Pandora Martini

This evening I had the pleasant duty of dropping by Max's Tavern for a martini. As a freelance writer, I can do most of my work from home. When I do have to leave the house, it's surprisingly often for something like a dinner party, a couple of nights at the beach, or--in this case--a happy hour. (Thank you, Miss King, Mrs. Morrill, Mr. Black, for teaching me how to write!)

The occasion was the kickoff of an interesting fundraiser from the fertile brain of Andrea Luppi, director of community relations at the YMCA. From tonight until December 31, $250 will get you a Pandora martini at Max's. A Pandora martini is Stoli Elite vodka, Chambord, grapefruit juice and a sprig of mint, garnished with a lemon twist and a sterling silver Pandora bracelet. The bracelet's strung with five charms: a letter "Y," a wrapped present, a heart, and two colored Murano glass beads. $100 of the gift is a tax-deductible contribution to the Springfield YMCA.

This one's a no-brainer, as far as I'm concerned. Lots of men are going to buy jewelry for women during the holiday season anyway. This is for a good cause, plus it's beautiful. The lady can sport what is probably the hottest jewelry fashion these days, and everyone will know that she--or the donor anyway--has a good heart. Then she can start collecting charms, customizing the bracelet however she wants. Birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversaries become a snap; just buy her a new charm to add to her bracelet.

That bracelet on the left stuffed with charms is $770 worth of Pandora jewelry from Hannoush. Bracelets and charms come in gold as well, some gem-encrusted, so it's possible to spend waay more than that. Right now there are about 300 different charms, with new designs being added all the time.

Pandora is a Dutch company. Everything in their line is designed in Copenhagen. It's been around for awhile in Europe, but only available here for the last three years or so. The charms are unique in that they're threaded on the bracelet, rather than dangling from it by a little soldered link.

Tonight was the kickoff, but nobody was expecting actually to sell any jewelry. Andrea and CEO James Morton were tickled pink when six were sold on the spot. Let's see how it goes as the shopping season gets more frantic. Max's only has to give away a few martinis. Hannoush gives a slight cut on the bracelets, but draws all the repeat business. The Y gets money to serve the underserved. Women get beautiful jewelry, and the givers get heartfelt thanks. It's a win-win-win-win-win situation.