If you haven

Still don’t know what to get that special foodist in your life? How about the gift that keeps on giving, like entree into one of the best beer clubs ever or a delicious cupcake a month, all delivered to their door?

Wine Clubs

Colorado Wine Company’s Wine Club — $50 – $80/month
This is the perfect gift for someone who is geographically challenged and is therefore missing out on this fab Eagle Rock wine store. Here, they have three types of memberships. The Yummiest Trio is two outstanding reds and a mind-blowing white. Me and CoWineCo – Best Friends Forever is CoWineCo’s favorite picks of red, white, bubbly and dessert. While the Seeing Red Club is their favorite reds.

Domaine LA’s Gastronomist Wine Club — $50/month
For $50 you get one to three bottles totaling the $50. And if you want to buy additional bottles you get 10% off as well as 2-for-1 bonus coupons for in-store tastings (one for every three months of the club you sign up for). The Gastronomist wine club wines are ones that you’ll find on the best restaurant lists in L.A. as well as Europe and the States. Occasionally there will be a recipe by a local chef for the ideal pairing.

Silverlake Wine’s Wine Club — $25 – $75/month
If your giftee is a fan of this Silver Lake wine shop’s Sunday tastings then this is the perfect gift for them. The wine clubs here ar available in three price tiers to suit any budget. For $25 to $75 a month (plus shipping), you get two hand-picked bottles. And you have the option to upgrade the selection where they have a higher-grade one bottle instead of the two.

Other Beverages

This gift will make any beer lover giddy.

The Bruery Reserve Society — $295
I can’t believe that there are still slots available for this club considering memberships usually sell out every year. Fortunately, the Bruery opened up some spots so you still have a chance to sign up, or get one for your friend, you generous so and so! This gift will make any beer geek weep tears of joy openly. It’s not a beer-of-the-month club but for $295 you get about 9 bottles of special edition Bruery beers including Chocolate Rain and Black Tuesday as well as special growler fills and access to that Reserve Society Initiation Celebration, among many other goodies.

Intelligentsia at Home — Depends
One of the best gifts for any coffee lover, the gift of not having to stand in a long, slow-moving line for a great cup of coffee. With this home subscription, your giftee will get a fresh bag of beans dropped off at their doorstep. You can customize the order to suit your wallet. Choose type of coffee, amount (12 ounces to 5 pounds!), grind and quantity. And when you order at least two 12-ounce bags you’ll get half off shipping.

Sunset Beer Company’s Beer Club — $30 to $60/month
The Echo Park beer store just kicked off this club today (12/22)! Take your pick of the $30/month or $60/month membership. The higher level gets twice the beer and one free pour at the bar each month. Beer club members will also get first dibs on special releases!

Treats

Imagine having these dropped off at your door once a month.

The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills’ Cheese Club– $120+
One of the best cheese shops in town has a cheese club where you can get gourmet cheeses delivered once a month for three, six or 12 months! And none of the cheeses will repeat in the entire cycle.

Magnolia Bakery Cupcake Club– $220 (3 months to $880 (12 months)
For the ultimate cupcake fiend — yes, they still exist (raises hand). The membership includes a tin, tote, Magnolia cookbook and a $25 gift card. And we can’t forget the cupcake a month which includes favorites like the Hummingbird, caramel and truffle chocolate.

Mel & Rose Chocolate of the Month Club — $250 (6 months)
Give the gift of gourmet chocolate every month. This West Hollywood specialty food store’s chocolate selection spans from the Amedei Porcelana to Vosges Dark Bacon Bar. In other words, it’s allll good.

Friday, December 9

Open Bar Holiday Party at Vanity Room
Drink up while shopping the gorgeous fashions at this Mar Vista boutique which will be showcasing new wares from jewelry designers like Stacy Sterling and Tanaya Henry. There will even be a “fabulously fit and sexy Santa” to take a picture with as well as a raffle giveaway. Shop and get 10% off full priced items.

• 6-10pm. Vanity Room, 13217 Washington Boulevard, Mar Vista (map).

Saturday, December 10

Eat My Blog Bake Sale in Pasadena
How could so much goodness be available in one spot? Well it is possible at this charity bake sale. Indulge in peppermint cakewiches from Cake Monkey Bakery, Sotto‘s cannoli with ricotta and pistachio and Magnolia Bakery‘s cupcakes to name but just a few. Baking bloggers include the likes of Diana Takes a Bite, LA/OC Foodventures, Let Me Eat Cake, Mattatouille. Click here for the full menu of available goodies. Buy for yourself or for your favorite holiday party hostess, it’s all for a great cause: L.A. Regional Food Bank.

• 10am-4pm. Pita Jungle, 43 E Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena (map).

Thrillist Rewards Hollywood Craft Beer Crawl
It’s Saturday afternoon, time for beering! Pay your $25 and get access to eight craft drafts at a variety of Hollywood bars all within walking distance of each other. Big Wang’s, Hemingway’s Lounge and even the exclusive Writer’s Room! Conveniently enough, Blue Palms Brewhouse is on the stop and it’ll be throwing its Jingle Bell Jubilee around the same time. So maybe mix in some winter brews while you’re at it. See next event listing.

• 1pm. $25. Blue Palms Brewhouse, 6124 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map).

Blue Palms Brewhouse’s Jingle Bell Jubilee
If you love dark beers as much as I do then you will just have to make it out to this winter brew beer fest. The tap list includes the awesome likes of The Bruery 3 French Hens, Avery’s rum barrel-aged strong pumpkin ale and Port/Lost Abbey’s bourbon-barrel-aged Santa’s Little Helper! Pours start at 2pm and will go til the kegs kick.

• 2pm. Blue Palms Brewhouse, 6124 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map).

Sunday, December 11

Artisanal LA’s 2nd Annual Holiday Pop-Up Shop
One-stop holiday shopping at this fab annual holiday pop-up. Find goodies from over 50 local artisanal vendors that are sure to thrill your giftees. For DIYers there will be demos for home beer crafting, winter pickling and how to make a lemon sorbet. Sample stalkers can enjoy organic spirits, craft beer and wine tastings as well as Handsome Roaster and Stumptown coffee samplings by the Market on Holly.

• 10am-6pm. $5. Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N Raymond Avenue, Pasadena (map).

Bartender Justin Winter teaches Soho members how to make cocktails for their fancy friends.

Not many Average Joes and Janes make it past the model-gorgeous front desk girls of the Soho House in West Hollywood. This international clubhouse (there are 16 clubs around the world) is strictly members only. And even then you have to be a certain caliber of celebrity and cha-ching to make it onto their roster. Knowing this I was a bit nervous checking out the private club’s Cookhouse holiday entertaining seminar which featured the likes of Grey Goose and Crumbs Cupcakes.

Soho House truffles you can make at home.

I figured for sure all the employees at the club would look down their noses at me with that you-don’t-belong-here disdain but fortunately I was completely wrong. Everyone was so accommodating, even after I answered their “Are you a member?” in the negatory. The question seemed like more of a way for them to gauge whether I’ve been there before and needed some guidance, not an opening for condescension. Pfew!

They simply directed me to take an express elevator up past many floors to the club and then I had to check in with another desk on the main floor. I was then instructed to walk down a hallway. No one hovered over me to make sure that I wouldn’t wander off and explore. Heh. There’s also a bigger room with a bar which I had accidently-on-purpose walked into and a screening room. I’m sure there were more rooms but I was too much of a scaredy-cat to go exploring.

The Cookhouse seminars occur twice a month and teach Soho members how to do food-related things like make cocktails, prepare poultry and bake mince pies. For WeHo members, there are classes on pizza-making and shucking oysters which take place off campus at Soho’s sister restaurant, Cecconi’s. Fortunately, these are open to the public; the next one takes place on December 28.

But this night’s seminar, “Honing Your Hosting,” focused on how to do up an easy and affordable holiday party with simple Grey Goose La Poire cocktails, wallet-friendly wines, Crumbs holiday cupcakes and DIY chocolate truffles. Yup, surprisingly the rich and famous don’t just throw money at their party planning, like I had thought. So everything was set up like one-stop shopping with stations for the cocktails, cupcakes, etc.

Crumbs holiday cupcakes.

Naturally, I gravitated to where Grey Goose’s mixologist Justin Winter* was demonstrating how to make a couple of cocktails. Now, I usually steer clear of flavored vodka drinks, which tend to be made too sweet for me, but was curious to see what the vodka brand’s idea of simple but festive cocktails was.

The drinks showcased here were pretty straightforward with no sign of DeKuyper. Instead they were made with simple ingredients that you can just pick up anywhere and they still tasted well-crafted and not syrupy sweet.

The first drink up was the Grey Goose La Poire Ginger Joy, which tasted crisp and refreshing enough to be enjoyed during warmer weather. If you want to switch things up, bartender Justin said that the other Grey Goose flavors (Citron or Orange) could be subbed in this recipe. The Citron version would be especially nice poolside.

Grey Goose La Poire Ginger Joy

2 parts Grey Goose La Poire
1/2 part Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
1 part simple syrup
1 part lemon juice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Present with a pear slice or crystallized ginger.

The second cocktail, although served sans eggs, had an eggnog holiday feel to it what with its brandy and nutmeg. If you want it extra frothy, Justin suggested dry shaking the almond milk first before adding in all the other ingredients.

Grey Goose La Poire Almond Froth.

Grey Goose La Poire Almond Froth

1 1/2 parts Grey Goose La Poire
1/2 part brandy
1 part unsweetened almond milk
3/4 part agave nectar

In a cocktail shaker fill with ice, add all ingredients and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into a glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Unfortunately these cocktail recipes are basically single serving since they have to be shaken. So depending on how many guests you have, you might be stuck making drinks all night. But I’m thinking that maybe for the Ginger Joy you could probably substitute lemonade for the simple syrup and lemon juice and make a punch so people can serve themselves while you mingle. Another nice tip from Justin: If you want to fancify your drinks, you can pick up edible flowers for your cocktails at Bristol Farms.

As for the other stations in the room, Crumbs displayed its special holiday cupcakes like a Christmas-y chocolate one topped with crushed candy canes and Hanukkah ones with blue sprinkles. Wine lifestyle company Girl Meets Grape brought six wines which ranged in price from $6 for a Red Diamond Merlot to $14 for a Nino Franco Prosecco. And Soho House’s Michael (proxy for chef Nicky) was demo-ing how to make your own truffles.

Melt 72% cocoa in your double boiler. Add in regular cream (half & half) and fold together until you get a soft, sturdy base. Make your balls the size of a quarter. Then dip it in the melted chocolate (again — melted 72% cocoa) and roll them in toppings like pistachios, crushed graham crackers and edible gold dusting (“for extra fabulousness”), which can be found at Surfas in Culver City by the way. Afterward set them aside to dry for a bit.

More photos after the jump.

* Soho House does have its own mixologist, Chris Ojeda, who used to work at Comme Ca and the Varnish, and now is the West Hollywood clubhouse’s group creative bar director. You can drool over his cocktail menu here.

I LOVE Halloween. Candy, scary movies, costumes — now that’s a good time right there.

Thursday, October 27

Werewolves of London Halloween Hotel Package
Partying in WeHo for Halloween? Grab a suite at the London. The hotel is doing a special Halloween package for the holiday now through November 1. Room rates start at $365 and you get two cocktails from the Halloween Witches Brew menu, an overnight parking spot, breakfast at Boxwood Cafe Breakfast Table and, since you’ll probably be out getting into shenanigans the night before, a late 2pm checkout.

• Through November 1.  Starting at $365. London, 1020 North San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood (map). Reservations: (866) 282-4560

Friday, October 28

HallowedVine: Candy and Wine Pairing at Vintage
Enjoy Halloween candy like a grown-up: with a wine pairing! Vintage Enoteca has paired Halloween faves like candy corn and smarties with Viognier and Muscat Blanc. Hmm, what does the sugar blues paired with intoxication feel like I wonder? Other pairings include Raisinets & M&Ms with Merlot, Snickers & Junior Mints with Grenache Noir.

• Friday-Monday. $25. Vintage Enoteca, 7554 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles (map). (323) 512-5278.

La Descarga’s Narnia Halloween 2011
A rum bar turned Narnia wonderland for Halloween. La Descarga will be transformed into that storybook land with burlesque dancers and the house band putting scenes from the story to musical life. There will be guest DJs and live music by Saint Motel. Best part is that there will be a super premium open bar with Halloween cocktails and punch bowls. Only thing is that there is a 125-person max and naturally costumes are required.

• Friday and Saturday. $100. La Descarga, 1159 N Western Avenue, Los Angeles (map). Reservations: narniahalloween[at]gmail.com.

Glow Ultra Lounge’s Halloween Costume Ball
I admit it, the one thing that caught my eye today about this party at the marina is the dessert candy bar. For $20-$30 you get hors d’oeuvres and a costume contest with a $300 grand prize. Drinks aren’t included but they have “cheap drink specials.”

• 8pm-2am. $20 advanced, $30 door. Glow Ultra Lounge, 4100 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey (map).

Villains Tavern’s and The One Eyed Gypsy’s Dark Carnival II
This sounds like it’s going to be an epic party: 12 live bands on the outdoor stage , a food court, eight punchbowl spirits with Milagro Tequila and Sailor Jerry’s Rum, and two outdoor bars. If that’s not enough fun for you, there will also be Foosball and Giant Jenga, Tarot card and palm readings, photobooth AND snacks like the infamous bacon caramel popcorn as well as cotton candy. Pfew! A free Haunted Shuttle will transport party-goers from the two venues which are just a mile apart. A portion of the proceeds will go to Sunset Free Clinic.

• Friday 7pm-1am and Saturday 12pm-1am. Free admission. Villains Tavern, 1356 Palmetto Street, Downtown (map).

Saturday, October 29

Pumpkin-palooza at Blue Palms Brewhouse
Pumpkin ale gets a bum rap from beer snobs but leave it to Blue Palms Brewhouse to pick some tasty ones for its pumpkin beer event, like 2010 Beer Valley Jackalope Imperial Pumpkin Porter Ale, Dogfish Head Punkin and Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin, in addition to fall treats like The Bruery’s Barrel-Aged Autumn Maple and Midnight Sun Treat. The event will also have pumpkin-focused food like pumpkin quesadillas and smoked pumpkin seeds!

• 2pm. Blue Palms Brewhouse, 6124 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map). (323) 464-2337.

Halloween Horror and Hooch at Neat
If you don’t win my giveaway for the exclusive Halloween party at Neat on Sunday, get in on Saturday for the public blowout. $10 at the door gets you a Dirty and Dangerous cocktail or Wychwood Brewery beer. There will be a DJ to keep you boo-gying as well as a costume contest for what I’m told will be some “kickass prizes.”

• 9pm. $10. Neat, 1114 N. Pacific Avenue, Glendale (map).

Sunday, October 30

Tim Burton Exhibit’s Open for 38 Hours Straight at LACMA
The Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA draws to a close but in celebration of what has to be the director’s favorite holiday, the museum will run the exhibit for 38 hours straight! If you haven’t visited it yet, Halloween AM would be the perfect time as tickets are half-price from 12am to 9am.

• 10am Sunday to 12am Tuesday. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Nightmare on Elm Street and Eagle Rock Brewery at Barnsdall
Man, I love scary movie nights, especially scary movie nights with great brews to drink. Barnsdall is doing a special showing of Nightmare on Elm Street (filmed at our local Marshall High) and Eagle Rock Brewery will be providing the beer while City Sip pours the wine. And munch on fare from food trucks Heirloom LA and Border Grill truck.

• Doors open at 5pm. $25. Barnsdall, 4800 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Monday, October 31

Halloween Makeup Makeover at Ciel Spa
Is doing your own makeup the hardest part of your costume? Have the pros do it at Ciel Spa in the SLS Hotel. The spa has partnered up with Makeup Mandy, “eyelash bar to the stars” and will be offering lashes for $30, hair extensions like feathers and bling for $12 and full face makeup starting at $180.

• Now through Monday. Ciel Spa at SLS Hotel, 465 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles (map). Appointments: (310) 246-5560 or on the site.

Hmm, which to have first?

Twice the Vice, a chocolate company that just started last year in Santa Monica, has got my number. Belgian chocolates with a rich chocolate ganache infused with high-end liquor. Yes and oh yes! They’ve been touted by UrbanDaddy and Food Republic as the box of chocolates for men of taste but I say they work just fine for cocktail geeks of the female persuasion as well.

Dude chocolates.

For serious, browse the selection online: single-malt, Kentucky bourbon, fine tequila or go for an assorted box of top-shelf spirits or classic cocktails.

There’s even a special collection for Big Lebowski fans: the Helluva Caucasian collection with White Russian Chocolates and artwork from BL Fest artist Bill Green.

But before you get all giddy and place your order, keep in mind that due to the extreme booziness of the chocolates, it’s currently illegal in 42 states! So only the following states can (legally) get ‘em: Arizona, California (yay!), Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Washington. But owner Craig Boreth says, “They have about as much alcohol by volume as a strong beer.  So, you’d probably suffer cocoa-butter induced seizures before getting a buzz.”

After scoring boxes of the Top-Shelf and Helluva Caucasian collections to sample, I’d say they’re almost worth getting in trouble for, especially that White Russian which makes me crave the real thing. But don’t take my word for it, I shared the chocolates with my co-workers, Mattatouille and my bf to get varying opinions on them as well.

Here are some soundbites of our taste test with Mark (a bon vivant), Bryn (a foodie mom), Mike (a junior bon vivant), Mattatouile (respected food blogger) and my boyfriend (a man of exceptional taste):

15-Year Glenlivet Scotch

• Mark — “I was expecting some smokiness but it’s not and I like it. It’s like Johnny Walker, the blended Scotch instead of a single malt. Doesn’t have fire.”
• Mattatouille — “Very strong scotch flavor. Not really smokey, more honey but caramelly. If you don’t like scotch I don’t think you’ll like this. If you can’t take alcohol neat. I’d like to have this with the scotch or with coffee.”

White Russian

• Bryn — “The White Russian is good. I like eating the Dude’s face, too. And it’s not super boozy. It’s not bursting me in the face.”
• Mattatouille — “The chocolate’s nice, not too dark. I like it.”
• Bf — “This is good. You get just a little hint of the alcohol burn but just barely. Very tasty. Very accessible.”

El Diamante Reposado Tequila

• Mark — “ACKKK! BLECH! It’s too harsh. It’s got that harshness like orange juice and toothpaste in the morning kind of smack in the face and I like tequila. It doesn’t taste like a smooth tequila. It almost tastes Cuervo-y.”
• Bryn — “It’s got that chemical thing happening to it. It tastes chemicalness.”
• Mike — “Oh yeah. It’s not good at all. It tastes like college. It doesn’t even have an alcohol burn coming down, it has a chemical burn coming down. It burns all the way down.”
• Mattatouille — “Very tequila-y. You can definitely taste that it’s tequila. I would rather have this with tequila than the other ones with scotch and bourbon because I really don’t want to sully them.  “
• Bf — “Tequila isn’t as good as a match to the chocolate.”

10-Year Eagle Rare Bourbon

• Mike — “The bourbon tastes like what you read on the card, it tastes like a 10-year-old bourbon. And the scotch one just seems too smooth to be a 15. It’s so smooth it doesn’t have any of that peatiness or smokiness or bite. It doesn’t have character.”
• Bf — “The bourbon flavor comes out more compared to how the scotch flavor does [in its chocolate]. Has more of the boozy flavor and less of the alcohol burn.”

Conclusion: All the taste testers agreed that they’d gladly pay $28 for a nine-piece box of these chocolates, especially favorites the Big Lebowski-inspired collection and the Eagle Rare bourbon, which actually isn’t available in a box. They do, however, have a Kentucky Bourbon one available which features Elijah Craig 18, Knob Creek 9 and Woodford Reserve Mint Julep. Yum!

All also said they can see enjoying the bourbon and scotch chocolates while sipping the liquid counterparts. As for the chocolate vehicle for the boozy ganache, all agreed it a smooth, rich and high-quality conveyance.