This 2024 holiday season gift guide is for those who love to drink (and make) excellent cocktails. While going out to one’s favorite bar is fun, sometimes staying in and showing off mixology mastering is even more fun and rewarding. If you immediately thought of someone who fits the description and you have not figured out what to gift them this holiday season, read on. There is something for everyone who loves to mix and sip delicious cocktails at a variety of price points below.
How did we create this list? Well, we are professional bartenders after all, so we have tested A LOT of bartending tools, ingredients and supplies. Some are great, some are “meh” and some just did not impress us. This list was inspired by the items we love and think other cocktail enthusiasts will love as well! We do earn a (very) small commission for any purchases resulting from clicking on the links below. We appreciate your support as it helps our small business a lot.
Happy shopping!
Cocktail Gifts Under $20
Craft Mix Cocktail Mixers
Price: $14.99
Why We Love Them:
These ready-to-make cocktail mixers pass the taste test! They make great stocking stuffers and require MINIMAL effort to whip up a great cocktail (or mocktail). You can grab individually-sized mixer packets that are perfect grab and go options when you don’t have time to whip out a bartending kit and build a cocktail the traditional way. There are so many cocktail types to choose from, so you cannot go wrong. My favorite is “Strawberry Mule”
At Home Bartender Book
Price: $11.27+
Why We Love It:
Ask any bartender what book they bought when they started bartending (okay maybe I am dating myself here?). When I started bartending, decades ago, I had the little black book of bartending – which came in handy many times when I was behind the bar. For cocktail enthusiasts, part of the fun is learning new cocktails and making them for friends! Learn how to dry shake egg whites (yes eggwhites!), how to make simple syrup, how to make the classic Old Fashioned, etc. Plus, this book caters to “at home” bartenders and relies on minimal ingredients. It is available in a variety of formats, from Audible to a hardcover version. What’s not to love?
Sphere and Square Ice Cube Trays
Price: $15+
Why We Love Them:
Cocktail enthusiasts who pride themselves on making great drinks will love the ability to make fancy ice at home for that old fashioned or rocks drink. Why? It’s the way the professionals serve them! And it adds that refined flare at home that you would get in a fancy cocktail bar. Coming in at under $20, these cocktail ice trays are a must for those who love bourbon, old fashioned cocktails and spirits on the rocks.
Blue Henry Dehydrated Oranges
Price: $14.95
Why We Love Them:
Dehydrated oranges, lemons, limes and fruits make a cocktail look professionally-made. There is just something gorgeous about a cocktail with the right garnish. Now here’s the best part. Blue Henry is located in Maryland (where we are headquartered) and we discovered them a few years ago when looking for garnishes for our seasonal cocktail kits. The company’s dehydrated garnishes are all natural with NO additives. Personally, I love that and the high quality of Blue Henry’s entire line. The owner is a gem, and you’ll be supporting a small business when purchasing their products (which is pretty cool!). They have an entire line of garnishes, so be sure to check them out!
Mixology Gifts Under $50
At Home Bartending Kit
Price: $34.99
Why We Love It:
Every cocktail enthusiast needs a GREAT bartending kit. From the cocktail spoon to the muddler and the shaker to the jigger – great tools make great drinks. There are a ton of bartending kits for sale online, but this one is a favorite for our team. Our bartenders are required to have their own bartending kits, and this is our go to. The quality of this kit for the price point is fantastic. Personally, I love the shaker. It has a great seal when shaking drinks, which is important!
Whiskey and Old Fashioned Glass Set
Price: $27+
Why We Love This Set:
Cocktails taste better when they are paired with their ideal glass. Sours go in coup glasses, mixed drinks in Collins glasses and Old Fashioned’s belong in a beautiful rocks glass. This set of 4 looks elegant (especially when paired with the sphere/square ice cubes we recommended above). We have this exact set and use them often in our styled shoots because the glasses are beautiful.
Woodford Reserve Bitters Kit
Price: $25+
Why We Love It:
In our humble opinion, having assorted bitters are a staple ingredient at any home bar. Of course bitters are a must-use to make a classic old fashioned, but there are so many wonderful cocktails where bitters are necessary. Aperol Spritz? Need bitters. Manhattan? Uses bitters! Negroni? Yes, uses bitters. You get the point. The word “bartender” and “bitters” go together like peanut butter and jelly!
DIY Cocktail Gifts Under $100
DO YOUR GIN l DIY Gin-Making Infusion Kit | Cocktail Kit
Price: $59.90
Why We Love It:
I once got this as a gift for someone and THEY LOVED IT. What could be more fun that literally making your own gin? This kit is highly rated due to the high quality inclusions and ease of use. Any gin-enthusiast will enjoy learning about the gin-making process – after all, they can quite literally taste the fruits of their labor!
Premium Cocktail Smoker Set
Price: $99.99
Why We Love It:
Any cocktail aficionado wants a great cocktail smoker as part of their home bar collection. The presentation is impressive, it looks cool and it tastes incredible. Smoked Old Fashioned anyone? My recommendation is not to go cheap when buying a smoker set. You want a premium set that has high quality ingredients (like this one which features a solid oak smoker top. This kit is super easy to use and comes with a variety of smoking chips (apple, cherry, pecan and oak). This is one of those gifts any bar enthusiast would love to receive!
Barillio Bartender Kit Bag with Cocktail Shaker Set
Price: $97
Why We Love It:
This is the ultimate bartending kit – hands down. Instead of buying everything a la carté, this travel-friendly kit has everything a great mixologist needs in one fashionable bag. What won me over about this kit are the peeler, lemon zest tool, mint julep strainer and citrus squeezer. For those who love making craft cocktails, the aforementioned tools are must-haves. Also, the Boston Shaker is one of the highest quality shakers. Oh heck, I love everything about this kit. It literally is the “everything but the kitchen sink” of bartending kits. Cheers!
We hope this list of BEST HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR COCKTAIL LOVERS AND MIXOLOGY ENTHUSIASTS helps with gift ideas this holiday season. As I mentioned before, we have tried a lot of the mixology gifts listed here ourselves and we chose the ones we thought were worthy of sharing and those that offer great quality and value. We are currently working on a gift list for wine lovers, so stay tuned for all things related to wine. Did we miss anything that you think should be on this list? If so, please drop a comment below so we can check it out. Happy shopping and as always, CHEERS!
– Courtney