When Girlawhirl's asked what the most outrageous gift she's ever received is, her answer usually revolves around travel. She's been gifted with holiday trips to Paris, Hawaii and other fun places, but she's not so sure that these gifts qualify for over the top status in today's world, where there are luxuries like 100% cashmere sheets. Here's a list that's pure fantasy, because really, she's not spending more for a gift for someone else than she would for her own clothes, handbags and shoes for the whole year…
• The most expensive, yet still undeniably spectacular gift on her list of outrageous goodies is this: a personalized flavor of vodka. It comes from Modern Spirits and this is no point, click and ship gift. The process of determining the bespoke flavor starts with a questionnaire, continues to the tasting stage and ends about four months later with cases of the unique blend of vodka on their way to the lucky recipient. The flavor remains exclusive to the creator as long as orders for it keep flowing in. After that, Modern Spirits reserves the right to market it along with their other unique flavors, which include, Black Truffle, Grapefruit Honey, Three Tea and Chocolate Orange.
Haute-Custom Vodka
modernspirits.com
$15,000
For more information call 626 771 9469 or click here
• For Girlawhirl and her group of friends, there's nothing as fabulous as the gift of cashmere. And who wouldn't want the cashmere to keep coming throughout the year? With J.Crew's Cashmere of the Month Club it does! Just ‘enroll' a recipient and every month they'll receive a handpicked cashmere sweater chosen by the J.Crew designers from the styles and colors they've come to be known for.
Cashmere of the Month Club
jcrew.com
$2000
Call 866 739 5944 to order or click here and go to ‘the gift of cashmere' for more information
• Girlawhirl's got some serious foodie friends. Conversations go on and on about the virtues of prosciutto di Parma versus serrano ham from Spain. A simple question of black versus green olives can spark so lively a debate that feelings can get hurt. And please don't get them started with cheese. For them, there's just one cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano. And if there's a big party – or an empty shelf in the extra sub-zero refrigerator – a whole wheel of it makes for not just a grand gesture, but a gift that begs to be shared. Weighing in at 80 lbs, it's definitely not for lightweights, but the good news is, it's also available in more manageable sizes.
Parmigiano Reggiano
½, 1, 2, 4 and 8 pound pieces and an 80-pound full wheel
$13-$1500
zingermans.com
• Is it possible to have a personal winery in the basement? Yes! With this unbelievably high tech device from Hammacher Schlemmer it is. It's all completely automated, and monitored by a computer. Grapes are shipped freshly frozen from Napa, and once they're in the stainless steel chamber, the process begins. From soaking to pressing, fermentation and aging, it's all tracked and transmitted wirelessly to a home computer. It tells the user when to taste and allows for the final product – 48 bottles of wine – to be produced with specific flavors and characteristics. There's even an oak barrel for aging and the bottles come with it.
The Oenophile's Personal Winery
$5,999
hammacherschlemmer.com
• For a true chocolate connoisseur, Chocolate and the Nose: The Sensory Collection from Vosges Haut-Chocolat is more than just a gift, it's the history of chocolate and chocolate making that comes to life through taste and smell. With 40 mini single origin bars of milk, dark and white chocolate and 42 aromas and essences, a flavor wheel and more, this gift is perfect for a chocoholic or can be used for a group tasting as well.
Chocolate and the Nose: The Sensory Collection
$375
Vosges Haut-Chocolat
• But can a spectacular gift be affordable? Girlawhirl thinks so! This gift of a set of 12 seeds and pots to grow pretty flowering plants is extravagant in its indulgence factor and is sure to be treasured by any recipient who appreciates flowers blooming inside during the winter. And they can choose whether to plant everything at once or spread out their indoor garden throughout the upcoming months. It's all included: the candy colored earthenware pots come complete with soil palettes, seeds and growing instructions
Year of Seeds
$70
redenvelope.com: search: year of seeds