Whether you are shopping for a cocktail enthusiast, a whiskey buff, or someone who enjoys a good bottle of wine, here are ideas to step up your gift giving. Raise a glass to these nine gifts to celebrate the season.
The Wine Game
This one is for wine lovers, both connoisseur and beginner. Packaged to look like a wine crate, The Wine Game includes two decks of cards — one red and one white — adorned with stunning drawings by French artist Cassandre Montoriol. The cards cover all major wine-producing regions of the world, plus a few unexpected locales. Through play, wine novices will soon be able to distinguish Bordeaux from Burgundy and Chardonnay from Chenin. Bundle the box with your favorite bottle for a little more celebration.
$24.99. laurenceking.com.
Angela Hansberger
Angela Hansberger
Laws Whiskey House sampler
Can’t decide on a bottle to gift? Different grains create different flavors and therefore different whiskeys when distilled. Laws Whiskey House uses heirloom varieties grown only in Colorado for a sense of terroir. They recently expanded distribution to Georgia with their straight bourbon, straight rye, straight wheat whiskey and straight malt whiskey. You can get a taste of all four and their distinct grains — corn, rye, wheat and barley — in a neatly packaged cube of four 100-milliliter bottles. Gift a tasting or slip the bottles into stockings.
$35. lawswhiskeyhouse.com.
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Draft Top tool
Have a friend who likes lemon in their Diet Coke or lime in their beer? Say cheers to this innovative contraption. This nifty, pocket-sized tool turns cans into cups and it’s super easy. Open the tool, insert it onto a can and twist. It cuts the top off an aluminum can with smooth edges you can drink from. Gift it with a friend’s favorite canned beverage and perhaps flowers. Their garnished favorite beverage vessel can then become a vase.
$24.99. drafttop.com.
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Scotch Dram Monster enamel pin
For the mixology enthusiast, bartending lifestyle brand Cocktail Critters offers some accessory whimsy. Scotch lovers will dig the Scotch Dram Monster featuring a Nessie-like sea creature swimming in a Glencairn glass. All original artwork on enamel pins, apparel and masks is by founder Mitchell “Kai” Lum. Bonus: 20% of proceeds are used to produce and distribute masks. The company has already donated more than 5,000 masks to restaurants and bars around the world.
$11.99. cocktailcritters.com.
MICHAEL PERSICO
MICHAEL PERSICO
Abasolo Ancestral Corn Whisky
Here’s a standout for the whiskey aficionado on your list. Abasolo is the first distillery dedicated entirely to Mexican whisky made from ancestral corn. An homage to Mexico, the golden-hued spirit is created using a 4,000-year-old technique called nixtamalization —the same process to produce the flour used to make tortillas. The liquid is distilled twice in copper pot stills. The result is rich and smooth, with flavors of roasted grain, honey, almond and woody notes that come from large kernels of the prized indigenous cacahuazintle corn cultivated over generations by local farmers.
$40 for a 750-milliliter bottle. abasolowhisky.com.
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Cork Pops bottle opener
Get to the good stuff quick and easy. Cork Pops openers include an inert propellant cartridge that opens 60-80 bottles of wine. Pierce the cork with the Cork Pops needle, press your thumb down on the top of the cartridge and gently lift while the cork pops out. No pulling or twisting is necessary and no more broken corks. They come in an assortment of colors and will easily slip into a stocking. Pair it with a bottle from a local wine shop.
$24. corkpops.com.
BRINSON RENDA
BRINSON RENDA
Coconut Cartel on the Run Drink Kit
What looks like a tin of breath mints actually opens to the cutest little bar kit. Cartel Old-Fashioned includes everything needed to make six premium Old-Fashioned cocktails, with cane sugar cubes, three types of bitters, a muddler spoon, cocktail picks and even a linen coaster for proper placement of a drink on the go. All that is needed is the booze (this one suggests rum). When you finish the first six cocktails, it would be easy to restock this tin to keep handy for future drinks on the go.
$17.99. shopcoconutcartel.com.
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Craftstirs Cocktail Mixes
A little pack of powdered potion makes a quick and easy cocktail at home or on the go. Anyone can make a tasty cocktail with just a quick mix of Craftstirs and a spirit. Boxes come in packs of eight sachets, each 50-calorie packet making one cocktail. Their tiny size fits in a pocket or purse, and they make for perfect stocking stuffers. Their three flavors are also transportive to more tropical temperatures — Melon Cooler, Pomegranate Mojito, Tropical Margarita.
$9.99 for an eight-pack or $24.99 for Trifecta Party Pack. Craftstirs.com.
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Island Bamboo Barware
Crafted with Pakkawood, Island Bamboo tools are both eye-catchingly colorful and durable. The exotic wood is made by melding layers of premium hardwood while infusing color. The result is quite dense, water-resistant wood that withstands the test of time and the process of making holiday drinks. Order a variety of colors from natural to peacock, to rainbow from fine grocery retailers or online. Perfect for the friend who sets their sight on sustainability, sets come in their own wrapping of canvas bags.
$15.99 for muddler; $38 barware set. Islandbamboo.com.
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