The Some Like It Hot! Make Your Own Hot Sauce kit is the grown-up gourmand’s chemistry set. The only thing that will blow up is your tongue. | $19.95, sciencekit.com

Goose Island’s limited edition Bourbon County Stout is aged in bourbon barrels, which results in a complex play of flavors like smoky espresso, chocolate, and caramel. Thick, dark, and clocking in at 11 percent alcohol, it’s a beer for the hardcore stout lover in your life. | $19.99 for a four-pack, Sam’s Wines and Spirits (1720 N. Marcey, 800-777-9137) and Binny’s Beverage Depot (213 W. Grand, 312-332-0012; 3000 N. Clark; 773-935-9400)

Made from old fabric or new, Kerry Vitali’s aprons, many of them hand embroidered, are adorably retro and undeniably useful. She’ll also work with you to create a custom design—you can even bring bits of old textiles to incorporate. | $45-$125, 708-610-1626

There’s lots of room to save for a rainy day with this realistic piggy bank. Cast in polyester resin from a real pig, it’s part of industrial designer Harry Allen’s “Reality” series. | $105, Willow, 908 N. Damen, 773-772-0140

Pare Umbrella’s kicky bumbershoots—festooned with colorful graphics like mushrooms, cherries, and bats or trimmed in lace or piping—come from Seattle, where they know how to combat rain. | $45-$85, pareumbrella.com

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