Five Easy Pieces: October 7, 2022

Every Friday I share a quick hit list of 5 things I’m into. They may be wildly outdated or impossibly current. They may be overexposed and well known, or a hidden gem. If there is a product included, it is never sponsored or paid - this is just stuff I like.

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1. Bad Bad Whiskey

I’m the king of Shazam. There is so much beautiful music in the world, and finding new stuff gets me going. My favorite from last month:

2. Creative Candles

You can search high and low for the perfect lamp, but you’ll never beat the kind, natural glow of a candle. Taper candles from Creative Candle are my favorite. They burn clean and last longer than expected. I love their colors, and usually opt for something surprising, like bright pink. It’s always a fun juxtaposition with our very traditional sconces.

3. GPS art

The weather is ripe for long runs and this weird and wonderful trend is begging for me to try it out.

4. The best olives in the world

Perhaps not the best in the world, but the best I’ve ever had. When I was in London recently I stayed at the peerless Chiltern Firehouse. The bar is top notch, and each evening we did our best to drain them of their Negroni supplies. With each cocktail, as is customary, they brought over a small dish of almonds and a small dish of olives. The olives were absolutely KNOCKOUT. On several occasions I asked for more, and put away more than my fair share as my pals looked on in bemusement.

After returning home I emailed the team to request the olive they were serving, and they sent me the intel. They were Perello olives, and I quickly ordered a case from Harvey Nichols. These olives are meaty, savory, and painted with the slightest touch of chili. I find them to be in another league, and will now be keeping a steady supply in the pantry.

5. Wine glasses

I’ve been doing some deep dives on wine glasses for entertaining at the house. We have a “fine” set of Zalto glass, which are light, delicate, and impossibly thin. Breaking them out seems to make everything an occasion. They are gorgeous - but they can only be washed by hand, and frankly speaking, there are some people I don’t trust with the combination of drinking and thin, fragile glass.

The whole thing has led me to explore options for an easier, more casual glass.

My favorites for an “everyday” drinking glass are below.

Jasper Morrison wine glass for Alessi:

Libbey Tasting Glass. Popular at most of the great Parisian wine bars. I love a small glass for any and all beverages.

Duralex. A classic; easy, casual, durable.