I have lived in Boston for almost two years now and if there is one thing I know it’s that, if you live in Boston, you cheer for the Red Sox. And if you don’t cheer for the Red Sox, you don’t tell anybody!

My roommate’s Dad absolutely LOVES the Sox and I told her she should get him this Red Sox gift bucket for Father’s Day (if you haven’t noticed MsGift really likes gift baskets).

Ok, maybe it’s a little cheesy but I think it is cute and contains some good stuff:

• Red Sox Baseball Hat
• Replica Autographed Baseball (2007 roster)
• Red Sox Peanuts (love them)
• New England Salt Water Taffy
• Cherry Lobster Pops
• A Stuffed Wally

The Red Sox Gift Bucket would make a great father’s day gift for that Sox fan who doesn’t get to see the games in person. They can watch the game in their living room, eat some peanuts and have Wally sitting right next to them.

Sounds like a great dad’s day to me! The Red Sox gift basket is made by the Massachusetts Bay Trading co and costs $75.

Why “obligatory”?

Well, every gift blog out there will be writing about Father’s Day at some point. So, in some sense it feels like this post is more of a “follower” post than a unique, “leader” post (and I’d like to think that most of our gift ideas are unique enough that they fall into the “leader” category).

I also decided not to simply regurgitate the list we have on this page of Father’s Day gift ideas.  (I will link to this post from that page though).

So, here are some gift ideas for Dad that should help get your gift brain going:

Image	Gift Idea	Price	Company
	Shaving Cream Heater	$29.95	Hammacher Schlemmer
	5 Device Recharging Station	$49.95	Hammacher Schlemmer
	Remote Controlled Beverage Buggy	$49.95	Hammacher Schlemmer
	Visiball Golf Ball Finder Glasses	$39.95	Sharper Image
	False Teeth Ice Cube Tray	$5.95	Amazon.com
	Outdoor Terrain Shoes	$70	Vibram
	Wooden USB Sticks	$129	Dynamism
	Who’s Your Daddy Sticker	$2.49	StickerGiant.com
	Best Dad Express Train	$79.95	GiftTree.com
	Wildlife Digital Motion Detection Camera	$69.95 & 99.95	National Geographic Online Store

Here’s to happy Father’s Day gift hunting!

Alcohol is one of those gifts that can be given at any time. Housewarming party? A bottle of wine will be fantastic! Birthday? I love Ketel One! First communion?

Vodka

Indio Wasabi Flavored Vodka - This Russian-style handcrafted vodka is made in Oregon by Indio Spirits owner John Ufford. They say it is sweet, clean and crisp and great in Bloody Mary’s or Martinis. I like the feeling of too much wasabi on a bite of sushi but I’m not too sure I would want to drink it. Price: ~ $26-$30.

Kauffman Luxury Vintage Vodka - This ‘ultra-premium’ vodka is so limited in production that you have to be put on a waiting list to buy it. They use only natural ingredients and the vodka is distilled 14 times! I personally like the glass bottle it comes in. It’s made by the Saint Gobaine facility in France and designed to be the same quality as perfume glass. Price: If you are lucky to get a bottle it will cost you $199.99.

Blavod: The Black Vodka - It’s vodka and it’s black. Perfect for…well I’m not sure what it’s perfect for (Halloween martinis or 30th birthday parties maybe) but I’ve never seen black vodka before. Blavod is made in the UK by Hayman’s Ltd and actually received pretty decent reviews. Price: ~ $20

Rum

Khurki Rum - Khurki is made in Nepal and comes in this awesome bottle (apparently a Khurki is a small knife). It is a medium-dark rum and according to the reviews is delicious mixed with Diet Coke. What makes it unique to me is a) I’ve never heard of it b) it’s made in Nepal (do they make liquor) and c) it comes in this great bottle. If you are a serious rum drinker check out the review on Scottes’ Rum. Price: ~ $19-$25

Old New Orleans Rum - Old New Orleans Rum is an ‘artisan rum’ produced at Celebration Distillation, the oldest premium rum distillery in the United States. They have several different kinds of rum (Crystal, Amber, Cajun spice) and each is made from only Louisiana sugar cane.The coolest part is that each bottle has an image inside its back label featuring a building or scene from New Orleans. Price: ~ $25

Pritchard’s Cranberry Rum - Cranberry rum doesn’t necessarily sound delicious to me but it does sound interesting. Pritchard’s is made with Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and is suprisingly still 70 proof. Made in Tennessee and bottled beautifully, it would definitely catch my eye on the shelf. They say its great over ice and that ‘cranberries love limes’. Price: ~ $28

Tequila

Clase Azul Reposado Tequila - The bottle itself (Talavera carafe) is pretty cool but this tequila is supposedly one of the top rated tequilas around. It is made in the Jesus Maria region of Arandas, Jalisco, MX and aged for a minimum of eight months. It has some great reviews but isn’t cheap. This is something you should give only to a true tequila lover. Price: ~ $80

VooDoo Tiki Blue Dragon Tequila - Blue Kiwi infused tequila is said to make a great Blue Martini, shot or mixed with sprite and a lime. Personally I don’t see how kiwi and tequila go together but maybe it’s like peanut butter and jelly. It is made by the Agroindustria Guadalajara distillery in Mexico but has headquarters in Boca Raton. Price: ~ $35

Ley .925 Ultra Premium Anejo Tequila - Their claim to fame is the “World’s Most Expensive Bottle”. With prices ranging from $25k-$225k for one bottle of tequila, this is definitely a high-end gift. The tequila itself is considered ultra-premium, made from 100% blue agave and aged six years. Price: Very expensive

Gin

Desert Juniper Gin - Desert Juniper Gin is produced in Oregon by the Bendistillery, better known for its Cascade Mountin Gin. The Desert Juniper is mirco-distilled from grains and juniper berries and filtered through lava rocks. It is said to be good as a martini or even a gin and tonic. Read the review on Spirits Review. Price: ~ $29

BullDog Gin - This is a London Dry gin made with poppy, lotus leaves and dragon eye. I don’t know what dragon eye is but I’m guessing its a plant, not an actual dragon eye. The Bachelor Guy gives a great review including several recipes to use with it. I like that the bottle has a little spiked collar. This would be a great gift for that tough guy in your life. Price: ~ $30

Old Raj Gin - What makes this gin unique is that it contains saffron, a very expensive and rare spice not traditionally used in gin production. Old Raj is distilled in Scotland by William Cadenhead Ltd. and due to the saffron has a pale yellow color. It is considered premium gin and is not found in a ton of places. Price: ~ $65

Whiskey/Scotch

Hankey Bannister Blended Scotch Whiskey - Mainly I think the name is funny but apparently this is actually pretty good. Hankey Bannister whiskey is made in the UK (dates back to 1757) and they offer four types (blend, 12yr, 21yr and 40yr). I am not positive where you can get this in the states but you can order it online and have it shipped. Price: ~ $25 (not including shipping)

Glenfarclas 50 Year - I am certainly not a whiskey or scotch expert but this one is pretty cool and sounds like it’s good. This 50 yr was made to celebrate the Bicentenary of the birth of the first John Grant. The cask was hand-selected and only 110 bottles were made making this a rare bottle. I doubt there are many places to get this but I did find one place. Price: $5,999

Loch Dhu Black Whiskey - From what I have read it’s really bad. But it is black whiskey which I have never seen before, making it unique. Some quotes from the internet include, “It tastes like cigar ashes mixed with vodka and moldy blackberry jam” and “my guests were mostly disgusted by Loch Dhu“. But who knows, maybe its not as bad as these people say. Plus I don’t believe the 10yr is being made anymore. Price: ~ $45-$60

Well those are some of the most unique brands of alcohol I have found and hopefully they will make a great gift for someone. If you have any others that you know of feel free to comment and let me know. Like I said, MsGift likes alcohol…but for the record she does not condone underage drinking!

OK, you have a sports fan, music fan, or theater fan you want to give a gift to. And it would be great to send them to the game or the show.

But, what if they’re busy that night?

If it’s too hard to figure out your gift recipient’s schedule, or if you’re not sure what kind of event they would prefer to go to - just them them a gift certificate to choose their own tickets!

There are at least two places I can think of that have a wide variety of ticket types, and offer gift certificates:

StubHub -		StubHub Gift Certificates
TicketsNow -		TicketsNow Gift Certificates

Maybe they’ll bring back their ticket stubs for your collection…

Think you know an adventurous eater? Give them a true test with these exotic, epicurean delights from Edible.com …

Green Crocodile Curry - This curry has been made in Bangkok especially for Edible to a traditional Thai recipe. It contains fresh farm raised Crocodile meat and fragrant vegetables, herbs and spices. It is cooked so all you need to do is open the can, heat and it is best served with steamed jasmine rice.The sale of this product helps the conservation of Wild Siamese Crocodiles in South East Asia which are critically endangered!

Giant Hornet Honey - This honey is collected in a farm on a remote Island in Southern Japan, from Giant Japanese Hornets. The hornet is placed on a needle to enable the enzymes in its body to be released into the honey. The honey is very fluid and tastes delicious, somewhat like honey that has been mixed with port or brandy. The Giant Japanese Hornet is the largest species of wasp in the world, and it contains special enzymes in its body which are reputed to increase strength and energy levels. Giant Japanese Hornets have one of the most incredible stamina’s of any living creature and this stamina can be temporarily passed into the system of those who consume it.

Lizard Wine - This Brandy like liquor is produced by steeping Rice Wine in a clay vat full of Tokay Gecko Lizards and Ginseng. After a 12 month fermentation process has taken place, the liquor is then strained resulting in this green colored drink. Consumption of Lizard Wine is said to ward off evil and to improve vision!

Mopani Worms - Mopane’s are a staple part of the diet in Southern Africa, they are harvested twice a year and sold in the local markets.The mopane worm is the brightly colored caterpillar of the Emperor Moth. It gets its name from living on the leaves of the mopane tree.The worms are hand picked or shaken off the trees.The local collector’s squeeze the Caterpillars to remove their bright green ‘guts’ and then they are cooked in a cauldron of salty water until the water has evaporated, they are then dried in the Hot African Sun. Their protein content is three times that of beef, weight for weight, and they are traditionally cooked in a stew containing tomatoes and onions.The biggest worms have the best flavor as they contain more fat ; the texture is similar to tofu or soya meat and they taste a little like dried fish, but they seem to soak up the flavor of whatever they are cooked with. Mopane’s can also be eaten as they are as a snack like, ‘jerky’.

Detoxified Uncooked Scorpions - Just rinse in cold water then they can be either fried in oil for 15-20 seconds till crisp and served with a sweet chili dip.Or you can bake them in the oven on 170 degrees till dry and crisp then toss them in salt and pepper as an interesting movie snack or party appetizer!

If you’re lucky, your gift recipient will share!