Holiday Spirit: The Gift of Booze

With Christmas just days away, you still might be scrambling to find a friend or family member a great gift for the holiday. Traditionally, gifting is something that is personal – a sign of your familiarity and relationship to that particular individual. But know, without fail, if that person(s) is a ales or spirit enthusiast – booze will always and forever remain a spectacular present. Listed below is the Greenpoint Gazette’s guide to finding that great gift for your beloved drink devotee.

A bottle with a bow
Giving a bottle as a gift is, and shall remain, the gift that keeps on giving (until the last drop). This gift is perfect for any occasion – be it a personal gift to a friend or family member or to the host of the holiday party you might attend. With the power to incite inebriated holiday cheer and the ability holiday cheer, I’d bet my money that the receiver of the present might gift you with a nip too.

Bar supplies and demand
Perchance the person that you are trying to give a gift to already has a variety and collection of spirits in their possession, improve their household watering hole by gifting them the tools needed to craft a cocktail – in their pajamas. Listed here are several tools that any burgeoning barkeep would want to acquire.

Shakers & Strainers
While there are several different types of shakers and strainers I would recommend purchasing a full-metal Boston Shaker and a hawthorne strainer, both of which would seem very familiar to the eye.

Jiggers
There a lot of drinks that call for varying ingredients and measurements. While I am sure you you could get away with giving your friend the 1oz/2oz jigger, why not get them the complete set which offers the cocktail conjurer ½, ¾ and 1.5 oz options.

Blocked ice trays
Whether it be for adding into the shaker or a drink on the rocks, a 1×1 inch ice cube tray would make for a perfect gift.

Cocktail cookbooks
If you are unsure what the individuals spirit of preference is, another good gift is literature on cocktails and classic cocktail cookbooks. For the purpose of this article, I would recommend a personal favorite of mine that is titled Imbibe! by David Wondrich which is a comprehensive collection of cocktails, new and old, along with a history of ‘Professor’ Jerry Thomas who was a patriarch to modern day cocktails and conjuring of spirits. With verbatim recipes from Jerry Thomas, most of the cocktails also include a brief history of the drink and updated instructions on how to build and serve the drink (as some ingredients from 1880 are no longer in existence).

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