Eat + Drink: Metropolis Holiday Gift Guide 2018

Apart from the television set, most of the holiday season is spent around the dinner table eating and imbibing with friends and loved ones. A variety of design-minded companies—both veterans and newcomers—have released a series of giftable (and covetable) items to kickstart a variety of year-end fetes. Our favorites, below.

Duo Salt and Pepper Set, $95  

Spice up any holiday spread with these graceful torquing salt and pepper mills from Zaha Hadid Design. The statuesque pair—reminiscent of the famed London design studio’s swooping towers—rise nine inches from a triangular base, nestling into one another’s contours. Made from polypropylene, “Duo” is available in slate blue, gray, and black colorways.

Three-Piece Dinner Set, $83

The holidays are a perfect time to give your favorite gourmand the gift of a timeless table setting. Look no further than Asheville, North Carolina pottery studio East Fork, which has made a name for itself with its plainspoken, yet elegant stoneware, true to the craftmaking tradition of the Blue Ridge Mountain region. We’re loving this three-piece dinner set in East Fork’s latest glaze, Molasses, which reminds us of freshly-baked gingerbread cookies.

Dinner Setting, $275

Designer Arielle Assouline-Lichten worked at renowned architecture firms including Snøhetta, BIG, and Kengo Kuma before branching out to form her own design studio, Slash Objects with the aim of repurposing leftover materials—to glamorous effect. We are digging these speckled placemats (made from recycled rubber) with clever brass detailing that reminds us of old-timey office desk pads. This set comes with four rubber placemats, four coasters, and three trivets to protect your table from stray drips and excess heat.

Cocktails and Conversations: Dialogues on Architectural Design, $25

AIA New York has assembled a new book based on its popular events series, “Cocktails and Conversations”—a lecture series that combines two of our favorite things: design and drinking. In addition to excerpts from conversations between prominent critics and architects, each vignette features a bespoke architecture-inspired cocktail “to lubricate the discussion.” Take the “Cloepfil Rhubarb Gimlet” inspired by Allied Works’ Brad Cloepfil, or the bourbon-based “Erin” which takes cues from Gregg Pasquarelli’s Barclays Center: “dirty, brown, urban, and sexy.”

The Boss Hog V 13 Year Straight Rye Whiskey, $499

Speaking of cocktails, whiskey is said to have inspired the amber tone of the windows puncturing Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building. What better way to continue that legacy than by gifting this blow out, limited-edition rye from WhistlePig? The fifth in the Vermont distiller’s Boss Hog series (dubbed the “Spirit of Mauve” to honor the passing of its mascot sow) was finished in apple brandy casks (Mauve loved apples) and exudes spicy notes of mulled cider, maple syrup, with an ultra-smooth oak finish. Always suckers for good packaging, we love the cheeky casket-shaped box and the hand-crafted Danforth pewter stopper that tops it all off.  

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