Gift Guide - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Gift Guide

Our editors’ favorite gift ideas for your wine-and-spirits-loving friends.


photo by Nick Mrozowski

Back Row from left to right: The Awaiting Table Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva Italiano, The Maison Premiere Almanac, Gold-Plated Essential Cocktail Set, Fly with Wine VinXplorer Wine and Beverage Backpack
Front Row from left to right: Diaspora Spices, Big Night fusilli candle, Le Creuset Metal Foil Cutter, Raaka Bourbon Cask Aged, Kasama Gin & Juniper, Ritual Bourbon Barrel Aged and Askinosie Chocolate Covered Whiskey-Soaked Cocoa Nibs

Olive Oil Masterclass
Puglian Chef Silvestro Silvestori is producing varietal olive oils: Peranzana (fruity and robust, for vegetables), Coratina (bitter and smoky, for steaks) and Favolosa (delicate, for fish). Each can includes instructions and video links that turn this gift into a masterclass on olive oil pairings. —Stephanie Johnson
The Awaiting Table Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva Italiano; $307 for 6 at awaitingtable.com

Cocktails & Oysters & Absinthe
This beautiful coffee table book pays homage to the oyster and cocktail bar, Maison Premiere, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Joshua Boissy, Krystof Zizka, Jordan Mackay and William Elliott direct you on everything from picking the perfect oyster knife to creating savory absinthe cocktails. —Alissa Bica
The Maison Premiere Almanac; $40 at shop.maisonpremiere.com

Wine on the Go
This backpack comes with two reusable pouches to hold your favorite beverages, easily accessed from a nozzle upfront. It also features a removable two bottle carrier and a separate compartment for storing a laptop—everything you need for a casual picnic or an on-the-go business dinner. —Alissa Bica
Fly with Wine VinXplorer Wine and Beverage Backpack; $199.99 at flywithwine.com

The Gold Rush
Glam up your bar with this complete set containing a jigger, strainer, mixing glass, bar spoon and weighted shaking tins—everything you need to create a delectable cocktail. —Alissa Bica
Gold-Plated Essential Cocktail Set; $164 at cocktailkingdom.com

Cocoa Buzz
‘Tis the season for whiskey and chocolate aficionados. Serve up Raka Bourbon Cask Aged, Ritual Bourbon Barrel Aged and Askinosie Chocolate Covered Whiskey-Soaked Cocoa Nibs. Looking for something more floral? Kasama makes a Wallflower Gin & Juniper chocolate. —Alissa Bica
$7-$18 at ritualchocolate.com; raakachocolate.com; askinosie.com; kasamachocolate.com

Hot Blade
Throw away those plastic foil cutters that are always missing a blade or two. Le Creuset’s polished black nickel foil cutter feels solid and weighty, and cuts foil like a hot knife through butter. It’s a great stocking stuffer for wine lovers. —Stephanie Johnson
Le Creuset Metal Foil Cutter; $34 at lecreuset.com

Dinner Aglow
Candles posing as pasta will keep the mood light at your holiday meal. Big Night, a New York shop “for dinner, parties, and dinner parties,” offers fusilli and farfalle candles with a 30-minute “al dente” burn time. —Nick Mrozowski
Big Night; $25 at bignightbk.com

Xmas Spice
Mumbai native Sana Javeri Kadri sources regeneratively grown Southeast Asian spices, paying prices that exceed fair trade by four. As for the flavors, they are, in a word, explosive. —Patrick J. Comiskey
Diaspora Spice Co.; spices starting at $8; diasporaco.com


This story appears in the print issue of Fall 2023.
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