Martini Groove

Now that gin is back to being a respectable player on the top shelf of a lot of bars, it was only a matter of time before someone came out with a bottle of the Juniper Love that was just entirely too expensive. Bombay Sapphire got together with fine crystal creator Baccarat, Garrard, the world's oldest jewellery house, and designer Karim Rashid. Each of the five bottles retails for US$200,000 with profits going to charity. Each bottle is topped with a unique jewel-encrusted stopper made with sapphire gems, including a center sapphire. The trademark blue bottle is going to be sold in 5 different airports starting with London Heathrow then moving on to Singapore, New York, Dubai, and Sydney. Profits go to The Smile Train which provides cleft surgery for kids in need. If you have an extra US$200,000 to spend on a bottle, that right there is a worthy cause. Bombay Sapphire

Hey, anyone can start a wine club nowadays, there's plenty of resources for it. But how about having a successful one like SWILL then doing something with the popularity. 12 women from SWILL put their skin where their mouth usually is and created a calendar to sell where all the proceeds go to Living Beyond Breast Cancer . The calendar is the perfect way to donate to a good cause and get some pictures of real women showing some flesh (No nudity, what kind of blog do you think this is?). It also has the convenient ability to help you figure out the date. Women of SWILL Calendar - US$19.99

The outrageously-priced Martini market finally found a way to tug at your heart strings a bit and do something good with the outrageous price. Adobe in Santa Monica offers up a Martini that gives you that glitz and glamor feel and puts its money where its mouth is. For $US300 you get a martini made from Ultra-Premium Coconut Pearl Vodka, a splash of Blue Curacao, and a AAA 12mm Tahitian Black Pearl as a garnish. Not only does the drink sound actually yummy and come with a cool little souvenir, proceeds go Heal the Bay , an organization that is spending its much needed efforts cleaning up the Santa Monica Bay.

Tales of the Cocktail is taking place right now in New Orleans and you can expect there to be plenty of announcements (and blog posts) on drink related items. One of the biggest ones to come out is the launch of a new vodka from Absolut that is being made and sold to benefit the town. Absolut New Orleans is mango flavored with a black pepper kick and is being limited to a run of 35,000 cases. The vodka will sell for US$19 per bottle and is expected to raise abou US$2 Million for 5 New Orleans charities, including one that will buy new instruments for musicians that lost them to Katrina. The money in and of itself is timely as funding for a lot of charities is beginning to dry up. Edit: You can also go to the Absolut site now and vote on which other cities should get their time as a vodka flavor! Limited edition vodka to benefit Gulf Coast rebuilding

I freaking love The Kentucky Derby. I love horse racing in general but always settle down for the Triple Crown and the Derby is my favorite of them all. This year, US$1000 will get you a mint julep using the finest ingredients (mint from Ireland, organic sugar from Australia, ice from the Bavarian Alps, and bourbon from Woodford Reserve .) that is poured in to a gold cup with a silver straw. Last year's didn't have the special cups that are on display this year that showcase each and every winner of The Derby. The Run for the Roses 133 years means that there will be 133 of the editions made. 13 will posted at auction, 109 will be up for sale online (first come, first serve), with only 10 being up for sale at the actual race. All proceeds go to benefiting retired horses and jockeys through Thoroughbred Charities of America . Snagged from Luxist

Bison Brewery in Berkeley, CA is one of the better microbreweries I've been to. The place has a great atmosphere and beer that's unique without having to be only for beer geeks. Recently, Bison joined forces for a special project with three old friends from the early days at Pete's Wicked Ale. It seems that one of the friends, Virginia, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a form of bone cancer that occurs when the plasma cells attack the bone cells. Their is no known cure for the cancer. Reunion Beer is based on one of the founder's early beer recipes and ALL profits go to the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. I emphasize "all" because it's really great to see someone going in 100% to helping a cause they believe in. It's not one of those benefits that gives a "portion of proceeds" to the cause and never really lets you know just how big a portion. These guys are the real deal. The beer can be purchased in California, Wa...