Best Bar and Booze Gifts for a Home Mixologist

I find handheld citrus juicers to be mostly ineffective and murder on my wrists. In short, the juice just ain’t worth the squeeze. Countertop juicers that you put more oomph into yield better results and fewer trips to the physical therapist. I love the look and feel of Verve Culture’s retro model, especially since it catches the seeds and pulp for you.

Patron’s first foray into the super-premium tequila category has been a smooth one. And I mean super smooth. El Cielo (which means “heaven” in Spanish) isn’t cheap, but it is full-bodied, clean and wildly sippable, making it the perfect four-times-aged silver tequila to gift to a serious sipper this season.

The Fluicer is all the rage, at least in my home. This bend-and-squeeze juicer extracts way more juice than a traditional clamshell juicer and costs less than $20. It’s an ideal quick fix for getting the most out of your citrus for cocktails and cooking. 

Any bottle of an Italian Apertivo must be accompanied by proper spritz barware. I don’t make the rules.

A proper home bar setup starts with a study bar cart to house all the fixings. This round, rolling cart fits more glassware and bottles than it may appear, and mirrored shelves give off a fun ’70s vibe.

Good bar tools go a long way in crafting the perfect cocktail. This art deco set of four tools will look good both while in use but also when hanging idly on your giftee’s stylish bar.

It’s rare that a cocktail shaker excited me all that much anymore but the High Camp shaker is special. It’s loosely designed with camping or outdoor drinking in mind since you can either shake and pour or leave it and the shaker transforms into an easy-drinking highball. 

It also looks great available in copper, stainless steel or gunmetal and it all fits together securely and compactly. You can (and should) get it engraved for $25 more. 

Edible flowers are big on social media these days, and that’s because they elevate the look of any food — or drink. For happy hour hosts, spring a bag of Hands on Earth edible flowers on them to inject some spring magic to that next round of cosmos or sidecars.

As the spice of the mixology world, there’s probably no more fun ingredient for a home bartender to experiment with than bitters. Fee Brothers makes a five-pack with some unique cocktail bitters like mint and peach in addition to the more traditional recipes. 

One thing a home bartender will always appreciate is good glassware. These Libbey coups are sturdy enough to slide them down the bar but delicate enough to make your Sidecar or Brandy Alexander really pop. 

Good rimming salts can take a cocktail from a 7 to a 10 with a few swirls of the glass. This set includes both spicy and citrus margarita salt and one for Bloody Marys.

These handblown Moroccan glasses come in four color choices and two sizes. The smaller glasses are incredibly versatile and perfect for an old fashioned, margarita or even just some scotch on the rocks. They’re also durable and the inward cone prevents spillage making them great for parties.

Note: Unfortunately, the current batch has sold out, and while you can get your preorder in for the next batch, they won’t be available until February 2023. So don’t plan on having them under the tree for Christmas this year. 

A bottle opener may seem like old hat and not all that giftable. Rosle’s shiny and sturdy stainless steel model would like you to reconsider. Pair this with a nice tall bottle of 4-pack of La Fin Du Monde and you’ve got a very nice gift.

What I like about Shaker Spoon is that not only are all the ingredients (minus the booze) packaged for you to make interesting cocktails, but what is included would be really tricky to find anywhere locally. We’re talking artisan cherry-vanilla bitters, pineapple shrub and a spritz bottle of white sage hydrosol. 

There are recipes for each themed box like Fall for Mezcal or All Eyes on Rye but you can have fun experimenting with the ingredients too. A single box is $59 or $50 if you subscribe. Either way, it’ll lend plenty of cocktail inspiration to the budding bartender on your list.

I know that Halloween is over but these skull ice molds are fun all year round. They are easy to use and work great (you can really see the skull clearly). For a bartender who likes a little kitsch, pair this with a bottle of nice booze to mix with.

A good jam or jelly is my all-time favorite cocktail hack: High-quality fruit preserves, like these infused with booze from Brooklyn Preserves, are fun and underrated mixology ingredients. A little apricot jam in a whiskey old-fashioned or raspberry jalapeño in a margarita will give sweetness and some distinct fruit flavor so you can forgo that laborious squeezing and simple syrup-making.

Pair these jams with a nice bottle of rye or bourbon, and you’ve got a very excellent gift for the budding mixologist on your hands.

Spice things up with this small yet sturdy cast-iron mortar and pestle set. This bar tool will eliminate the need for ground spices, pulverizing whole peppercorns and fennel seeds to ensure fresher flavor and stronger aromatics in your drink. In the process, you’ll also get a fun workout and stress relief. There’s a reason this ancient food processor has withstood the test of time.

The bar ice bucket is a simple concept but one that presents a chance to add flare to your setup. Look no further than this stylish midcentury, orb ice bucket with contrasting copper and stainless steel. 

This is essentially a tequila tasting set disguised as an infusion kit, but it’s a damn nice tequila tasting set. The handblown glasses are just large enough to hold a small margarita or tequila cocktail.

A beautiful solution for the cocktail enthusiast who prefers drinks stirred and not shaken. Wondering why you’d need one of these at all? If you ask an expert, they’ll tell you most cocktails made with brown liquors like bourbon, cognac and aged dark rum should be stirred — not shaken.

I think a nice bar board makes an excellent gift for the home mixologist. All cutting boards are not created equally and if you’re slicing a lot of juicy lemons and limes, you’ll want one with a reservoir to catch the juice. If you’re nimble enough, you can even slant the board and pour it into a shaker.

This Henckel’s board is fairly priced at $16 and comes with two utility knives — one paring, one serrated — for cutting fruit and making delicate garnishes. 

This kit is tres chic and has all the bar essentials (except for the shaker) including a really retro-looking ice bucket. It’s not cheap but the stylish home mixologist on your list will do flips for this collection.

For a pricier pick, this small Boos board is perfect for slicing limes, other citrus or small garnishes. Think of this as the Cadillac of bar boards with an actual drip tray to collect precious citrus juice to reuse for the next margarita. Brilliant, right? Plus, it’s a John Boos so you can rest assured it’s top-quality wood.