[GIFTED] Claudia Pearson Dog Plates

Two ways to ensure your summer BBQ is hilarious:

1. Make sure there is ample beer and tequila. Tequila makes everyone act like an asshole, so, if you're lucky, drunken hilarity will ensue instead of a fistfight (Tequila has, of course, been known to cause both of those things quite frequently).

2. Serve your food on these Claudia Pearson Dog Plates ($16 each, West Elm). You can make jokes about somebody wanting a "hot dog" and everyone can laugh and laugh until they puke.

Fun times.

[GIFTED] Chillsner

Summertime is approaching, and everyone's favorite activity abounds: that's right—drinking on patios.  Because this is a such a beloved activity, companies are falling all over themselves to create products that make the experience even better.  The newest product is the Chillsner ($30 for a set of 2, Uncommon Goods), which is essentially a freezable tube that you insert into your beer that will chill it from the inside.  The Chillsner's design allows you to drink from the bottle while it's cooling the bottle down.  That's all well and good, but some minimal planning would negate this situation.  How hard is it to pick up some cold beer?

Here are the scenarios in which you would need a Chillsner:

1. You're not a borderline alcoholic and you don't have beer constantly chilling in your fridge.

2. You live in an alternate universe where no stores sell already chilled beer.

3. You are a slow, slow, s-l-o-w drinker and by the time you get through a measly 12 oz bottle, it's already lukewarm. 

Cheers, I guess.

[GIFTED] Bourbon Buffet

There are people who like no-frills drinking—screw-top beers, pouring the tequila straight into a shot glass and then straight down their throats—and then there are people that like the EVENT of drinking.  The slicing of the limes, the salting of the rim, the crushing of the ice—all of that frou frou shit—makes for an EXPERIENCE.  

This Bourbon Buffet ($115, Bourbon & Boots) sure sets the stage for the aforementioned experience, providing a handsome wooden tray with two bourbon tumblers, a dish for ice, and of course, the all-important slot for the booze. 

[GIFTED] Kentucky State-Shaped Cutting Board

Let me ask you a simple question: What is more appropriate for you to cut up fresh mint leaves for your mint juleps on Kentucky Derby day?  A regular old cutting board, or a cutting board SHAPED LIKE THE FUCKING STATE OF KENTUCKY?

The answer is obvious, isn't it.  Pick up this Kentucky State-Shaped Cutting Board ($48, A. Heirloom) and all will be right in the world.  Also: A. Heirloom makes cutting boards for all 50 states, so even if your love for Kentucky is as fleeting as your love for mint juleps, you'll find one you DO like.

[GIFTED] The Mason Shaker

All winter, you spent time indoors, drinking pints full of dark stout beer and big pitchers full of Seasonal Affective Disorder. But now Spring is here, so it's time to set aside all of those winter refreshments in favor of light, fruity, minty drinks.

You may never be as cool (or douchey?) as the vest-wearing, mustachioed bartender at all of those fancy cocktail bars that are cropping up, but you can get the swagger by practicing mixing drinks with The Mason Shaker ($29, Bourbon & Boots) .

This product combines the mason jar style that is so popular on every girl's dream wedding on Etsy with an actual functional design so that you can mix your mint juleps in something that is more than appropriate. Here's to Spring.