The 14 Best Boozy Gifts for Every Type of Drinker

I remember my barware collection post-college — which was a plastic rocks glass and a used Mr. Boston drinks guide. Start the (grown) kids on a better and elevated path to home entertaining with a few necessities from Cocktail Kingdom, starting with this kit that includes a copper-plated bar spoon, jigger, shaking tin and strainer, plus a mixing glass. Pair it with a real cocktail-making tome, and then invite yourself over for drinks. 

In partnership with Mezcal for Life, this line of drinkware is handcrafted from red clay by the women of San Marcos Tlapazola village. Each sports a unique face — no two are alike. Pair it with a mezcal flight tray (and a good mezcal) and the agave fan in your life should be thrilled. 

You could choose a number of maple syrups aged in ex-bourbon barrels here — Runamok and Wood’s are two we frequently utilize (occasionally for pancakes, admittedly mainly for fall cocktails) — but this special release puts the rarefied bourbon front and center, at least in name. Here, sap harvested in spring 2015 from Bissell Maple Farm in Ohio is aged six months in Pappy Van Winkle 15-year barrels. And then use it to make the best Old Fashioned ever.

Usually, we say don’t gift a bottle unless you know what the other person likes. We have one exception to this rule. The experimental nature of Copenhagen’s renowned Noma flourishes with Empirical, a spirits brand that purposely defies categories. Their latest release is inspired by Beethoven’s Symphony #6 (The Pastoral Symphony) and imbued with six highly aromatic leaves — as the distillery notes, the flavor profiles include mandarin, lemon, coffee, black currant, fig leaves, ambrette seeds and vetiver roots. 

Paul Feig certainly made lockdown better with his Instagram cocktails. And now, the director (Bridesmaids, A Simple Favor) brings forth not only an elegant cocktail book (featuring 125 recipes) but also discusses how to throw the parties, what music to play, what glassware you need and more, along with funny insider stories about his Hollywood life. And you can read our interview with Feig, regarding his own line of gin, here.

Some of us are already sick of hearing anything about this suddenly trendy drink/meme, which replaces gin with sparkling wine. But we’re fans of Brooklyn’s St. Agrestis and their bottled Negronis are legit good, so this take — featuring St. Agrestis Inferno Bitter Aperitivo, house-made Torino style vermouth and imported Prosecco from the Veneto — will certainly outlive the viral hype.

Is there a person on your list who’s as into craft beer as they are bourbon? Well then trust us when we tell you they would be psyched to receive a bottle or two of Goose Island’s massively popular Bourbon County Stout. The regular variant is incredibly delicious, but if you can find the coffee-infused one, you’ll want to grab it. And grab one for yourself, too.

The non-alcoholic space can be difficult to navigate — so why not let some experts curate a few of their favorites? These monthly subscription boxes (available in 1, 3, 6 or 12-month increments) include ingredients, tools and instructions.

This female-founded business supports sparkling wines made by women in Champagne, Napa and Sonoma — and the wines all support charitable organizations that make women’s lives better. Available in minis, cans and full bottles.

The sexiest holiday of all (not everyone agrees) deserves a like-minded spirit. This French Gin (from a Brooklyn-based brand) is infused with Figue de Sollies, a variety of fig grown in the south of France, along with white wine and Mediterranean botanicals. The gin is great — the artwork and bottle are spectacularly cheeky, inspired by mid-20th-century fetish photographer/artist John Coutts (who went by the name John Willie).

Good ice improves any drink. Good ice in great shapes makes a conversation piece (and also improves your drink). While you can get any of these unique ice molds individually, we suggest buying the bundle and letting the drinks fan in your life figure out if their cocktail needs an oversized ripple, prism, petal or crystal shape.

After limited-edition collaborations with WhistlePig Rye and Bundaberg Rum, our favorite coffee liqueur has teamed up with Ilegal Mezcal. Here, Mr Black was rested for three months in Ilegal Mezcal’s American Oak barrels; from there, the spirit was fortified with joven mezcal to bring out more of the agave notes.

An ideal winter drink, this kit (featuring a 16 oz bottle of Cardamom syrup, 4 pieces of dehydrated fruit, peppercorns, star anise, a cinnamon stick and a recipe card) allows you or your giftee to make a cardamom mulled wine with the red zinfandel or red blend wine of choice.

The third collaboration between the Islay-based Lagavulin and actor/comedian Nick Offerman is the smokiest one yet — this single malt is matured for at least 11 years in heavily charred former bourbon and red wine barrels and features hints of berries and vanilla (along with the smoke and salinity you’d expect from Lagavulin).