Holiday Gift Guide Day 7: Original Rabbit Corkscrew

The Original Rabbit Corkscrew has roots in a trip to Mexico. Photo from Metrokane Web site.

HEAD’S UP: Is it December already? YES, it is. In many parts of the world that means it is holiday gifting season. For many, the very idea presents a little conundrum. They have no idea what to gift, poor things! These are the very souls that the elves at VEVLYN’S PEN endeavor to lend a hand. We’re starting a bit early this year with our humble Holiday Gift Guide, because the spirit hit us and … well … we’re filled with the spirit! From today through 24 Dec., every day or every other day or so – willy-nilly, actually – we will introduce one or a series of products/services, items and brands that we believe would make a smashing holiday gift(s). And (as the old saying goes) … we’re off!!!

BY TAMARA FISH

ASK wine lovers if they need a new corkscrew and undoubtedly they’ll say no. They probably have too many already. And if they do, the last thing they’ll want – so they say – is that stupid little rabbit thingy that people keep talking about.

Anyone who knows anything about wine knows that the waiter’s wingtip corkscrew is the best: compact, lightweight; it travels everywhere, except when a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent swears that the dull ½-inch foil clipper can be wielded as a deadly weapon. Who needs another?

That was the argument I had with my brother as he pulled out The Original Rabbit Corkscrew by Metrokane. He placed it on the bottle, and in one swift, very cool effortless ergonomic motion – less than literally two seconds later – the cork eased out of the bottle. The Rabbit even has the nerve to release the cork automatically. Damn, that’s good. But I’ll never admit publicly that I want one. (http://www.bit.ly/Xmo6VK)

The double-wingtip corkscrew can sometimes be a singular disappointment. Photo courtesy of Martin Walls.

What’s the genius of the Original Rabbit Corkscrew? Basic physics. That, and an eye for good gadgets. While traveling in Mexico, Riki Kane, the founder of Metrokane, did what many folks do: got her fresh-squeezed OJ from a little hole-in-the-wall stand that had a vertical juice press. Slice an orange, pop half of it on, move the lever up-and-over, and bingo! Fresh fruit pressed more thoroughly than any electric juicer on the market.

So enamored was she with the ease of the 180-degree up-and-over lever that RK manufactured the press in North America. Her husband Bob Larimer adapted it to the wine bottle. Instead of pushing down on the orange, the lever was designed to pull up on a cork, and the Original Rabbit Corkscrew was born. It’s available in black, silver and red. It’s also available in pink, a portion of whose sales support breast cancer research.

The Original Rabbit Corkscrew in pink is tied to a very special cause. Photo from Metrokane Web site.

No more tugging or judging when to leverage the single wingtip’s wing, or pressing down with both hands on the dual wingtip wings, or hoping and praying a blasted broken cork won’t break up further into crumbs. None of that any more with the Original Rabbit Corkscrew ($50), which comes with a 10-year warranty.

Just up and over. Cork released. Done.

Visit http://www.bit.ly/Xmo6VK to learn more about the Original Rabbit Corkscrew, including purchase information.