Gift Guides Archives | Spilling Tequila

99+ Gifts for the Home Bartender

Shannon Entin — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 03:56:10 +0000

This post is copyright Shannon Entin and appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

You’ve got 99 problems, but gifts for the home bartender ain’t one! Buying gifts for the cocktail enthusiasts in your life is easier than ever with our extensive gift guide. Whether they have a fully-stocked home bar or they just enjoy mixing up a creative cocktail, your friends and family will appreciate these useful and unique gifts.

We have personal recommendations for bar tools, glasses, straws, ice, mixers, syrups, alcohol, home decor, clothing, subscription boxes, and more – all excellent gift ideas for the home bartender or mixologist on your list.

Cocktail Shaker: The Most Essential Bar Tool

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1. The most basic, and most important, tool needed to make cocktails at home is the cocktail shaker. A cobbler shaker has one shaker, a top with a built-in strainer, and usually a cap that doubles as a jigger to measure your ingredients. It’s an easy, all-in-one solution.

2. Then there’s the Boston shaker, which is two pieces and uses a separate strainer. It’s easier to use a Boston shaker when you need to strain out larger pieces of muddled fruit. With the cobbler, the fruit sometimes blocks the strainer and it’s harder to get all the liquid out. We love this Boston shaker set from A Bar Above, which comes in stainless steel or copper.

3. If you prefer a full bar set, this Premium Copper Bar Set comes with a Boston shaker, 3 strainers, a jigger, a muddler, a bar spoon and garnish picks. It’s beautiful and a fantastic value!

4. This 10-piece Bartender Kit is both stylish and functional. It comes with a bamboo stand that keeps everything in one place – no more digging in your kitchen drawers!

This Classic Cocktail Tool Crate from Man Crates would also make a fantastic gift for the new home bartender! It includes a 5-piece tool set and holder, plus 12 coasters that showcase classic cocktail recipes.

Basic Tools Every Home Bartender Needs

If your giftee is just starting to build their home bar, there are a few tools that will make mixology a lot easier and much more fun.

1. Many drinks call for juice and we always recommend fresh-squeezed over bottled. This manual citrus press makes it easy.

2. A good jigger is also essential. You want one that has easy-to-see lines inside so you can measure 1/4 ounce, 1/2 ounce, and 3/4 ounce. Our favorite is this Barfly Japanese Jigger.

3. A bar spoon is a fantastic gift because it’s something not everyone would buy for themselves. I mean, everyone has spoons in their kitchen, right? You could get by without a bar spoon, but once you have this long-handled tool, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it. We love tools that do double-duty and this bar spoon will stir and work for pour-overs, and the opposite end is a muddler!

4. This wine chiller is a gorgeous white marble and will keep bottles frosty while you entertain.

5. An electric juicer is a bit more work than the hand press, but it will extract more fresh juice from your citrus. We love it for making multiple cocktails, or when juicing larger fruit, like grapefruit or oranges.

6. A beautiful addition to any home bar, this hammered copper ice bucket keeps you from having to run to the freezer over and over again.

7. If you spill a lot (like we do), get these bar towels. They keep you from wasting rolls of paper towels!

Glasses and Ice

Choosing the right glass for your cocktail is important. A glass that’s too big can change the aroma of your drink, cause you to add too much ice, or just make your cocktail look unappealing. Or when you top off a drink with tonic water or ginger beer, the wrong size glass can throw off the whole drink. Any of these beautiful glasses would make a perfect gift.

You’ll definitely need a good set of rocks glasses and these twisted whiskey rocks glasses are beautiful!
Forget those long-stemmed margarita glasses that spill all the time! We love these stemless margarita glasses, or try these 16-ounce margarita glasses!
Coupe glasses are perfect for your martinis or whiskey sours.
Copper mugs are essential for your Moscow Mules!
Highball/Collins glasses are great for your mojitos and other mixed drinks over ice.
These pyramid-shaped highball glasses are also really beautiful and unique!
These elegant pink highball glasses are super pretty, come in different colors, and are sure to make your drink taste even better.

1. This nugget ice cube maker is so awesome! It basically makes Sonic or Chick-Fil-A ice in your own kitchen!

2. Clear ice is something every home bartender covets. This Iceology system uses directional freezing to remove impurities and bubbles and make crystal-clear ice. They come in square and round.

3. These United States ice cubes would be a fun party gift!

4. This set of two silicone ice trays makes large, square cubes and ice spheres – which look so cool in your drinks!

Speaking of ice, everyone could use a good cooler!

The REYLEO Ice Chest is a 21 quart, bear-resistant cooler that comes with a built-in bottle opener, cup holders and a fish ruler – perfect for the outdoorsy person on your list.
The GiNT Rolling Cooler has oversized wheels to save your back when your headed to your campsite, built in cup holders, a handle that doubles as a small table, and an interior tray to keep food items dry.
For something on the smaller side, we love this Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze 30-Can Insulated Tote Bag. Chrissy rarely leaves home without hers!
Arctic Zone also has different size coolers to accommodate your every need. The Titan Zipperless Hardbody 16-Can Cooler has high-performance insulation with a radiant heat barrier reflects heat rather than absorbing it, and it’s water- and stain-resistant.
Never struggle to find your beer in the dark with Coghlan’s Inside Cooler Lid Light. This handy little thing mounts inside your cooler lid and will automatically turn on and off when the lid is raised and shut. Great for camping!

Straws and Garnish Picks

Presentation is a big part of making cocktails. These straws and garnish picks will help!

1. Spoon straws! These are fantastic for drinks that need to be stirred and are not strained, like the mojito. We are hoping to find these in our stockings this year.

2 & 3. These reusable gold straws or copper straws come in a 12-pack of both bent and straight, and in two different sizes to accommodate all your different glassware. And they look super elegant.

4. Glass straws are another pretty option. We love that you can see how clean they are!

5. For more whimsical drinks, try these colorful straws. These (and all the other straws we list here) come with a cleaner brush.

Great for adding olives, cherries, pineapple chunks, or any other garnish, there are lots of different picks to choose from.

1. Prodyne has a big selection of fun styles – we love the super cute tropical birds.
2. Every little boy’s favorite… the sword garnish picks.
3. This set of five martini picks caught our eye – octopus, owls and bears, oh my!
4. If your giftee loves the classic look, go for this stainless set garnish pick set.
5. Bamboo picks are great if you’re looking for something less expensive and need a lot.

Gifts of Alcohol, Mixers, Bitters, and Syrups

Cocktail syrups and mixers are used to give cocktails extra flavor and sweetness. And there are some really amazing and delicious options out there. For a great gift idea, put together a gift basket of syrups, bitters, and mixers with a bottle of their favorite alcohol.

Royal Rose Syrup is one of our favorite products. These all-purpose, natural syrups are gluten-free, corn syrup-free, and made with USDA-certified organic ingredients. They are perfect for cocktails (like our Hot Ginger Mule!) and mocktails, but also useful in cooking, baking, desserts, teas, coffees, and seltzer.

Bitters are like the salt and pepper of cocktails. They are used to add a wonderful hint of flavor to any spirit and balance out a cocktail. Agnostura Aromatic and Fee Brothers are two well-known brands, but we recently discovered (and LOVE) Scrappy’s Bitters Essential Gift Set, which includes Orange, Chocolate, Aromatic, and Firewater bitters! We also recommend their New Classics Set with Lavender, Cardamom, Black Lemon, and Orleans bitters. And like syrups, bitters can be used in your kitchen in many other ways – they can even be medicinal.

A few of our other favorite mixers and syrups include:

ROOT Mixers: Made with natural, organic ingredients, ROOT Mixers come in several unique flavors such as hibiscus/elderflower, pear/lemon, grapefruit/cherry and more. Just add your favorite alcohol.
PROOF Old Fashioned Syrup: This syrup is a great gift for Old Fashioned lovers. Made with organic cane sugar and bitters, it makes cocktail mixing effortless. Just add your favorite whiskey and BOOM – perfect Old Fashioned.
Tait Farm Foods Shrubs: A shrub is a fruit-infused vinegar. These syrups add a unique tang that any mixologist will love to experiment with! We love the Ginger shrub!
Q Mixers: A variety pack of Q Mixers will be appreciated by any cocktail enthusiast. We love ALL their products.

A bottle of their favorite alcohol always makes a great gift, but if you want to offer them something new to try, we recommend the following – along with some cocktail recipes you can print out and attach!

NEFT Vodka: Made from water filtered for fifty years and four ancient grains of rye, this vodka comes in an awesome, unbreakable barrel that stays cold for hours. (3 Christmas Vodka Cocktails That Will Impress Your Guests)
Ron Viejo de Caldas Rum: An aged, golden rum from Colombia. (Late September Mai Tai or Apple Basil Mojito)
Espanita Tequila: Smooth and delicious. And packaged in a tall, gorgeous bottle! Makes an impressive-looking gift! (Cherry Chili Margarita)
Sombra Mezcal Tequila: This “smoky” tequila is delicious and it’s a unique spirit your tequila-loving friend may not have ever tried. (Smoky Jalapeno Margarita)
Empress 1908 Gin: A butterfly pea blossom-infused gin that changes color and is really fun to create cocktails with! (Red, White and Blue Gin & Tonic)
Knob Creek Bourbon: This 100 proof bourbon whiskey is perfection to sip neat, and amazing in any cocktail. (New York Sour)
Ocucaje Pisco: A clear to lightly yellow/amber brandy that is made exclusively in Peru from fermented grape juice of specific varieties. It’s a lovely, light, lower-proof spirit. (Pisco Sour)
Limoncello: A traditional Italian liqueur made from lemons. It’s tart and sweet, and almost everyone likes it! (Lemon Coco-Chata)

Unique Gifts for Home Bartenders Who Have Everything

So your home bartender friend has ALLLL the things? Here are some more unique gift ideas for the mixologist:

A smoker will liven up any bartender’s cocktail creating! It’s fun, it’s impressive, and smoking the glass adds a delicious twist to your drinks. Use it on its own or pair it with these Smoking Gun Cup Covers. Bonus – the smoker can also be used to smoke meats and cheeses!

For your friend who loves to create cocktails, the next logical step is creating their own flavor-infused alcohol (like we did with this cayenne pepper-infused tequila)! This Infusing Kit is the perfect gift.

You can’t go wrong with a personalized gift! Check out this variety of engraved glasses, decanters, flasks and more.

The entertainer will love this Party Ice Luge! It takes a little skill to freeze this mold on a perfectly flat surface, but once you get it, you’ll have hours of party fun!

For the beer lover, this stunning copper carbonated growler will keep your beer fresh for weeks … not that you’ll take that long to drink it! 😉

How about a book? These are some of our favorites on the craft of mixing drinks:

Cocktail Codex: A comprehensive primer on the craft of mixing drinks.
Camp Cocktails: Filled with recipes, bartender tips and tricks, and even a whole chapter on foraging and mixing with found ingredients.
The Drunken Botanist Book: A fascinating tour of the biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology of alcohol, with more than fifty drink recipes and growing tips for gardeners
Tequila Mockingbird Book: 65 delicious drink recipes paired with wry commentary on history’s most beloved novels.
The Ultimate Bar Book: An indispensable guide to classic cocktails and new drink recipes. Loaded with essential-to-know topics such as barware, tools, and mixing tips.

Alcohol Gifts and Subscription Boxes

We love Cratejoy subscription boxes. Getting something special in the mail every month makes a gift last beyond the holiday season! But almost all boxes can be purchased as a one-time gift, so don’t let the phrase “subscription” scare you. Most gift boxes from Cratejoy are mom and pop shops – so you are also supporting small businesses.

Home Decor and Bar Accessories

These items are great gifts to help the cocktail enthusiast decorate their home bar and show off their passion for cocktails and bartending.

This 3-Tier Rolling Bar Cart is beautiful, high quality, and perfect if you don’t have a lot of space! Shannon owns this and it has more than enough room for all her tools, glasses, and alcohol. But if you’re looking to splurge on something luxurious, this Rustic 80″ Home Bar from Pottery Barn is gorgeous!!

Looking to update your bar seating? We’re obsessed with these bar stools. With all the different color options they can go from modern to rustic to anywhere in between.

Wall art for the home bar can be hard to find! Shannon has spent hours hunting through the aisles of Home Goods and Hobby Lobby without a lot of luck. Here are some favorites we’ve found online.

We love these bar signs from the The Paper Violet Shoppe on Etsy. Shannon has the three you see above.
For the animal lovers, get this hand-painted bulldog holding a wine glass.
Space fan? Get this astronaut with a beer on the moon.
Cats and wine make you happy, but humans make your head hurt? This is the bar art for you!
Or how about this funny, modern, frog on the toilet?
These rustic light up BAR marquee letters are perfect for your home bar or the man cave.
What’s a bar without a dartboard? This one comes in a few different versions so you can perfectly match your style.
We’ve seen plenty of cork holders, tons of bottle cap catchers… but finally there’s one for all of us! This Wine Cork & Beer Cap Holder Shadow Box has a space for both.

This whiskey decanter globe set is beautiful and would make a wonderful gift for someone who loves to travel the world.

Let’s talk coasters. We can’t have drink rings ruining our counters and bars.

Want to keep it simple? Go with this set of 16 cork coasters or these black silicone coasters. Both come with their own holder.
Looking to add a little humor? Try these wine themed ceramic and cork coasters or these absorbent stone coasters.
Have you heard of “Thirstystone” coasters? These are coasters made of sandstone that absorb the condensation from your glass – so the coaster isn’t covered in water! Brilliant!
Or keep it classy with these leather or marble sets.

For the one-the-go cocktail lover (or when you want to hide your wine at your kids’ sporting events – not that we’ve ever done that!), an insulated tumbler is essential.

YETI Rambler 10 oz. Lowball: Vacuum insulated, stainless steel, comes in tons of colors.
BrüMate Hopsulator TRíO 3-in-1: Insulated can cooler that works with 12 or 16 oz cans and can be used as a pint glass.
Stanley Insulated Growler: Keeps beer cold and carbonated.
BrüMate Uncork’d 14oz Wine Glass Tumbler: Stainless steel wine glass tumbler with splash-proof lid that comes in so many pretty, glittery colors!

Clothing for Home Bartenders

And finally, no gift guide would be complete without some fun clothing!

Bartender Apron – with pockets for all your tools and your phone!
Chrissy loves this Santa Hat Wine Glass long-sleeve pullover.
Brewdolph Ugly Christmas Sweatshirt for the beer lover.
Aint No Laws When You’re Drinking With Claus Sweatshirt.
Another “ugly” Christmas sweatshirt. Sing it with us: “Jingle Bells, Zinfandel, Pass The Cabernet!”
Santa’s Favorite Bartender Men’s/Women’s T-shirt
Whiskey Made Me Do It Men’s T-shirt.
Sunshine and Whiskey Women’s T-shirt.
Drinks Well With Others Women’s T-shirt.
Beer Makes Me Hoppy Men’s T-shirt.

And that’s it – 99+ gifts for the home bartender on your list! Cheers and Happy Holidays to all!

For more recommendations, be sure to check out our other gift guides below:

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The Camping Cocktailer’s Survival Essentials

Naomi Kuhlken — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 17:52:34 +0000

This post is copyright Naomi Kuhlken and appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

A quality camping cocktail set might not be your first thought when packing for a camping trip, but an excellent travel cocktail kit will help you kick things up a notch above the traditional beer. Check out these essential tools for your next camping adventure.

Who loves camping?! I have to admit, it took a bit of convincing for me to give camping a try a few years ago, but as soon as I got that tent set up and a beer in my hand I was all in. There is definitely something special about time spent outdoors without all of our “stuff”, sleeping with the sounds of nature all around us, and taking time to just CHILL.

The temperatures are cooling and it’s the perfect time for some weekend camping trips. As I mentioned earlier, that beer definitely helped me ease into my camping experience, and so while planning for our next trip I thought I’d find some fun beer and cocktail camping gear and tools.

This post contains affiliate links to products and services we recommend. We may make a commission, and there is no cost to you.

Check out these great coolers, tools and containers to help make your camping experience one you’ll never forget.

Camping Coolers for Ice-Cold Cocktails

I found coolers in two different sizes depending on your needs, and both will keep your ice for at least three days!

1. The REYLEO Ice Chest is a 21 quart, bear resistant cooler that comes with a built in bottle opener, cup holders and a fish ruler. (It does come in a larger size as well!)

2. The GiNT Rolling Cooler has oversized wheels to save your back when your headed to your campsite, built in cup holders, a handle that doubles as a small table, and an interior tray to keep food items dry.

3. As a bonus, I found a great little light for the inside of your cooler! You’ll never struggle to find your beer in the dark with Coghlan’s Inside Cooler Lid Light. This handy little thing mounts inside your cooler lid and will automatically turn on and off when the lid is raised and shut. This definitely needs to be part of any camping cocktail set!

Essential Travel Cocktail Kit

You can’t really make a proper cocktail without some essential tools, so here are some that are perfect for taking on the road.

4. The Stanley Adventure Happy Hour 2X System is a 30-ounce cocktail shaker, two stainless steel cups, a citrus reamer, and jigger cap rolled into one. And even better, the cups are double walled stainless so your drinks won’t sweat everywhere!

5. Filled with recipes, bartender tips and tricks, and even a whole chapter on foraging and mixing with found ingredients, the Camp Cocktails book will give you great ideas for drinks to pair with your amazing outdoor experience.

6. For something completely different, I can’t wait to try this Campfire Beer Caramelizer! You heat it in the fire, dip it in your drink and it reacts with the sugars in the beverage, creating a richer and smoother taste.

7. And one of my favorite finds, the Travel Bartender Kit has everything you need to make the perfect cocktail, just bring your booze! This stylish, canvas roll-up bag will keep all the included tools organized, and comes in silver or copper.

Camping Cocktail Sets to Keep Your Drinks Cold and Contained

Would be a shame to make all those great cocktails and not have something durable and portable to drink them out of. So here are a couple great options for mixed drinks, wine and beer.

8. The Blingco 12 Oz Stainless Steel Stemless Wine Tumblers are double-walled, vacuum-insulated, and come with lids and straws. They’ll keep your drinks warm or cold and keep you from spilling them to boot!

9. The Stanley Classic Growler Gift Set comes with a 64-ounce, vacuum-insulated growler body and four 12-ounce stainless tumblers. The growler will keep your beer (or pitcher of margaritas!) cold for 24 hours, and the tumblers come with different colored neoprene sleeves to keep drinks cold and help you know which one is yours!

I hope this guide gives you some great ideas to create your own camping cocktail set and make your next camping trip a delicious one. Cheers!

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20 Outdoor Drinking Accessories to Perfect Your Summer Party

Naomi Kuhlken — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 11:55:33 +0000

This post is copyright Naomi Kuhlken and appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

The weather is heating up and it’s getting to be time for some summer parties! I LOVE hosting during the summer. Drinks, grilling, games and good company, what’s not to love?!

But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I had a better cooler, somewhere to put my drink, or an alternative to disposable cups! So I’ve done the research, checked all the ratings and put together a guide to the 20 best outdoor drink accessories you didn’t know you needed.

This post contains affiliate links to products and services we recommend. We may make a commission, and there is no cost to you.

Whether it’s a backyard bash, a pool party or a meetup at the lake/beach we’ve got you covered!

Take the stress out of serving drinks in pretty glassware with these BPA-free plastic options! No waste from ugly disposable cups and no worry about broken glass. And your drinks will still look fabulous!

When you’re mixing up cocktails for your guests, you don’t want to have a mess of tools everywhere. You want your garnishes cold and you want your large batch drinks to look beautiful! There’s also an option for a double drink dispenser – take a look!

I don’t know about you but I could find a use for all three of these icoolers. I love the cocktail table one – dual purpose! The grey one would look gorgeous on my deck, and has space underneath for supplies. And goodness knows we could all use the wagon one with 10” wheels to make getting those cold drinks to the park or beach a breeze.

So when you’re playing a game in the yard where do you put your drink? I can’t wait to use these stakes next time we’re playing corn hole. I do much better without a beverage throwing off my balance! The Cuisinart sticks hold a beer or cup and Mind Reader has a set specially made for wine glasses and the bottle! And those little plastic beverage holders will keep your drinks from getting all sandy at the beach!

If you really want to up your drink holding game when you play corn hole, you’ve got to check out this ScoreCaddy! Keep track of your score and your drinks in one spot. And both Yard Pong and Bottle Bash sound like fun for the whole family!

For those of you spending your summers at the pool or lake, now you can keep your drink with you! An inflatable cooler with cup holders, a floating beer pong table that doubles as a lounger, super fun, floating drink holders that come in all different versions, and even floating wine glasses! Check them out!

I hope this shopping guide helps you throw the best summer shin-dig ever. We’d love to see how you’re using them to liven up your party. Post your pics and tag @spillingtequila on Instagram or Facebook! Cheers!

The post 20 Outdoor Drinking Accessories to Perfect Your Summer Party appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

11 Boozy Gifts for Dads Who Like to Drink

Chrissy Tomlinson — Mon, 18 May 2020 22:20:19 +0000

This post is copyright Chrissy Tomlinson and appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

Need a gift for a dad that likes to drink? We’ve got you covered with these great gifts for Father’s Day, birthdays, or any time!

There are so many different kinds of dads we know and love. Some dads like bourbon, some like beer. My dad likes wine. No matter what your dad likes to pour in his cup on fathers day, let’s celebrate him!

This post contains affiliate links to products and services we recommend. We may make a commission, and there is no cost to you.

These T-shirts are the perfect gifts for the dad who wants to up his T-shirt game and earn best dressed honors at corn hole.

These tumblers are great for the dad who enjoys an icy cold beverage with every sip. The Yeti Rambler is the perfect size for a whiskey, a vodka soda, or even a glass of wine. The Brumate will fit 12 oz and 16 oz cans straight out of the cooler! And the Stanley growler is perfect for filling up at your local brewery to enjoy at home or on a weekend camping trip.

4. YETI RAMBLER 10 oz. LOWBALL

5. BRüMATE HOPSULATOR TRíO 3-in-1

6. STANLEY INSULATED GROWLER

If the dad in your life loves making cocktails at home, check out these extras for their home bar. Dad will be able to smoke an Old Fashioned to perfection with this smoker gun. Or he can use this elegant decanter to pour a drink for a friend like they do in the movies. This was one is seen being used by Tony Stark in one of the Marvel Movies!

7. BREVILLE DRINK SMOKER

8. WHISKEY DECANTER AND GLASS SET

Is your dad a James Bond fan? These gifts are for the dad who wishes he was a secret agent. The StowCo Cooler Bag lets him stylishly keep his drinks cold at the picnic without carrying a huge bulky cooler. And the whiskey bullets will keep his bourbon cold but not watered down. They’re sure to be a conversation starter!

9. StowCo COOLER BAG

10. BULLET WHISKEY STONES

This gorgeous bar set is perfect for the dad who likes to show off his drink crafting skills in style! It’s a little “Game of Thrones-esque” don’t you think?

11. BARTENDER COCKTAIL SHAKER SET by SkyFish

Pair any of these items with dad’s favorite spirit or beverage, and you’ve got a wonderful gift for the dad who likes to drink.

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