Giving an alcohol themed gift is usually a pretty safe bet. Most people drink at least a moderate amount, so already there’s a common interest there. And gifts are a great way to introduce people to things they might like but otherwise wouldn’t have thought to pick up. Maybe a close friend loves bourbon and they just haven’t known where to start. Maybe they’re amateur mixologists and are looking for the next thing to experiment with. Maybe, and this one is unlikely, they didn’t know it was possible to keep beer cold without a refrigerator and would worship the person that introduces them to coolers. Whatever the need, a gift off this list should more than satisfy the guy that likes to keep a working, professional relationship with beer and spirits.
True Syrups & Garnishes
The cocktail revival is something we can get behind. Taking time to mix and sip complex drinks rather than guzzle mass market beer just feels like a more sensible form of drinking. That’s why we like True. They’re a company devoted to supporting the trend by providing modern chemical based cocktail syrups with natural, high quality ingredients. Right now they offer tonic and grenadine syrups and both have all the versatility of modern equivalents, if not more. There are more products promised, which we welcome, since it’s a way to support a small business while also letting us drink like the sophisticated socialites we like to think we are.
$15
Herb & Lou’s Infused Cubes
Finding ways to shorten the amount of work to make a good cocktail is becoming a high priority for people. When you’re at home, you want to relax with a drink but you don’t want to spend the better part of your night mixing things together, checking ratios, and cutting herbs. Knowing this, Herb & Lou’s Infused Cubes are an attractive prospect, since all the work you have to do for these is take them out of the freezer and pour alcohol over them, which you were probably going to do with regular ice cubes anyway. We linked to the bourbon inspired one, since that’s what we assumed most of you would drink, but there are also vodka and tequila options, so if you’re feeling adventurous, you’re not limited.
$15
The Tonic Trio
We wanted to put all of our premixed cocktail ideas right up front so you know your options. They’re all good and we’re not picking sides here. If anything, we’re saying buy them all and make every drink you can with them. The Tonic Trio gets a bit of a leg up on the other two, since three different kinds come in the same box, but like we said, they’re all great options. The Elderflower Tonic pairs with tequila and dark spirits, the Extra Bitter Tonic matches well with Juniper-forward gins, and the Small Batch Tonic is the all-around performer and should be combined with as many alcohols as possible, just maybe not all at once. They’re also packaged like the mixers you see in old pictures of bars, so mixing with these feels a little more like playing doctor than bartender.
$30
The Flaviar Speakeasy Club
PARTNER One of the easiest ruts to get stuck in is the liquor rut. You find a few spirits or beers that you like and drink those nearly exclusively, without bothering to spend a little extra time in the liquor store to see what else is there. That’s totally understandable. But if you or a friend are looking for new drinks but don’t know where to start, Flaviar wants to help educate you on craft distillers. Every month, their panel of tasting experts compiles and ships a box of 1.5 oz spirit samples curated to your tastes. They send whiskeys, gins, or rums in their tasting boxes, while sometimes including spirits distilled and bottled exclusively for members of their Speakeasy Club. If you like something they’ve sent you, they have an online marketplace set up for members, meaning you don’t have to worry about a bourbon or rum you liked not being available in your area. It’s a great service for people looking to expand their palate or find new cocktails.
$60/quarter
Pelican Elite Cooler
This is the kind of cooler you buy if you need ice ten days after the apocalypse. The Pelican Elite is about as close to a freezer as you can get without electricity. It has two inches of polyurethane insulation in it and a freezer grade gasket running around the top. There are multiple sizes, ranging from 30 to 70 quarts. Every size comes with slots for tying it down, heavy duty locking latches, and a reinforced hasp just in case you’re ever in the mood to tailgate a war zone and need cold hard cash on the go.
$277+
Party Bucket
This is a liner that turns any five-gallon bucket into a cooler. It’s one of the simplest, best ideas anyone’s had for carrying beer. Carrying beer in a bucket was integral to the construction of America and now that we see it again, it’s kind of weird that we ever moved to rectangular coolers. Certain shapes are made for certain ingestibles. Squares are for meat and cheese. Egg shapes are for eggs. Circles are for beer. It’s just the way the world works. And yeah, we see the irony in putting this right after a square cooler entry, but if the Pelican came in cylinder form, we would have put that one there instead.
$55
Stanley Vacuum Stein
Growing up, hot apple cider and hot chocolate were always a big part of the colder seasons but now that we’re older, some things have changed. Well, one thing has changed. Now, kids aren’t allowed to drink the stuff we heat up and carry around. The Stanley Vacuum Stein is a great option for taking to a tailgate or a camp out and making sure you’ve got a steady supply of warmth and comfort. But this isn’t just cold weather stuff. When the seasons start to switch back, the Stein part takes back over and keeps your beer cold for as long as you can keep beer in it.
$35
Teku Glass - Foil Print
Art and alcohol go hand in figurative hand, so it was a logical next step that someone would make wall art of alcohol. The Teku Glass print by Mischief was inspired by how common teku glasses are at craft breweries these days and how a lot of those people drinking at craft breweries also like to hang stuff on their walls and the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The print’s a tasteful way to show you have good taste while also showing you hate bare walls. Put this thing in a dark wood frame and you have the perfect accent piece for your own tastefully appointed home bar.
$14
Gold Skull Bottle Stopper
We have a lot of thoughts about this bottle stopper floating around our heads. It’s approaching that cartoonish view of alcohol, with the X’s or skull and crossbones on the ceramic jugs. It also reminds of us what an ancient pharaoh would use to keep his wine fresh. Or it could be something that a Bond villain uses to gag the hero while he monologues about his evil plan. The gold skull’s really what does it, which is good, because that’s the main feature of the thing. The point is, it has a distinct feel to it, and makes us want to grab a bottle of wine and not finish it.
$30
Skull Bottle Opener
Keeping with the skull motif, we have the Skull Bottle Opener, so you can use one to open and one to close. It might seem a bit morbid, but its inspiration is rooted in the centuries old tradition of Europeans putting skulls in their houses to celebrate life. Considering we use alcohol to celebrate things all the time, the association feels appropriate. It’s also a gift best suited for people who like to open bottles with their teeth. They still can, now they’ll just take less trips to the dentist.
$55
Savino Wine Saving Carafe
Keeping an open bottle of wine fresh can be a hazardous business, especially if your solution to the problem is to drink the whole bottle. But if you’d like to be able to have a glass or two for dinner then keep yourself from a ton of money on a half bottle of vinegar, the Savino Wine Saving Carafe could be something you’re interested in. It’s a stylish looking bottle that creates an environment inside that is designed to preserve wine. It’s also easier to pour, since the point of saving wine isn’t to spill it all over the tablecloth later instead of now. And at 750 mL, it’s plenty big no matter how much of the bottle you have left.
$50
Leather Coaster Set
It’s debatable, but there might not be a more straightforward gift idea than this one on this list. These are coasters made out of leather. We all know how coasters work. You put drinks on them and they don’t ruin your furniture. What you might not know is they come in forms that aren’t “postcards from your aunt’s last trip to wherever but made out of cork and plastic.” They can actually compliment your interior instead of interrupt it. A leather coaster set definitely isn’t going to clash with your aesthetic, especially since these come in four different colors. You know whoever you’re buying for will use these too, so there won’t be any of that post-gift guilt on either side.
$80
Some Like It Hot Botanicals for Cinnamon Whisky
For cinnamon whisky, you have a choice between a half dozen options and whether you like the style or not, six isn’t exactly a plethora of possibilities. But now the idea of making flavored spirits yourself is spreading, first with the rise of infused vodkas and next with DIY cinnamon whisky kits. The manufacturer recommends 90 proof bourbon or rye, so there must be something to stronger alcohols pulling out stronger flavors from the mix, but it’s hardly limited to a single style. If there’s a particular style you like the most, you can take the Some Like It Hot Botanicals and use them to transform your ordinary whisky into something a little more seasonal.
$15
The Pint Canteen
Some people are perfectly happy drinking beer straight from the bottle or can. There’s nothing wrong with that. Hell, we’re those people half the time. But some people would much rather have a solid cup, glass, mug, or, in this case, canteen to sip their libations from. If that’s the case for you or a friend or family member, the Pint Canteen is worth a look. It holds a full 16 oz and can be used like a regular canteen. But if the mood strikes you, you can reverse the top and turn the whole thing into a goblet. We’re talking about beer a lot, but the canteen’s perfect for other liquids too. It is a drink container, after all.
$32
Brew: The Foolproof Guide to Making World-Class Beer at Home
On this site, we talk a lot about what craft beers and breweries are worth your money and what trends or styles you should pay attention to, but better than anyone, you know your own tastes. You know what styles of beer you like the most and what you like about them, so you’re already pretty close to making your own beer, plus you probably know the general method of making beer anyway. With Brew, you’ll be able to fill in the gaps and find out what brewing does to make your favorite styles and with any luck, your new favorite beer can be your own. Hell, with this book is on the market, don’t be surprised if our shop starts selling our own specialty brew within a couple months.
$25
