27 Gentlemen Gift Ideas for 2021
Writing this from one man’s perspective as inspiration for 2021 gift giving (in no specific order). I am Brand and Marketing Consulting Partner who lives in New York and loves new and exciting products, services, and experiences.
These gifts are based on things I have researched extensively and currently own / have purchased or things I am planning to buy. Other favored alternatives listed throughout. No sponsored or paid content on this list.
- Crystal Double Old Fashioned:
I fell in love with the Baccarat premium options. But couldn’t justify the excess. I was dining at The Grill and Manhattan and fell in love with the Scottish Old Fashioned Glass from Christofle. I bought two. I also really like what Waterford is doing in double old fashioned. They have truly modernized the brand. Great for many cocktails including (obviously) The Old Fashioned.
2. Fancy Cocktail Bitters from Japan:
Bitters can get very fancy and I found a gentleman in Japan who is using awesome flavors like yuzu, shisho and umami. I bought two individual ones from The Japanese Bitters brand (Umami and Shisho)and have been adding to Old Fashioneds and other cocktails. Available online.
3. Easier to Access Not Overpriced, Incredible Bourbon:
Stop chasing overpriced bourbon from Buffalo Trace (Pappy, Stagg, Weller, Blantons, etc.). Or chase it and buy it when the price is reasonable. But so many fantastic Bourbons get overlooked. My go-to (I have tried many brands) is a great bottle of Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon that isn’t too hard to find.
4. Serious Wine Glasses You Won’t Cry Over When they Break:
I love and have broken far too many Zalto glasses (if you are price insensitive, these are beautiful, used by some of the best restaurants in the world and famed Somm Aldo Sohm is a key ambassador for the brand). However, despite owning Zalto (and many other wine glasses), nothing gets more everyday use than my Zenology Somm wine glasses. These are thin-lipped allowing the right liquid movement and bouquet to enjoy wine. All-purpose can hit Champagne, Whites, and Reds with nice aromas and enjoyment. Maybe go Cabernet glasses if you are a reds-only drinker.
5. Blades of (fancy) Steel:
Upping one’s chef knife for the cooker among us is a no brainer. For the Western Knife lover (wider blade on a rocker), I have been enamored with the beautiful design and craft of Phillips Forged Knives. These are reminiscent of a modern take on famed blademaster Bob Kramer Knives (which if you are lucky to get one made by the man himself, go for it). But as someone who regularly cooks, I prefer the Gyuto (Japanese style Chef’s knife) because of the slimmer blade (cuts through everything easier) and non-rocking profile (more of a clean chop). I really like the quality of what YouTuber Ryky Tran has done with his 240mm Gyuto knives at Burrfection. I love the Japanese handle and bought his launch edition in blue steel number 2 with teak Japanese style handle. These knives are an homage to iconic Japanese knife designers like Masamoto which he also sells if in stock. I have a Masamoto KS 240mm in white carbon steel which I also recommend for a true collector if you can find.
6. Stay Ageless (Sort of) with Dermatological Skincare:
Past that age (or about) depending on who you are where skincare is essential. Sunscreen daily (on the face) is the largest part (start incorporating daily if you are not already). In addition, a dermatology-supported custom monthly formula with little work from Curology is a part of my nighttime routine.
7. A Comfortable Always-On Belt:
I have a ton of belts but I find the best zone are the ones that are comfortable and casual but not too casual. I love Beltology and getting something unique that will be hard to not want to wear almost every day for both comfort and casual style.
8. Some Cool Not Basic, Plain Looking Kicks Others Likely Don’t Have:
Okay, this is a first (of 3) Blockchain-esk purchases but you buy with US dollars in real life (IRL). I really think it is fun the way Satoshi Studios is putting their sneakers on chain (no real clear purpose yet but more and more luxury goods will be doing this for provenance). The shoes look great, will be nicer than other options out there and most of all unique. I got a pair in white which I am patiently waiting for.
9. An Iconic Time Piece and The Original Sports Watch:
While I have so much love for many of the very desirable watches you wait years to get at retail if you are lucky to get on the list, including my Rolex GMT II Pepsi, I think for many where inventory is so difficult to access, there are “sleeper” picks. In my opinion, these are overlooked watches in high horology. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is an example of just that. I recommend Automatic winding for those who might wear this regularly or Manual winding for the dress watch wearer. The DuoFace Moon (pictured above) is my favorite because of the lunar complication and 2 watches in one but comes with a heftier price. Some of these watches start at just under $6K which is incredible considering JLC is considered “a watchmakers watch” as a brand. The Reverso is arguably also the original sports watch; it started in the 1930s designed to prevent polo players from breaking the glass of the watch during play.
10. A Warmer Clothing In(Vest)ment:
Let’s be honest, too many of the same looking vests out there that make you look like a Wall Street a-hole. I wanted something a bit different so opted for a nice simple, light-weight quilted vest option from Taylor Stitch. They offer a greater range of sizing and the quality is awesome. I was part of the initial funding but they will be manufacturing more soon for order.
11. Keep it Briefs and Under Wraps:
I used to volume buy cheaper underwear from MeUndies (nothing wrong with that) but finally discovered what a difference high-quality boxer briefs can make in overall comfort and enjoyment. I started with a gifted three pairs from Mack Weldon’s Silver Boxer Briefs and have upgraded all of my inventory to these.
12. Lush Cashmere Lounge Shorts (and / or other Sweats):
I discovered the sweatshorts category way back when and never looked back. But only recently discovered how nice Cashmere (or Cashmere-Cotton) blended loungewear could be. I bought a cashmere-cotton blend of shorts on sale from Naadam. Keep your eye out for sales which happen frequently but the quality and comfort is amazing.
13. A Decent Winter Hat:
Madewell makes guys clothing? I had no idea until I recently stumbled into the store to find this Madewell Recycled Cotton Cuffed Beanie. I feel I often neglect upgrading my winter hats (which I lose frequently) but really have enjoyed starting to wear this as the weather has been cooling.
14. Adult-Appropriate Eyewear for the Sun:
I notoriously lose sunglasses and love having a couple of pairs of goodr sunglasses on hand for running, sports, losing in the ocean and countless other careless occasions. But occasionally it is nice to have that splurge pair (I had some nice Tom Ford glasses for years). This year I decided I’d invest in some nice Persol sunglasses. Always a very personal choice but I am partial to the Persol Originals, polarized of course!
15. Appreciating Digital Art in the form of NFT:
This might be a more complicated purchase but OpenSea (the major marketplace for NFT- non-fungible token, projects) is making it easier and easier to purchase. Ownership will be the most important thing in digitizing art and there are a lot of projects that have either strong communities, really great art, gaming connection, or some programmatic element that makes them interesting (many bring a combination of a few). One of the more undervalued projects in my opinion is CryptoArte which was incepted a few years ago and only recently completed the minting process. This is an early generative art projects where each token represents a given painting and matches its hash on-chain. Ownership comes with an 8K file which I have printed in my office and framed. Worth noting art is subjective and NFTs currently can be more difficult to purchase (you need a wallet like MetaMask and to buy Ethereum to purchase); not always the right gift but included this because it is so fun and amazing.
16. An NFT to use as your PFP (Profile Picture) or Avatar in the Metaverse:
Profile pictures on platforms like twitter are becoming an emerging “flex” category. So many awesome projects many of which have amazing communities. Social networks like Twitter are also creating verification badges for “owned” NFTs. And while it might be to pricey to own “ape in” a Bored Ape Yacht Club or CryptoPunk, projects like Meebits also from Larva Labs (creator of original CryptoPunks)may be an alternative that while still expensive, is not completely out of reach. Each Meebit comes loaded with a whole host of native files for printing, 3D printing, profile pics, and wandering metaverses. And the community and technology around these will continue to grow. Available also on OpenSea. Meebits also has the Meebits DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization); a joinable project focused on improving the utility and building a community around Meebits over time.
17. A Boss CEO-Level Home Office Chair:
Biting the bullet on an amazing chair in this WFH reality is a no brainer. For the money, I think the Herman Miller Aeron is the move. Wait for a 15% off sale, see if you can visit a Design Within Reach Outlet (even better) or hit up one of your Google friends who get 30% off. I would pay extra for the adjustable add-ons. See what you might be able to expense through work. Don’t get seduced by the other models, this is the best.
18. Blazing Fast Wi-Fi Internet Meshed Network:
WiFi to me has become running water. Essential. Discovering the importance of meshing my at-home network was like migrating from crawling to walking. And while I used the Google Nest WiFi to get there, I have since upgraded once more to the Eero Pro 6. WiFi 6 is an incredible upgrade to WiFi technology (the ability to truly connect with multiple devices at once vs. pinging different devices packets of information separately at high velocity). The Eero Pro 6 was able to replace my Fios router (which they try to rent you) and is not able to maximize my 1 gigabit theoretical speed with no coverage gaps or dark zones in my home. I purchased the two unit system and ran before / after speed tests which were compelling.
19. Never Leave Home AirPods Pro:
Okay this might be obvious. The only thing better than AirPods was the release of the AirPods Pro. Better battery, noise cancelling, and they stay in your ears. These are late in the product lifecycle (regular AirPods released Gen III). If that special person in your life does not have AirPods yet, it is about time. I use them for all Audible and Podcast content + Phone calls on the go. So small in your pocket. So essential (I already own and waiting for Gen II pros with undisclosed release date so worth that consideration).
20. Convenient Indoor / Outdoor At-Home Sound:
A semi-stationary, semi-portable speaker is a novel idea. This Sonos Move one sits on the dock in the living room for awesome evening tunes and is easily transported to the terrace. Noticeable sound and long (11-hour battery life). Love Sonos products for ultimate performance-price balance.
21. A Big TV that Can Finally Fit the Room:
I have wanted one of these since it came out and the price has gotten way more affordable, the screens larger, and performance better. I love how this TV can still be big, and blend natively in a room. That is the Samsung Frame 65-Inch TV. The on / off / art display modes are cool and the art looks almost natural. Samsung still needs to do a MUCH better job making the art features more accessible to iOS users (big miss here) but still a great available TV for those who love both the culture and entertainment performance. And hey, maybe a chance to display those cool NFTs above?
22. Whoop, There it is Fitness, Health, and Sleep Tracker: As a regular watch wearer it has been really hard to adopt the Apple Watch. The technology is great and I highly recommend for anyone who doesn’t wear watches (I have owned owned in the past). After much research and testimonial, I am buying the Whoop 4.0. I was also closely comparing to the Oura Ring which is another great choice and this beat it out for the combination of fitness and sleep I was looking for + something I could wear on my second wrist daily.
23. Adult Recovery from a Great Massage Gun:
Recovery is not what it used to be. I find this great for beating out lactic acid and promoting healthier and speedier recovery. While Theragun is the expensive standard I really like my cheaper Opove (on Amazon that works well). While a standard lacrosse ball can do a lot, I suggest you dump every massage device that looks like it could have been in a circa 2000s Sharper Image catalog and buy this!
24. Get Your Sretch on (Downward) Dog:
A Peloton bike was very 2020 but still an awesome fitness item. As I continue to age though, yoga has become a more enjoyable part of my exercise routine to support strength training and greater range of motion (I recommend Dennis Morton yoga classes on Peloton). I find that having a good yoga mat has made this way more enjoyable. And while not that portable as yoga mats go, the Lifeforme Yoga Mat is an excellent choice. The three things I love about it: 1) Good cushion on hard surfaces without creating instability (some mats have too much cushion), 2) Good traction to easily hold poses even when I am sweating more than normal, 3) Subtle lines that help on form and alignment checking. Worth the higher price tag and described as a “planet-friendly mat”!
25. A Damn-Good Scented Candle
A scented candle is one of the nicest things to receive / enjoy. And while I love some really awesome candle brands like Dyptique and Nest, they skew on the pricier side (though maybe worth the gift). I certainly prefer warmer, earthier fragrances and one of my favorite candles is the Hudson Valley Candle from BURKELMAN, the scent is phenomenal and the candle is just as long lasting but burns easier on the wallet. A second alternative I really loved is the Apotheke Charcoal scented candle from Red Hook, Brooklyn. Another great choice!
26. Get Back to Traveling Again in Style
Before Covid I was traveling 120K+ Miles per year around the world. And while the Tumi Alpha 3 Continental has been a beautiful and functional standard for professional travel, I love the beauty and character of my Rimowa Original Cabin S. Despite hardshell suitcases being harder to fit clothing in than their soft-shell alternatives (and aluminum even harder), there is a beauty and quality to the Rimowa when traveling making it the best for plane travel 4 days or less. If you value the extra space and convenience, go for the Tumi though (discounts regularly available on Tumi Alpha).
27. A Real Getaway, Full-Service Experience
Recovery and relaxation are not optional. This is my second year in a row visiting Blackberry Farm and it was just as amazing. World class meals, wine, cocktails, and activities in a beautifully manicured property in Tennessee’s Great Smokey Mountains. Quoted price includes lodging and food (activities and alcohol separately). You can get away for as few as two days and conveniently located near Knoxville, TN. For a great itinerary, visit the RT Lodge for a night near Knoxville, TN before making your way out to Walland, TN for Blackberry Farms (and you can visit Blackberry Farm Brewery nearby to the RT Lodge). Sister properties include Blackberry Mountain (also in Walland, TN) and High Hampton Resort in North Carolina. For other luxury getaways (with a gourmand centric ethos) along with some great available restaurants, I really love the broader Relaix & Chateaux guide.
I hope you enjoyed this list. Happy shopping!
