gadgetry

This contraption looks to me like something that the Beverly Hillbillies would hitch to the back of their car, but trust me, it's way cooler than anything that Jethro Bodine could scheme up. It claims to be the world's fastest margarita mixer. We talk a lot about booze gadgetry here, but this one really takes the (tequila-infused) cake.

According to the LiveJournal user who documented it, this contraption made by "Uncle Don" (no, no joke) is made of "a small-block 400, a trailer, assorted parts and the ability to custom fabricate a 6-inch tall replica … Read more

Sometimes on Crave I talk about my dream office. This would undoubtedly be a part of it. I think it might be the most beautiful bar ever; yes, even cooler than the inflatable one. This is, like, the iPhone of bars. Crafted out of a combination of brushed and polished stainless steel, it comes with a bottle cooler and a sink that you can connect to your water supply. They really thought of everything.

Additionally, the panels on the front are luminescent, so this is guaranteed to look extra awesome after dark. At the (discounted!) price of $7,365, that'… Read more

Boxed wine: it's the punchline of so many jokes and the drink staple of so many low-budget sorority parties. Once you're a "real" grown-up, it's more than a bit gauche to actually serve this stuff without some kind of forced hipster irony--and in case you didn't get the memo, that faux-cheapo attitude is so out. Nevertheless, if you're on a budget and need to serve a lot of beverages to a lot of people, boxed wine is still a tempting choice. So how can you make it a little bit sexier?

Leave it … Read more

So, I'm not quite able to visualize exactly how this gadget works, but I kind of want one. It'll cost you $10. I really like pineapples, and this is supposed to work like a corkscrew for them. Apparently, you get yourself a pineapple, chop the top off, and then core and slice it with this wacky little tool. Then, presumably, you can eat the pineapple slices.

But here's the best part. After coring the pineapple, I can use the empty hull as a (one-time use) vessel for my favorite tropical drinks. I'd go for blue whales, … Read more

Here's a story for you. I recently invested in a cell phone with a QWERTY keyboard, and one of the things I love about it most is that there's no more need for triple-tapping or that whole T9word thing. The thing I hated most about T9word was its tendency to say "car" instead of "bar" when I was trying to text my friends and say "We're at this bar..." (Yes, I know there's a "next" key. That's way too complicated after midnight.)

That was more or less … Read more

This is one of those accessories that made me think, "Wow, I'm surprised nobody came up with this before." The Bevy case for the iPod Shuffle, manufactured by Mophie, is a key ring that holds your itty bitty music player, lets you neatly wrap your earbud cord around it when you're not listening in, and throws in a bottle opener for good measure. Yes, a bottle opener.

It's actually the product of a design competition that took place at Macworld earlier this year.

Personally, I think attaching the Shuffle to a set of keys is … Read more

I guess I'm not a legit wine aficionado, because when I read about this wine chiller by Waring Pro, I was immediately astonished by the fact that this gadget provides 33 different temperature settings for different varieties of red wine, white wine, and champagne. Wow. And here I'd been thinking that the rule was "put it in the fridge if it's not red." I guess I just haven't been getting the full experience--maybe I need one of these. You can get them for $90 at Kohl's.

Considering we like wine so much here … Read more

A sexy blender doesn't have the same shock value as, say, a sexy air filter, but they still have a bit of a kick to them. Like this hourglass-shaped beauty from Breville, the Moda bar blender. It sure looks like it could make one heck of a margarita.

Unfortunately, at the same time it doesn't look all that functional. The stainless steel is sexy, yes, but I'm skeptical of the fact that it's not see-through and you consequently won't know exactly how well that frozen daiquiri's been blended. Plus, there are only two settings. … Read more

This gadget made me do a total double take. It looks just like the machines we had in the dining hall in college that dispensed soda, Powerade, and iced tea. (A mix of Sprite and lemon-lime Powerade was my favorite.) But it's actually the "Vin au Verre," a European device designed for serving wine at parties. It has electronic temperature control to keep both reds and whites at the perfect temperature. The contraption can also control oxidation levels, serve up to eight varieties at a time, and keep the stuff fresh for three weeks.

Eh, I still … Read more