Crave

(Credit: Barstools & Barstools)

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's about as much as slightly over 12 iPhones. I say it's worth it. Very worth it.

(Via Uncrate)

(Credit: Scandinavian Design Center)

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 to the Danish to come up with a solution. The VinUno, designed by Lars Erdman, is a boxed wine dispenser made of--we kid you not--polished steel and lacquered wood. You can choose from red, white, and black options, and there's some way to insert a cooling element into it so that you can keep that white wine nice and chilly.

Sure, it'll cost you $132, which ostensibly defeats the purpose of being cheap with your booze selections, but it'll probably pay for itself in the long run since now you'll be saving money by serving Franzia instead of that horrifically overpriced Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's. (Actually, where I live, it's Three Buck Chuck because of our liquor tax, but you get the idea.)

(Via CubeMe)

(Credit: Solutions)

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, mai tais, hurricanes, or (of course) pina coladas. Please drink responsibly!

Yeah, a pineapple cutter that doubles as a way to make awesome tiki barware. Don't leave port without one.

(Via 7 Gadgets)

(Credit: Cap'n Scurvy's Treasure Chest)

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 irrelevant, but it's what came to mind when I saw a post on Boing Boing about a bar made from a car--more specifically, the front of a 1961 Ford Econoline van repainted in "Flame Yellow." Unfortunately, it's a work by one very skilled person with a lot of time on his hands, so you're not going to be able to buy this anywhere unless you manage to commission the guy to make another one for you (or figure out how to do it yourself). But I'm impressed. This is, I must say, a way better car-furniture mashup than the Mini Cooper desk. First of all, the headlights and parking lights still function. But even better, there are speakers built into the grille.

All that and it still manages to look awesome. Perfect for all those parties you hold in your garage.

(Originally posted at Cap'n Scurvy's Treasure Chest, a blog with a name that gets major Crave approval)

(Credit: Mophie)

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.

(Credit: Mophie)

Personally, I think attaching the Shuffle to a set of keys is a good idea anyway; just this morning, on the way to the office, my Shuffle managed to unclip itself from my pocket and went flying (but luckily, it stayed attached to my headphone cord, so I was able to retrieve it easily). But adding on that bottle opener? Pure genius. The only catch is that judging by the photo gallery on Mophie's site, you need to take out the Shuffle before cracking open a cold one. That's a drawback, in my opinion, but maybe the Bevy 2.0 will fix this iffy design flaw.

You can pre-order the Bevy case for $15 now.

(Credit: ProductDose)

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 on Crave, I'm really embarrassed at my ignorance.

(Via ProductDose)

(Credit: Klinq)

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. My cheap blender from the '80s (shut up, it's "vintage") has at least five.

But if you're willing to take the risk, it's $100.

(Via Cribcandy)

(Credit: Eurocave.com)

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 say it's a little bit tacky. We do love wine gadgets here, but this one's really cheapening the sommelier's craft.

(Via BornRich)

(Credit: Bubble Miami)

The idea of a "light-up inflatable bar" might evoke corny 1970s kitsch, but this one is going for the swank factor. Made by a company called Bubble Miami, these bars are designed to set up easily and quickly, support a considerable amount of weight, and then deflate and when it's time to make everybody go home. Plus, they light up. How cool is that?

Unfortunately, you really have to be careful with anything inflatable at any kind of occasion that involves alcohol. There are all kinds of serious threats lurking around--you know, stiletto heels, or broken glass, or cheese knives. This might be a disaster waiting to happen if it really isn't as sturdy as Bubble Miami claims. I guess we'll all know when someone takes this for a test run. (I wonder if CNET Reviews would want to give it a whirl?)

The inflatable bars come in two sizes: 7 feet long for normal parties, and 11 feet long for occasions of the New Year's Eve/Mardi Gras/John Falcone's Birthday Party variety.

(Via BornRich)