Posts Written by Vic Arkoff

Vermouth is an unsung hero, vital to the bartender arsenal when they need the good stuff like 1757 Vermouth di Torino Rosso for top-shelf Negronis and Americanos. Nearly 300 years of experience go into 1757, the plum-red aperitif that salutes Casa Cinzano’s founding year. Rated 94 by Wine Spectator for its mature aromatics.

Fine art with a Chicano heart. Roberto Munguia expresses his love for L.A. in “A Todo Corazon,” a vivid serigraph measuring 11″ x 10″. The limited edition of 150 is handmade, signed, and numbered. The modest price belies Munguia’s gallery credentials and studies with prominent artist Roberto Gil De Montes.

In case the COVID-19 nightmare isn’t scary enough, Songbird is a dystopian thriller that envisions the pandemic four years into quarantine when the virus has changed. So has humanity. The world is in lockdown with “sanitation” squads forcing infected people into camps, resulting in a terrifying end-times Romeo & Juliet story.

Motorola’s innovative Tech3 earbuds combine three styles in one headphone: true wireless, sport loop, and wired via a 3.5mm stereo plug. They offer easy operation with one-step pairing and tangle-free cord storage. Coupled with the Hubble Connect for VerveLife app, assistance features can even help find lost earbuds.

Pinhook is a new portfolio of American whiskeys, each as distinctive as the winning racehorse on the label. The Kentucky distillery’s 2020 Straight Rye – cheekily called Rye’d On – took Double-Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Available through BevMo, and online at Caskers, Drizly, and Seelbach’s.

This gothic serving set pours on the charm with tea for four. Portland’s Angioletti Designs kiln-fires porcelain fine china with Victorian, baroque, and rococo images, including this moody black-and-gold set that invites a bat, cat, eye, and crow to the tea party. Foodsafe, durable, and wear-resistant with hand-washing care.

The grinning ghosts in installations by artist Roberto Cambi have won awards for playfully haunting European landmarks. Cambi also makes mini versions as tea light holders to decorate not-so-haunted houses everywhere. Artemest and Pasadena’s Gold Bug sell them in small, medium, and large. No two are alike.

Boldly innovative, the powerful 2021 Escalade is Cadillac’s most impressive luxury SUV yet, thanks to ground-breaking tech and a wealth of surprises. Prestigious perks include the industry’s first curved 38” OLED display, 36-speaker AKG Studio audio, and Enhanced Super Cruise with Lane-change for hands-free highway driving.

Artist Chet Phillips expresses his askew world view with a wink and detailed renderings of creepy creatures from pop culture and literature. His limited-edition playing cards feature 58 illustrations of characters from Cthulhu to “The Muppets”’ Animal. Half the fun is how Phillips IDs the critters with pseudo-Latin names.

Designed to combat blazes while keeping humans at a safe distance, Textron Systems and Howe & Howe’s remote-operated robots can blast 1,250-2,500 gallons of water per minute. The robots can climb stairs, shove and winch vehicles, and endure extreme heat. Would also be fun as a response to Elon Musk’s flamethrowers.

Cariuma’s Catiba Pro skate shoes are ready to perform. They’re hand-built for comfort, durability, and unsurpassed grip, thanks to a slip-resistant, natural rubber sole and sustainable cork insole. The stylish upper mixes triple-stitched suede with organic cotton. Cariuma plants two trees in the Brazilian Rainforest for every purchase.

The eFTR Jr. is Indian Motorcycles’ first electric mini-bike for young motorcycle lovers. Paying homage to the FTR750 Flat Track race bike, the eFTR Jr. is powered by a 36v electric motor using a twist-handle throttle. The mini-bike plus protective apparel and accessories are built for riders 8+ and up to 175 pounds.

The First Avenger Smartwatch by Garmin can tell time, track fitness, store music, give smart notifications and, in Captain America’s words, it “can do this all day.” It features multiple watch faces and animations, a stainless steel bezel modeled after Cap’s vibranium shield, and a vintage-style leather strap.

It’s raining… sardines and mackerel? Just a normal day in the Haruki Murakami novel Kafka on the Shore. Anti-Anti’s cool graphic tee is an original design sure to elicit nods of respect from well-read strangers. Screen-printed by hand using eco-friendly ink on comfy 100% combed cotton. It also comes in a slim version for literary ladies.

Shimmering at the base of Australia’s sacred Uluru, Field of Light – Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku in local Pitjantjatjara – is an epic art installation of 50,000 solar-powered lights that glow from dusk ‘til dawn. Artist Bruce Munro’s traveling spectacle covers an area the size of four football fields until it’s lights-out 1.1.21.

These stay-at-home months have made jigsaw puzzles a hot commodity, so it’s no surprise that eeBoo’s designs keep selling out. Their Goddess and Warriors puzzle comes to the rescue with an epic illustration of global goddesses, deities, warriors, and heroines. Made with 90% recycled board and vegetable-based inks.

One of the world’s best beaches, Turks & Caicos’ Grace Bay Beach is delightfully uncrowded – an idyllic escape for social distancing. The all-suites Seven Stars Resort & Spa welcomes guests with its turquoise Caribbean waters, beachfront dining, cabana massages, clean-stay safety protocols, and big discounts.

Boutique rental company Lodgewell offers the coolest properties in Austin and the Texas Hill Country, and nothing keeps Austin weird like The Bloomhouse. Built in the ‘70s as a hippie dream – and renovated by ex-mayor Dave Claunch – the whimsical white meringue is 1,100 square feet but nothing else about it is square. Nothing.

There’s nothing like having your sunglasses break or sink like a rock to spoil outdoor fun. Rheos Gear’s lightweight, shock-resistant sunglasses are polarized, UV-protected lenses that boast the benefits of a glass or polycarbonate lenses without the drawbacks. They float, won’t shatter, and have an anti-fog coating.

Whether or not you golf, nothing beats a cocktail at the 19th hole. The Pebble Beach Whiskey Wedge Rocks Glass by Corkcicle perfectly chills your favorite spirit without diluting its flavor. Just put the etched rocks glass and clever silicone ice form in the freezer to make a slow-melting wedge that leans on one side of the glass.

How’s this for a sight gag? Check your eyesight from the comfort of your couch with this clever 17” square pillow by textile designer Heather Lin. It features a classic doctor’s eye chart with 3D lettering that can be viewed with the included retro red-blue glasses. Also comes in a non-3D organic hemp version.

Will Smith will welcome five lucky Airbnb renters who snag $30 bookings for overnight stays at the real “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” mansion from the ‘90s sitcom. Royal perks include meals served on silver platters, a fly wardrobe, and turntables like DJ Jazzy Jeff’s. Book it at 11am PDT 9.29.20 for October 2, 5, 8, 11 or 14.

With wildfires ravaging the US West, Colorado’s Wild Barn Coffee is donating 100% of their profits on National Coffee Day, 9.29.20, to the GlobalGiving CA Wildfire Relief Fund. Wild Barn’s organic Nitro Cold Brew is spiked with two antioxidant superfoods: goji berries and cacao nibs. Sold in 6- and 12-packs.