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The Food Lover’s Guide to Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we know you’re racking your brain to figure out what to gift your significant other. Roses and chocolate are fine and dandy, but why not think about what your partner will actually use this year. We’ve already told you what to wear and which stylish gifts are sure to please your lady, but what if your boo loves eating and drinking above all? We found five perfect gifts for the obsessive gourmand that will rev his or her appetite to the fullest.

Mantry
MantryThis is no ordinary food-of-the-month club, folks. Mantry (The Modern Man’s Pantry) helps subscribers discover the absolute best American Artisan food and how to use it in their kitchens. Every month, the good people at Mantry scour the country, handpick the absolute best ingredients they can find and ship it to you in an American-made crate. The delicious bounty arrives with a manual including no BS recipes and a story to tell. Hungry yet? $75 per month, Mantry

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The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook
The Gramercy Tavern CookbookOpened in 1994, NYC’s Gramercy Tavern has been one of America’s most esteemed restaurants for two decades with eight James Beard Awards under its belt. No big deal or anything. Even if you can’t make it there for Valentine’s Day, you can bring home 125 recipes that put farmer’s market ingredients in the spotlight and special behind-the-scenes stories from the iconic restaurant. $30, Amazon

Godinger Lava Cake Stand
Lava cake standIf your beau is a baker, she will be thrilled to receive something on which to display her work. Godinger’s Lava Round Cake Stand is designed with richly-textured metal so her sugary treats will shine. If she loves it, maybe she’ll give you some cake cake cake if you know what we mean. $49, MyHabit

The Meadow Salt Set 
The Meadow Salt SetThink about a world without salt. Everything we ate would taste terribly bland. As your gourmand partner knows, sodium chloride doesn’t just come in the form that sits in little glass shakers on diner countertops. Which is why a set of artisan salt is a great way to explore its versatility. The Meadow specializes in such gourmet treats, which is why we trust them to deliver only the best in their namesake salt set. $62, The Meadow

Le Creuset Signature Cast-Iron Dutch Oven
Le Creuset Signature Dutch OvenYou may not think pots and pans are a sexy enough gift for V-Day, but your foodie mate will beg to differ. Le Creuset makes some of the best cookware on the planet, so it’s kind of a no brainer. Red is classic and a festive choice for the holiday. And we can almost guarantee you’ll get some lovin’ after the Coq au Vin if you gift this gem. $280, Williams-Sonoma

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…
The smoothest bourbons for fans new to the whiskey style
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In some whiskey circles, the word “smooth” is considered to be a bad term to describe bourbon. That’s because it’s thought to be a little too vague and doesn’t really describe the spirit at all. Obviously, its simplicity doesn’t do the whiskey style justice.

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Pretty much everyone can spot a Maker's Mark bottle across the bar. The squat shape, the red wax bleeding down the neck — you don't need to read the label.

That's why it's actually worth checking out their Artist Series, where the City Edition puts artist Alexandra Pacula's work on eleven bottles for a slew of cities: New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Dubai, Delhi, Mumbai, Singapore, Seoul, Sydney, and Melbourne. Seem cool? There's a catch — it's airports only.

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Whisky, bottle, label

Nikka Whisky is one of the most exciting names in Japanese whisky, so when they make a big announcement, it's almost always worth taking an interest. That's especially the case with the release of Miyagikyo Single Malt 10 Years Old, the flagship expression from its Miyagikyo Distillery — the fruit-forward, mountain-set second distillery Nikka built near Sendai, Japan, in 1969.

This release is the first age-statement Miyagikyo since 2015, and it follows the 2022 return of Yoichi Single Malt 10 Years Old, its coastal sibling. Bottled at 45% ABV, the 700ml release has a $174.99 price tag, so it's not exactly an impulse purchase — and with just 1,572 bottles available nationwide, tracking down a pour may be tough in the first place.

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