeling of a cocktail shaker. This method is perfect for cocktails like margaritas or daiquiris, where mixing properly is the key. 2. Mix With Everyday Utensils For cocktails that require stirring rather than shaking, like Negronis or Manhattans, a long spoon, chopstick or even a butter knife would do the trick. The goal is to gently combine the ingredients and chill the drink without over-diluting. Just add your ingredients to a glass filled with ice or mix smoothly for 30 seconds. This technique makes sure you have a well-mixed cocktail with the right balance of flavours. 3. Muddle With Whatever You Have Muddling releases the essential oils and juices from herbs and fruits, which ultimately enhances the flavour of the cocktail. If you don't have a traditional muddler, the handle of a wooden spoon or a rolling pin works just fine. Gently press and twist the tool over ingredients like mint leaves or citrus fruit slices to extract the essence. Just be careful not to over-muddle, especially with herbs, to avoid bitterness. This simple technique is important for drinks like mojitos, which brings out their signature taste. 4. Measure Using Kitchen Tools We all know how accurate measurements are important for fab cocktails. If you don't have a jigger, use your common spoons and cups as alternatives. For example, one tablespoon equals 15 ml. This allows you to measure spirits and mixers effectively. Knowing the measurements and the correct ratios makes sure you get the drink you desire. This is particularly useful when you are following new recipes and mixes. 5. Strain Using Kitchen Items Straining makes the liquid separate from solids, which gives you a smoother drinking experience. If you don't have a cocktail strainer, you can use a sieve, a tea strainer, or even the lid of your jar to do the deed. These tools help filter out the fruit pulp, ice cubes, or even small herb leftovers. Pro tip: if you want an even finer strain, use a coffee filter or a muslin cloth. This will literally give you a clean, smooth and delicious cocktail that's also super presentable!
Eater
2 days ago
- Business
- Eater
Chicago's Influential Violet Hour Is Closed Until Further Notice
For the past three weeks, the Violet Hour has remained dormant in Wicker Park, with ownership saying the cocktail bar was in dire need of plumbing repairs. Originally, the owners planned on reopening last week, but now the 18-year-old cocktail bar will stay closed 'until further notice,' missing the onslaught of culinary tourists in town next weekend for the 35th annual James Beard Awards. Ownership from One Off Hospitality Group, the restaurant company behind the Publican and Big Star, says they're in negotiations with the building's landlord, attempting to reach common ground over those repairs. A rep declined to say how much that would cost, only saying 'substantial' fixes are needed. Floors would need to be ripped up, and the ground dug out. The bar's furniture remains intact at 1520 N. Damen Avenue. Public records showed the owner listed as Magic Carpet LLC, which leads to Newcastle Investors. A press release shows Newcastle acquired the property in 2023. 'We're working hard to resume service and will continue to share updates as they become available, so please keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest news,' a Violet Hour statement reads. 'Thank you for your continued support — we can't wait to welcome you back, if and when the time is right.' Violet Hour's importance extends a few layers deep. The bar's debut ushered in the age of the mixologist with sophisticated cocktails using not-so-easy-to-find ingredients. And a multitude of different types of ice. But its influence extended across the country. Chicagoans enjoyed martinis and Manhattans, but Violet Hour's bartenders showed them new drinks, introducing them to future bar staples like the Paper Plane and the Art of Choke. In 2015, the bar won the Beard for Outstanding Bar Program. The bar has made numerous local and national lists and is one of Chicago's essential bars. An arsenal of bartenders remains thankful for their time working the bar, which helped launch their careers. The bar's arrival also marked the start of One Off's Wicker Park presence as the area rapidly gentrified. MTV brought the neighborhood attention when it brought its Real World circus to North Avenue in 2001-2002. One Off partner Terry Alexander was already an integral part of the area — he was also behind Danny's Tavern in nearby Bucktown and soon joined Paul Kahan and Donnie Madia's group. After opening Big Star, they eventually took over the neighboring space to the north and opened Dove's Luncheonette. In 2016, the group opened a spinoff of its pioneering Publican, but the restaurant struggled to find traction as the neighborhood continued to change. An ancillary Beard event, scheduled for Sunday, June 15 — a collaboration with Portland, Oregon Beard Award finalist Scotch Lodge — will move to Friends of Friends, a new bar that Alexander opened last week with Violet Hour alum Abe Vucekovich. Alexander's familiarity with the Violet Hour spans more than two decades through MOD, a restaurant that was open from 2000 to 2005; and Del Toro, a restaurant that gave Andrew Zimmerman a chance to shine. Zimmerman would go on to open West Loop icon Sepia, a Michelin-starred restaurant. While One Off appears to be cautiously optimistic about a reopening, a decision to shutter could echo what happened in 2020 in West Loop when the company closed Blackbird, a gastronomic trailblazer, after two decades. Fans of Blackbird didn't get a chance to have a final meal. One Off hopes Violet Hour doesn't face the same fate and gets a proper last call. Sign up for our newsletter.
Business Insider
30-05-2025
- Business Insider
In my 20s, I dreamed of a wild weekend in Vegas. Instead, I went as a sober mom in my 30s.
In my younger years, I dreamt of hitting Sin City for a hedonistic weekend that could only be remembered via poorly scribbled notes written in an inebriated haze. Like many would-be writers, I longed to recreate Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing" firsthand. Las Vegas has a reputation, after all, for being the sort of place one goes to make endless mistakes in, hopefully, enjoyable ways. As a lower-income lush in my 20s, the trip never happened. Back then, it felt most important to invoke my inner Don Draper and sip Manhattans at local bars in my hometown of Miami or occasionally slip into harder habits. I was, what you might call, an experimental gal. This meant I never had much more than $100 to my name. The long and short of it is I had not only a drinking habit, but a drinking problem. Luckily, things change. I changed. The long and short of it is I got pregnant and quit drinking, lost the baby, and binged one final time. After I realized it wasn't going to fix my trauma, I stopped drinking. Now, roughly a decade later, I do, on rare occasions, nurse a low ABV beer during a meal out with friends, but for the most part, those days are long behind me, and I'm grateful for it. Over the years, I became a journalist, a wife, and a mother. I left Florida behind and built a new life in Colorado — hundreds of miles away from where I started, and from my best friend. No longer someone who was getting blackout drunk on the regular, I also finally had enough money to go on a girls' trip. So I asked my BFF to meet me in Vegas so we could paint the town red, in our own way. Booze-free days in Vegas As I arrived in Las Vegas a few hours before my friend did, and a few hours before check-in, I got into my own form of trouble. No, I didn't hit a bar. I picked up some goodies from the Hello Kitty Cafe, and then went and got a massage. When my friend finally arrived, we both checked into our shared room at the Park MGM — which is the only non-smoking hotel on the Strip. I had developed an aversion to the smell of cigs in recent years, and was pleased to find out they don't even allow smoking in the casino. I'll admit that seeing the glittering lights of the Strip at night and seeing all the folks dressed up for the clubs and casinos did give me a pang of FOMO. But that feeling went away once I woke up the next day sans hangover and ready for more adventures. While I immediately recognized Las Vegas' potential for being a blast on psychedelics, it was still plenty of fun without. We visited Wink World, rode the Haley's Comet zipline, and explored immersive art at Meow Wolf's Omega Mart. Drink-less nights in Vegas In the evenings, we found ways to have fun that didn't involve getting plastered while talking to strangers and making regrettable decisions. One night, we sat near the front row for "Kà," which is exactly the way you want to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show, where people are flying over you. Another night, we went to the Neon Museum to check out their "boneyard" — a collection of retired neon signs, all lit up like they were in their prime. We even ventured into the casino and quickly played, and lost, a few bucks playing blackjack and roulette. But we still managed to make it back to our rooms with enough time to catch an episode of "SVU" and fall asleep without the aid of booze. Leaving town, my wallet didn't hurt, nor did my head. No regrettable calls made, no regrettable actions taken. If I'd gone to Vegas in my 20s, it's possible I might've had more fun in certain ways, but I likely wouldn't remember much of it. I felt good about the fact that nothing I did in Vegas had to stay in Vegas.
Los Angeles Times
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The best L.A. spots to sip a classic martini in style
March 4, 2025 3 AM PT A martini is a martini, and a martini is more than a martini. No cocktail commands greater cultural status. Blinking on neon signs outside corner bars and perching in the hands of a century's worth of Hollywood characters, its image lives in our heads. The martini is a badge of power and world-weariness, in real life and fiction, the stuff of American life. In the new millennium's drinking renaissance, the name and stemware have been co-opted as conduits for restless, relentless reinvention. Who among us guzzles espresso Manhattans with the same fervor? I'm a martini purist (London dry gin and vermouth, stirred, twist or olives depending on the day's disposition) but not an ideologue. I'm more interested in a conversation about details — I also favor two dashes of orange bitters, an addition with historical precedent — than I am in an argument about absolutes. When the thirst for a proper martini arises, the setting matters. Cities like New York and London nurture establishments that emphasize the ritual: carts, tableside stagecraft, solemnity and wit in equal servings. In Los Angeles, though, the finest places for martini drinking tend to center vibes, the seats of glamour that come in many guises: old, new, shiny, noir. Plenty of my favorite restaurants serve wonderful martinis — Camélia , Greekman's , Camphor and Si! Mon are four that come to mind — and the pros at serious bars like Thunderbolt and Death & Co. understand that a great martini usually begins with a conversation between customer and bartender. The following 13 places, though, exude martini-ness. The moods they conjure, as much or more than the menus or hospitality, make sipping the clear, searing elixir from a frosty glass feel somehow predetermined. No matching places! Try changing or resetting your filters Showing Places Hollywood American Steakhouse $$$ By Bill Addison The oak paneling, the patina'd murals, the booth favored by Charlie Chaplin, the still-relevant Hollywood crowd (a few famous faces but mostly the creatives and executives who make Tinseltown tick): Musso & Frank, approaching its 106th year in business, remains one of America's archetypal settings for the imbibing of martinis. Be it at a cloistered table, the mirrored bar in the 'new room' or along the endless counter on the restaurant's opposite side, servers in candy-red tuxedo jackets deliver your drink in a 2 ½-ounce glass. It arrives accompanied by an iconic sidecar nestled in crushed ice in a hammered metal carafe. I knew, after my first Musso's martini years ago, that its taste was a Platonic ideal: searing, intense, pure. What I didn't yet grasp was the recipe: straight gin (Gilbey's, a now lesser-seen brand, has long been the well), stirred, garnished with Spanish olives brined in the kitchen. No vermouth. I tried not long ago to impose my personal martini preferences on the bartender; something strange appeared, an aberration. Lesson learned: Don't mess with the Musso's intangibles. Route Details Santa Monica American $$$ By Bill Addison On a recent Friday, Dylan Meek was playing the Steinway & Sons piano in the Georgian Room, singing a silky cover of Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy.' My friends and I occupied the three seats nearest him at the curving bar anchoring the room — a subterranean den of swank restored as part of the overall renovation of the Georgian Hotel, an Art Deco landmark originally opened in 1933. Black leather booths line the opposite ruby-red wall, hung with rectangular mirrors and vintage posters. The menu leans Italian steakhouse; I'm happiest with fried olives and chunks of balsamic-drizzled Parmesan as snacks and starters like grilled prawns and oysters Rockefeller, all of which happen to pair nicely with martinis. Route Details West Hollywood Cocktails By Bill Addison What a welcome sight to see the ebullient whirlwind of Dimitri Dimitrov — Tower Bar's maître d', who left for six years to help Sunset Tower Hotel owner Jeff Klein run members-only San Vicente Bungalows — returned to his rightful kingdom as of last September. Shiny new hot spots come and go, but Klein has helped Tower Bar retain its position as a Hollywood seat of power since he purchased the building in 2005. During awards season, tables in the dining room, many strategically positioned behind discrete partitions, can be especially hot currency. 'Ah, no,' said Dimitrov to me with friendly gravity when I had the nerve to show up without a reservation recently. The short, unreserved bar has its own pleasures, though. It's a fine roost amid the center of action to nurse a potent martini alongside a shrimp cocktail, a chopped salad or the abiding hors d'oeuvres of entertainment industry hangouts, pigs in a blanket. Route Details Koreatown New American $$ By Bill Addison A favorite L.A. martini memory: Early last year, at the end of a draining workweek, a colleague and I met up for a meal at a restaurant that didn't quite meet its mark that night. We had an idea: Let's regroup at Here's Looking at You, where the restaurant serves a late happy hour menu from 8:30 to 10 p.m., during which the kitchen cranks out thick, dry-aged cheeseburgers embellished with peppery mayo and the sweet sting of fried onions. That night, Damián Diaz, who co-founded the nonprofit No Us Without You L.A. during the pandemic, was behind the bar. That night he stirred one of the most perfectly textured martinis I've had; those ingredients were emulsified. The care in his craft lightened our worries for a calming hour or so. Diaz moved on, but bar director Danny Rubenstein has long overseen one of the city's freest-thinking, stick-the-landing cocktail programs — while always respecting an elemental martini order. Route Details Beverly Hills Italian $$$ By Bill Addison Under new owners, Caffe Dante — originally opened in Manhattan's Greenwich Village in 1915, and so ingrained in the neighborhood it's a registered New York City landmark — dropped to a single name and expanded westward two years ago to the top floor of the Maybourne Beverly Hills. Dante's bartenders back east regularly teach classes in the art of the perfect martini; the craft is taken seriously on both coasts. The restaurant's signature martini mixes gin and vodka with a duet of vermouths, lemon bitters and a garnish of three olives, each different colors, plunged directly into the glass. If it's a two-martini night for me, amid a Cal-Ital meal of arancini and spaghetti alla chitarra or lemony branzino, I'll start with that house creation and then ask for a steelier drink (hold the vodka), which the bar staff skillfully accommodates. Dirty martini lovers will appreciate the piercingly briny rendition smoothed with an olive oil float. Route Details Culver City Steakhouse $$$ By Bill Addison Fans know the story now by heart: In 2019, two years before the scheduled demolition of a Culver City restaurant opened in 1962 by a pal of Frank Sinatra, power couple Hans and Patti Röckenwagner toured the space and felt called to resuscitate its swinging past. With partner Josiah Citrin, they landed on a hit: a 50-seat, time-capsule romp featuring tuxedoed servers preparing tableside Caesars; walls of portraits, abstracts and landscapes painted in the 1950s and '60s; and Continental steakhouse classics that are far better than they need to be. On any given night I watch customers sipping martinis out of large coupe glasses on every other table. For tasteful variation, the cocktail menu lists a Vesper made with impeccable balance. In 2023, after landlord negotiations appeared to stall, the trio's lease on the space was extended for five years: We have Dear John's until 2028. Another round to celebrate, please. Route Details Beverly Hills Californian $$$$ By Bill Addison The front bar at Wolfgang Puck's Beverly Hills flagship is the restaurant's most underrated nook. Most diners only breeze past the bar's dark walls and over its handsomely scruffy hardwoods on their way to the comfortably modernist dining rooms. But treat the space as a destination in its own right and its enveloping charms reveal themselves: leather-padded stools, buttery lighting, an engaging corps of cocktail pros. The cocktail menu revisits popular drinks through Spago's four-plus decades: a 1980s-era Harvey Wallbanger dressed up with a splash of sherry, a Paper Plane tweaked with Japanese whisky for the 2010s. A selection of current trends includes a Tiny-'Tini Trio with busy interpretations like a nonalcoholic version that combines Earl Grey tea, juniper, rosemary, oyster leaf, yuzu, cinnamon, kombu and brine. Ask any bartender instead for a classic dry martini and they oblige, bringing some very good blue cheese-studded olives to try on the side. Route Details Fairfax American $$ By Bill Addison An ode to cinematic Hollywood poshness and the first restaurant by the Hundreds streetwear co-founder Ben Shenassafar, the Benjamin takes a broad view of the martini with nearly a dozen variations. There's a riff with tequila and a nod to the martini's sweeter first cousin, the Martinez, fashioned here with Plymouth gin, Torino vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino and an orange twist. Circling back to a truer iteration, Ben's Martini comprises Monkey 47, Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth and a spritz of lemon oil, served with stacked waffle chips as Shenassafar favors. Bar director Nathan Oliver stirs an even drier martini if you ask nicely. The booths, in tufted sage-colored mohair fabric, have obvious allure, though I'm drawn to sip my drink at the bar, demolishing a wedge salad and chef Johnny Cirelle's precision-engineered cheeseburger. Route Details Atwater Village Eastern European $$ By Bill Addison Atwater Village restaurant veterans Scott Zwiezen and Anne O'Malley, who own long-running Dune, opened Bar Sinizki with Alexander Mirecki Tavitian, who previously ran Kaldi Coffee in the same space. It operates as a coffeehouse, cocktail haven and restaurant daily from 7 a.m. to midnight, some ambitiously long hours. Yet after less than a year in operation, Sinizki feels like an entrenched and useful part of the community. The Euro-chic cafe — checkered floors, marble counters, glinting tiled ceiling — sits only 16 inside, so evenings at the curving bar have an intimate aura, even if servers are rushing past from the kitchen, balancing plates on their arms. Plump, crisp-edged pierogi filled with mashed potato, cheese and caramelized onions; tartines overlaid with salami with good butter and mustard or trout rillettes; and a burger of mid-thickness with griddled onions and a lacquer of American cheese all complement a martini. A splash of sour-tart-sweet Leopold Bros. lime cordial gives an otherwise classic Vesper (vodka, gin, Lillet blanc) a respectful twist. Route Details Studio City Italian $$ Scott Warren is a character among characters. He blurs through his small dominion, a speakeasy with a hidden entrance in the back of Vitello's, a Studio City institution since 1964. Warren speeds from bar to table, delivering cocktails and food (delivered to him from a window connected to the kitchen), shouting conversations with regulars across the room, addressing the men as 'brother.' He has a list of two dozen smart, intricate cocktails that he mixes in a fury. Mention 'martini' and he may start pulling bottles of artisanal gin he recommends, though he'll ultimately defer to your tastes with graciousness. Vitello's also has an upstairs lounge called the Velvet Martini, but I prefer the namesake cocktail in Warren's company, tempered with a straightforward Caesar and a plate of lasagna big enough to feed two. Route Details Beverly Grove New American Steakhouse $$$ By Bill Addison Suzanne Tracht opened her Beverly Grove restaurant in 2002, but it was built to feel timeless. No surprise that its ever-stunning dining room — a set piece of chic wood paneling, flying-saucer-shaped lighting fixtures and other Midcentury Modern adornments — has been a filming location for numerous television shows, including, yes, 'Mad Men.' I thirst for a stinglingly cold martini upon entering, and I am never disappointed. The longtime star of her menu, which broadly follows a steakhouse format, is the pot roast, which transcends any clichés with its nuanced textures and faint sherry perfume. That said, it is also deeply comforting, as are crabmeat-laced deviled eggs, char siu-style pork chop and the silken chocolate pudding for dessert. Route Details Manhattan Beach Steakhouse $$$ By Bill Addison Steakhouses tend to flourish as high-end chains, as de facto corporate boardrooms and as slick dens of vice. I favor another model: the steakhouse as swank supper club. The Arthur J delivers Midcentury Modern plushness in Manhattan Beach — tongue-and-groove ceilings, horseshoe-shaped booths and curvy Eames-style chairs, geometrically patterned wooden room dividers — when there's no time to get away to Palm Springs. Chef and partner David LeFevre updates the chophouse blueprint with tweaks that give the classics renewed life. This is the place to savor shrimp cocktail, fresh and bouncy rather than rubbery; dry-aged, bone-in Kansas City strip steak; creamed corn sparked with Aleppo pepper; and thick fries cooked in beef fat, with malt vinegar and Dijon aioli. The foods favor a martini, as does the chophouse-style burger (combining cuts of ground chuck, brisket and short rib,, grilled over oak and crowned with Nueske's applewood-smoked bacon, shredded Emmental and caramelized onions), served only in the front lounge. The service is appropriately debonair, particularly when distinguished L.A. food writer Patric Kuh, who charms guests these days as the restaurant's assistant manager, circulates among tables. Route Details Bel-Air Cocktails By Bill Addison In the name of research, I sidled up to several of L.A.'s tonier hotel bars in the last couple of months. None match the opulence of the Bel-Air, singular in its surroundings of lush grounds and its unmistakable air of celebrity. In the bar, everyone jockeys for seats in the front space, or a table in the larger back room where musicians play jazz nightly. There's also a far quieter area across the walkway billed as the Living Room, where one can order the 'coldest martini in town' for $30, served tableside. I'm more drawn to the proper bar, for the energy of the crowd and most compellingly for Norman Seeff's photographs of icons that fill the walls. The images of Cher, Steve Jobs and Ray Charles are rightly famous … but I'll be over in the corner with my martini studying the 1990-era portrait of Whitney Houston, shown glancing over her shoulder playfully, looking like she's about to break into bouts of laughter. Route Details
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
The 16 best Valentine's Day gifts for your husband in 2025
We independently evaluate the products we review. When you buy via links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read more about how we vet products and deals. The more time goes on, the harder it is to shop for your husband. Perhaps, it's because he buys himself whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. Or maybe it's because he simply doesn't want anything because he already has everything he needs (ahem, you). Even so, he deserves to be spoiled on all the special occasions, including the big one coming up on Feb. 14. Enter the best Valentine's Day gifts for husbands — yep, yours included. Trending Valentine's Day gifts: Crock-Pot Portable Electric Lunch Box for $40 AeroPress Portable Coffee Maker for $37 Pappy & Company Handmade Bourbon Balls, Pack of 12 for $32 Jteman Cell Phone Speaker for $27 From thoughtful, personalized presents that'll stand the test of time to more practical picks, this list of gifts for men includes a range of prices (picks start under $10!) and sentiments. My suggestion? Match his V-Day gift to his love language. If your husband appreciates quality time more than anything else, go with the couple's card game that'll put your relationship to the test (don't worry, I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors). Give him an electric scalp massager to showcase acts of service. Or customize a print with your go-to food order for a unique take on words of affirmation. The list goes on! Need even more gift ideas? We have another Valentine's Day gift guide for men, plus a handpicked list of last-minute gifts that are guaranteed to arrive in time. In this guide: Best Valentine's Day gifts for husbands under $25 | Best Valentine's Day gifts for husbands under $50 | Best Valentine's Day gifts for husbands under $100 I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but winter's nowhere near done. How's his hat looking? If he needs a refresh, gift him this one with a built-in light. That way, he'll be able to actually see whatever's in front of him when he's outside — the dog he's walking, the meat he's grilling or (let's hope) the chores he's completing. Your next date night, delivered. Take turns drawing cards from five piles to challenge each other to dares, answer rapid-fire questions and more. "It has really helped us break the monotony of taking about the same things — work, kids, house, extended family, schedule — and instead truly connect with one another," one five-star fan raved. He's the Mario to your Luigi, and vice versa. Level up this Valentine's Day by giving him a card made from an actual Nintendo game cartridge. Select the characters that best represent you two, then submit a sweet message loaded with as many video game puns as you can muster. At-home mixologists swear by these Italian cherries. They're sweet with a punchy tang, making them a match for classic cocktails like whiskey sours, old fashioneds and Manhattans. A little goes a long way, which is a good thing since he'll probably want to whip up cocktails left and right after he tastes 'em. Because he stole a pizza your heart way back when. These funky, foodie-forward socks are sure to be the favorite in his collection, especially if he's the type to never pass up a slice (or five). Magnesium is said to be nature's muscle relaxant. This absorbent body butter is loaded with this magical mineral to help alleviate muscle and joint soreness after a hard push at the gym, a busy weekend with the grandkids and everything in between. And yes, it's only a 2-ounce tub, but one reviewer raved that "a little goes a long way" and it has "lasted me for months." A way to a man's heart is through his stomach. That said, snag this electric lunch box to ensure that he can enjoy a warm meal even when he's far from home. He can just plug it in and heat up last night's leftovers, soups or stews without tracking down a microwave. "I'm on the road every day, this little crockpot is great to plug into the truck or at stops. Food is hot within an hour," one satisfied shopper raved, adding that it "doesn't dry out food either." Does he have a habit of cranking his phone volume up to 11? This three-in-one doodad is about to be his new best friend (besides you, of course). He can rest his phone or tablet on the stand for easy viewing, then connect it to the speaker via Bluetooth for easy listening. It even has a built-in microphone, so he can answer calls without, ya know, actually picking up the phone. Big, fancy coffee machines can be an eyesore, not to mention incredibly expensive. This little guy, on the other hand, brews coffee and espresso-style drinks in a minute tops — just fill it with ground coffee, add water and gently press. Thousands of Amazon shoppers swear by it, including one who called it "the Rock[y] Balboa of coffee makers" since it "even makes Folgers taste good." Chocolate and Valentine's Day go together like you and your guy. Steer clear of the heart-shaped varieties and go for these Louisville classics, which are infused with Kentucky bourbon and topped with pecans. Over the years, you've become his on-call masseuse. And while you'd never think about finding a replacement (right??), he'll be tempted to make the switch once he puts this electric scalp massager to the test. It has 28 nodes that rotate in opposite directions to stimulate the whole scalp — toggle between four different speeds, from slow and relaxing to more thorough. "I bought this for my husband because he constantly wants his head scratched, like a dog," one happy shopper wrote, adding that it was an "instant hit" and it's "also really nice on the neck and shoulders." This surely beats yet another framed photo. Customize this print with your go-to food order — tacos and margs, a double serving of truffle fries, a heavy pour of vino, you get the idea. Pick the background color, write your own text and decide if you want to get it framed or not. A basic white frame is an additional $10, but prices go up from there. You've got a whole lifetime of love ahead of you, and now he'll have a point-and-shoot camera to capture it all. This isnt just any ol' camera; nope, this one gives twice as many images per film roll, so he'll get 72 half-frame photos instead of a standard 36. It's lightweight, easy to use, and as one five-star reviewer put it, "the perfect travel companion." Film and batteries aren't included, but you can snag a pack of Kodak film for an extra $10. He practically spends his life in front of a screen. And he's not alone, because this futuristic-looking eye massager is selling in droves — more than 10,000 in the last month alone, to be exact. "I use this eye mask for eye strain, dry eye, and headaches, and it helps alleviate all three," one five-star fan wrote. He can switch between five different modes, which have varying compression, heat and music levels, until he finds the one that's just right. Here's an unconventional way to take him back to the moment you said "I do." As he pieces together this jigsaw, he'll recognize some of the headlines from your special day, all of which are taken straight from The New York Times front page. His golf gear should be up to par — no ifs, ands or putts about it. Instead of splurging on new clubs, give him a protective headcover to take care of the ones he already has. This monogrammed beaut is made out of faux leather that he can easily wipe clean after a long day on the greens. The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication. Your go-to shopping guide: See all of our gift guides in one spot. We've got gift ideas for all the different people in your life — men, women, kids, you name it.
