We know, you’ve been hunting around to make this year’s Valentine’s Day extra-special. Finding the perfect date location (and getting reservations) can be quite the feat by itself, but now .. you need to find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. If you’ve been searching, but haven’t found anything that quite fits the bill, take a look at our picks and make this year one to remember.
For the Chocolate Lover
While truffles will always be delicious, this year we wanted to go a different route and headed to the family-owned Edward Marc Chocolatier in Pittsburgh for some hand-crafted chocolate treats — and were glad that we did. The completely edible & highly addictive Small Chocolate Lovers Heart filled with pink and white nonpareils ($10) was a perfect pairing for the 3-pc Heart Cookies & Cream ($6), a selection of three oreos, each covered with a different chocolate – dark, milk and white chocolate.
For those who like to sip and savor
Relax with your sweetie on Valentine’s and get ready to sip and savor. While you surely enjoy your glass of wine, sometimes, you want something a bit more .. sophisticated. That’s when you head to Flaviar.com, a club for spirits lovers and enthusiasts who want to discover new drinks. Our pick is the tasting pack, titled The American Dram, Star Spangled Bourbon ($48.99) with sample sized bottles of Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon 12 yo, Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon, Booker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Willett Pot Still Reserve. In addition to the bourbon sampler, Flaviar also offers tasting packs using other spirits, a subscription-based delivery service and artisanal bottles of spirits that you can order.
For the Joker
Sometimes you just need your ‘medicine’ or whatever concoction just happens to be in that .. um .. medicine bottle. Now, your story will be even more convincing with the RX Cocktail Shaker ($29.95) by Red Eye. Whip up your favorite cocktail, shake it up with ice .. and get ready to say “Cheers” and enjoy. It’s your order from the doctor.
For the Wine-O
Sometimes you just feel like a glass of white wine, but unfortunately, the bottle is sitting in room temperature. Eek .. what to do. That’s where these Wine Pearls ($24.95) from Uncommon Goods come in to save the day. To use, just freeze your set of four stainless steel “pearls”, pour a glass and then drop a few into your glass. These are perfect for use with white wine, but will also help in getting your glass of red wine to the perfect temperature.
Because you always need bubbles
Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be such a sweet holiday without a bottle of bubbles in hand. So when a mystery package arrived on our doorstep filled with bottles of Le Grand Courtâge, we knew it would be a perfect complement to our list. Le Grand Courtâge is known for bringing together French elegance and American appeal into a beautiful bottle of bubbly that is crisp and dry, yet offers a fruit forward flavor profile — and to that we agree. While we enjoyed both bottles, The Blanc de Blancs Brut was our top choice. It will whisk you off to the months of summer where aromas of honeysuckle and strawberry bring you in — and your sip is completed with a crisp apple finish and a hint of Meyer Lemon and berries. Le Grand Courtâge is available at Whole Foods Market and other fine retailers.
