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FEASTING: The Epicure Gift Guide

Feasting is our new column dedicated to cooking, grilling, eating and discovering what’s on the menu across America and the world.

We all have that one friend (or five) who loves to eat more than anything. So what to buy someone who’s tried anything and everything? From a crunchy, spicy Chinese condiment to some of the best meat in the country, our epicure gift guide has something to satisfy everyone on your list. Check it out below and start your shopping early, or stock up to make holiday entertaining a breeze.

Crunch DynastyCrunch Dynasty
When Crunch Dynasty founder John Mills met his wife in 1998, his idea of fine cuisine was corn dogs and beef jerky. Luckily, she introduced him to some of the best food in NYC, including her mother’s extraordinary Chinese. Every home cooked meal was accompanied by a bowl of a crunchy, spicy condiment that John spent 10 years trying to recreate. Finally his mother-in-law taught him how to make it, and the mastered recipe is now known as Crunch Dynasty. We’ve sprinkled it on everything from ramen to peanut butter and jelly toast and seriously can’t get enough. crunchdynasty.com

Schermer PecansSchermer Pecans
These farm fresh pecans are harvested from the Georgia orchard that has been in the Schermer family for more than 65 years. They are always hand selected and freshly shelled for some of the best pecans you’ll ever have. Go for raw, roasted and salted or one of the many delicious candied varieties, perfect for holiday gifting and entertaining. schermerpecans.com

Carnivore ClubCarnivore Club
Don’t forget the charcuterie lover. Carnivore Club is the first curated cured meat of the month club, featuring handcrafted charcuterie from artisans around the world. Each month, a box filled with 4-6 different types of ethically-sourced meat arrives, centered around themes like Italian Salumi and Artisanal Jerky. You can choose to send a subscription anywhere from one month to 12, so it’s truly the gift that keeps giving. carnivoreclub.co

King Bean Coffee RoastersKing Bean Coffee Roasters
When Kurt Weinberger founded King Bean Coffee Roasters 20 years ago in his parents’ South Carolina garage, the coffee scene was exploding in the Pacific Northwest but hadn’t made it to the South yet. So he bought his first roaster and started selling to Charleston’s high-end restaurants. Now you can buy their hand-packed coffee in a variety of flavors from a classic French Roast to Southern Pecan. kingbean.com

Olive & Sinclair Duck Fat CaramelsOlive & Sinclair Duck Fat Caramels
There’s a reason these won Garden & Gun’s Made In The South 2014 award because they’re outrageously good. Made in Olive & Sinclair’s Nashville, TN workshop from caramelized cane sugar and rich duck fat, each caramel is the perfect salty-sweet bite. oliveandsinclair.com

Rocky Mountain Organic MeatsRocky Mountain Organic Meats
If you’re looking to impress your meat loving friends, Rocky Mountain Organic Meat is our go-to for some of the best-tasting beef in the country. They raise their grass-fed cattle the old-fashioned way, without steroids or growth hormones. Go there for everything else too like offal and pasture-raised lamb. rockymtncuts.com

Amanda Gabriele
Amanda Gabriele is a food and travel writer at The Manual and the former senior editor at Supercall. She can’t live without…
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But, if you take a moment to peruse the list of the 10 most popular drinks, you might see a few you like and others you aren’t sure about. That’s okay. Lucky for you, we’re here to help. That’s why today we’re all about the underdogs.

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How to start your own home bar: the tools and mixers
the best home bar glassware version 1612854960 for your 2021

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But for serious cocktail making, you want an area of clear counter space, near to a sink and to a freezer full of ice, and with easy access to all your bottles and tools. I find a small kitchen island perfect for this purpose, tucked into a corner of the kitchen near the appliances. Store bottles and equipment on the lower shelves of the island or on wall-mounted shelves to save space, and make sure you have a lamp or decent overhead lighting so you can see what you're doing while you mix. You'll want a small chopping board as well for slicing citrus and other fruit, and a small, sharp knife that you can borrow from your kitchen equipment.
Then it's time to turn your attention to home bar tools.

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