Madrid, Spain
Sure, you could always book yourself a ticket on a train if you feel like a little lounge time in the dinner car — but what if you don’t feel like going anywhere? In that case, try making a visit to The Passenger. This Malasaña hangout was designed by Parolio and is meant to resemble the inside of a train car — a very swanky train, mind you. A coffee shop by day and rock n’ roll bar by night, inside you’ll find plenty of dark wood, brown leather, brass finished, fantastic cocktails craft beers, and small plate foodstuffs. But the real kicker is the “windows”, which are actually three screens playing synchronized videos to make you feel as if you’re on the move — that is, of course, if the booze isn’t doing that already. Source: The Passenger
Photos: Juan Baraja
Just in case you’ve been wishing for an espresso machine that’s shaped like a car engine, we bring you the Espresso Veloce V12 Machine ($TBA). Limited to just 500 pieces, this insane machine is handcrafted from common automotive materials like aluminum, magnesium, and titanium, and features a filter that resembles a coffee filter, dispensers that resemble tailpipes, and other little touches that tie the Veloce to its racing inspiration. Perfect for the garage, racing-themed man cave, or just a standard kitchen that happens to use a Ferrari as a dinner table. Source:Espresso Veloce V12 Machine
No matter if you’re drinking vodka, gin, rum, or whiskey, your booze of choice came from a plant of one form or another. the Drunken Botanist ($12) takes a look at this grand tradition of fermentation and distillation, with tons of information and stories about various drinks. And should you think it’s all just boring facts, rest assured that the 400-page book also contains over 50 drink recipes, as well as growing tips for those looking to grow their own garnishes. Source:The Drunken Botanist
Tired of your growlers going flat before you have a chance to finish them? Well then drink faster! Just kidding — you should look into a TapIt Cap ($45). This clever new gadget fits over your growler’s opening, ensuring that the beer in your growler stays fresh, carbonated, and ready to drink. Thanks to a slot that accepts standard-sized CO2 canisters and a built-in tap and tap handle, it turns your growler into a handheld keg and tap, perfect for barbecues, social gatherings, or anytime you want fresh, draught craft beer. Source:TapIt Cap
Why choose between a wireless speaker or a docking system? With the Bowers & Wilkins Z2 AirPlay Speaker System ($400), you don’t have to. A fresh take on the Zeppelin Mini, the Z2 features a top-mounted Lighting dock that fits iPhones and iPods, as well as built-in Wi-Fi for AirPlay support. Other features include class d amplifiers, custom 3.5-inch drivers with fiberglass cones, a glass-reinforced ABS enclosure, a 3.5mm auxiliary input, and your choice of black or white bodies. Source:Bowers & Wilkins Z2 AirPlay Speaker System
Tired of scouring through recipe sites trying to pick out a dinner, then trudging to the store only to find they’re out of one key ingredient? Give Blue Apron ($10/meal) a try. This handy service ships you the raw ingredients for three delicious meals each week; each meal is perfectly portioned, weighs in a 500-700 calories, and takes roughly 35 minutes to prepare. There are options available for both carnivores and vegetarians, so no matter what your lifestyle, there’s an option to match. Now they have to make a Kosher Version. Source:Blue Apron
You knew it was just a matter of time. So far, your smartphone has been able to do pretty much anything you ask of it — except tell you when you’ve had one too many to get behind the wheel. Thanks to the Breathometer ($20 and up), now you can. This keychain-friendly device plugs into the headphone port of your iPhone or Android device, and interacts with an app to give you an accurate measurement of your BAC. Shipments start this July. Source:Breathometer
bike locks are all well and good, but if you really want to keep your bike protected, you need to outfit it with a BikeSpike ($150 and up). This small accessory attaches to your bike via a custom water bottle holder, and packs a GPS chipset, cellular antenna, and accelerometer into its small black body. Thanks to all that tech, you can monitor your ride’s location using a phone or computer, digitally “lock” your bike and get a push notification if it’s moved/tampered with, automatically alert contacts in the event of a collision, and monitor stats like distance, speed, and favorite courses. Just think of it as a combination Find My iPhone/Nike+ for your bike. SourceBikeSpike
Liven up your next gathering by letting Bartendro ($500-$2,500) take care of your drinks. Available in models with 3, 7, or 15 dispensers, this Raspberry Pi-powered gadget lets you hook the dispensers to various juices and liquors, then choose a drink you’d like to make out of them from your tablet or smartphone. The desired specifcations are sent over Wi-Fi to the machine, which uses peristaltic pumps to precisely dispense the ingredients that are then mixed and dropped into your glass. Prefer to keep things simple? $300 will buy you the same tech in a single Shotbot. Source:Bartendro
Don’t worry if your car didn’t come with a fancy on-board computer — just plug in automatic ($70) and go. This smart gadget plugs into the same port that mechanics use to service your car, then links with your smartphone over Bluetooth 4.0 to provide data to a dedicated app. With the app running, you’ll be able to see an overall score of how you’re driving and how you could save more money, details about how much you drive, where, and your actual MPGs, and notifications when your check engine light comes on — along with a description of what’s actually causing the problem. It’ll even automatically notify 911 with your location in a crash, making it not just a potential money-saver, but a potential life-saver. [via]
