by Zhaun Ortega
The holidays are definitely coming. The breeze is cool, people seem to be smiling more, and every single partyphile has started to organize their own little Christmas soiree. With Christmas being less than a month away, this is the perfect time to start shopping for Christmas gifts.
Now, buying gifts for a partyphile may prove to be quite a long task (even for a fellow partyphile). People always seem clueless when it comes to gift buying for a person whose only idea of “recreation” is hard-partying. This is why I present you with my top ten gift ideas for the modern day partyphile. Here they are:
10If you plan to give a gift to a partyphile whom you aren’t really chummy with, food is always a great option. Give your partyphile friend a dozen Beer Cupcakes or Red Wine Cupcakes from Johnny Cupcakes. These special cupcakes are available only one day per week, so you would have to ask Johnny when you can get these semi-alcoholic sweet treats. Visit Johnny Cupcakes at Arellano Street, Davao City (near Prego Pasta, right behind the Central Bank).
9A classy gift for your partyphile would be a set of personalized shot glasses. Simply buy ordinary shot glasses and decorate them yourself (with paint that is made for glass ware) or take them to a custom-design shop and have your partyphile friend’s initials printed or engraved on the shot glasses. If you can, place it in a velveteen box for more appeal.
8If your partyphile friend is into fun board games, you may try and buy a Shotglass Checkerboard Set online. If you can not find one online, simply buy a checker board that is big enough to fit shot glasses (one shot glass per square). The concept of the game is simple. It follows the traditional rules of checkers; the only difference being, the checker pieces are shotglasses filled with your favorite alcoholic beverage. Each time your opponent “eats” your checker piece, your drink its contents. Simple, fun, easy, and very addictive.
7The iBartender is the perfect gift for your techie-partyphile friend. The iBartender is an iPhone application that costs 99 cents. It gives detailed instructions on how to make your favorite cocktails; complete with pictures, and an ingredient list. It also picks a cocktail for you, in case you can not pick one out for yourself.
6For your adventurous partyphile friend, the Jansport Cooler Party Pack Bag seems to be the perfect gift. This bag is waterproof, shock proof, can hold twelve cans of beer in a cooler compartment on the underside (of the bag), has iPod controls on the shoulder straps, has a headphone port, and has built in speakers so you could they could throw an instant party anytime, anywhere.
5Reef Dram Sandals are the perfect gift idea for the beach-loving partyphile. These sandals are the first to feature a built-in flask right in the middle of the sole. It holds about 1.5 fluid ounces (per sandal) and makes the sandal extra comfy to wear. So your friend can actually take sqigs of his favorite alcoholic beverage right from his sandals. For orders, check out amazon.com.
4 Alright, we all know that when Christmas comes and we do not have any idea on what to give somebody, the go-to gift is always alcohol. Some people directly purchase Johnny walker or some J&B. However, I find that it is too much of a cliché and is basically overdone. If you really have to give out some alcohol for Christmas, I suggest you give out some Goldschlager. It costs around Php 1,200 and is available at The Brewery. This alcoholic beverage has 40% alcohol content, is Cinnamon flavoured, and has 24 karat gold flakes floating right in the drink (yes, you actually drink the gold). And we all know how alcohol, cinnamon, and gold make the perfect Christmas.
3For the hardcore party-thrower, the party paddle is literally a wooden paddle with circular recesses that can fit up to six shot glasses. This makes it possible to serve your drinks to six different people at the same time, with a simple stretch of your hand. The product costs about ten dollars (including the six shotglasses) and can be purchased at www.partypaddle.com.
2You may also opt to give some perfume to your partyphile friend. CK One Summer (2009 edition) is the perfect scent for anybody who lives in a tropical country. This unisex fragrance smells light, fresh, and summery. More importantly, the fragrance has notes of mint, lime, and rum—the recipe for a perfect Mojito (cocktail). And we all know that a Mojito si the perfect summer cocktail. The perfume may not be available in stores, but I’m pretty sure you could get some at eBay.
1 Finally, for the ultimate partyphile, the perfect gift is a cocktail-making set. Purchase some shakers, jiggers, shot glasses, measuring vessels, strainers, picks, stirrers, and a paring knife (for fruit garnishes) and put them all in one gorgeous box. If you are feeling extravagant, you may also include syrups (Grenadine, Blue Curacao et al), and some Liquors, too.
Catch Confessions of a Partyphile (the radio show) on 105.9 Mix FM every Wednesday nights from 6 to 9 PM. For comments, suggestions, and more confessions from this partyphile, log on to http:/party.i.ph. Folllow the columnist at twitter.com/zhaun.
