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1. It’s easy to be intrigued by the idea of spirits distilled with seawater that originated on a glacier in Greenland, but it has to taste good or it’s just a novelty, right?
Well, Ocean Vodka from Hawaii Sea Spirits in Upcountry Maui delivers a taste just as unique. It is made from organically grown sugar cane from South America and desalinated seawater pumped up from a depth of 3,000 feet off the Kona Coast. The distillery says the water it uses melted off a glacier 2,000 years ago, flowed into the ocean and traveled around the world on deep currents, eventually reaching Hawaii.
Ocean Vodka’s distinctive bottle, reminiscent of a glass fishing float, makes it even more presentable as a gift. At $4.99, the 50-mL version would make a spirited stocking stuffer. Otherwise, a standard 750-mL bottle is $29.99.
Look for Ocean Vodka wherever alcohol is sold.
— Mike Gordon, Bend, Ore.
2. It’s taken nearly three decades for the Honolulu Museum of Art to update the formal catalog of its collections, but last month’s release of “Collection Highlights” is sure to please local supporters of fine art.
Museum curators spent two years debating the best works, settling on 133 items ranging from a 4,500-year-old marble sculpture and 19th-century Hawaiian ahu ula (feather cape) to modern works that include video projection.
The coffee-table book, available for $29.95 at the museum’s Art Shop, is an elegant showcase, with each piece getting a page to itself. Select areas of the museum are spotlighted with wide-angle shots that depict what visitors would see when checking out the artwork in person.
— Jason Genegabus
3. “Suck ’em up” in style with artist Andrew Mau’s Shaka Bottle Opener. Sophisticated and playful, the 4-1/2-inch-tall piece, hand-cast of solid bronze, reflects Mau’s isle upbringing and steers clear of kitsch.
“It’s not a tight shaka,” he said. “It’s loose.”
Weighing a hefty pound, the bottle opener makes the perfect gift of aloha year-round for special friends and relatives abroad.
Mau attended the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, and his forte is furniture design and lighting. The bottle opener was born from what he calls his “off-the-cuff” line, which includes jewelry and stationery.
Art has its price, though, and at $100 each, you might consider it a steal for a bronze sculpture with a perk. Available in bright bronze or blackened finish, find the Shaka Bottle Opener at Oliver, 49 Kihapai St. in Kailua, at Chinatown’s Owens & Co., 1152 Nuuanu Ave., and on Mau’s website, Mau-House.com.
— Ruby Mata-Viti
4. If you love palaka, then you’ll love these adorable kids’ aloha shirts, rompers and bloomer sets ($36 each) by Three Coconuts of Maui.
The palaka comes in a rainbow of colors and each piece is embossed with a playful animal, with the names printed in both Hawaiian and English — keko (monkey), kohola (whale) and honu (turtle). All are designed and manufactured in Hawaii from 100 percent cotton and coconut buttons.
Three Coconuts founder Marla McManus started the family-run business out of nostalgia for her childhood in Hawaii. The name refers to her three grandsons, Kade, Josia and Kyne.
Visit threecoconutsmaui.com or find them on Facebook.
— Nina Wu
5. If “made in Hawaii” is important to you and the man in your life, stop by MORI by Art + Flea, where you can find a range of locally made items covering two extremes, from essential T-shirts and caps to dressier tropical wool shorts and trousers ($180) by O Srefaol.
In between, there are small items such as Wild Hawaii-print fabric bowties ($40) from Y Knot Bowties and handmade leather wallets and card cases ($60) from Leiomano Leather Co.
MORI is in the South Shore Market at 1170 Auahi St. Visit morihawaii.com, or call 593-8958.
— Nadine Kam
“5 Things We Love” is a shortlist of newly discovered stuff you have got to see, hear, wear, use or eat. Please keep in mind that featured products may be in short supply and may not be available at all store locations; prices may vary. Tell us what you are loving by emailing features@staradvertiser.com.
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