When it’s time to break out the bubbly, make sure you open the bottle the right way!

This Champagne Key at Gent Supply Co. eliminates foaming and spilling. It also makes opening champagne so simple that you won’t worry for a second that you’ll put someone’s eye out.

How to Open a Bottle of Champagne
Champagne Cocktail Recipes

Lock away your precious wine with this metal wine cage–complete with drawbridge door. The cage holds 12 bottles and is generally awesome. Also, it will totally impress and intimidate your guests.

“Even the most oblivious house guests can’t unintentionally uncork your finest bottle of Chateau Margaux when it’s kept under such tight security.”

Metal Wine Cage @ Cool Material (via NOTCOT)

I am a sucker for novelty ice trays … and therefore I am a sucker for FRED products. Love the Stone Cold ice tray! I’m ready to make cocktails with tiny Easter Island Moai in them.

Stone Cold Ice Cube Tray @ Perpetual Kid

There are so many fun gadgets associated with drinking! Here’s a fun one for the wine geeks — a wine bottle thermometer.

It has markings for the optimal serving temperature for different varieties of wine. So no more wondering how cold that Gewurtztraminer should be.

And, hey, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a special wine fridge …

Wine Bottle Thermometer @ Crate and Barrel

Here’s something different for the stylish wine lover in your life. These handblown wine glasses by design hotshot Maxim Velcovsky are crafted to look like a disposable cup.

Enjoy your Cabernet while enjoying the irony of an item lovingly handcrafted to mock something mass produced. Aside from looking cool, the shape and weight of the glasses make them fun to drink from.

Sommelier Wine Glasses @ A +R Store

Decanters not only let your wine and booze open up, they also look great at your bar.

This Kai Decanter from Crate and Barrel is a simple yet elegant gift find. It’s handblown glass with clean, classic lines …

then at the stopper there’s a little effervescence in the form of tiny bubbles!

Oh, and for about $40 it won’t make your wallet cry.

Kai Decanter @ Crate and Barrel

There are thousands of apps for your iPhone, so it is no surprise that you can navigate the holidays with your iPhone as well. For this mission, I choose to focus solely on apps that can be had at my favorite price point - free. In exchange for viewing a few ads, these apps will leave more money in your pocket to spend on gifts and tips for your bartender.

After checking out many different apps I categorized them into these groups:

• Getting the Party Started
• Party Food & Drinks
• At the Party
• The Aftermath

Check out my whole post over at Life Scoop a site about how real people make surprising things happen with technology. The site has an amazing line up of contributors, in addition to yours truly, including Heather Armstrong from Dooce, Jean Aw from NotCot and Asha Dornfest from Parent Hacks. The site is chock full of great tips and information for using technology to make everyday living just a bit better.

Free iPhone Apps for Surving Holiday Cocktail Parties - mylifescoop.com