Awesome Cocktails

Instead of going to Iceland to see the Northern Lights only to see nothing, I could’ve just gazed into the iridescent bottle of Crystal Head Aurora, a metalized skull inspired by the Aurora Borealis. The additive-free vodka inside is distilled 5X and filtered 7X, including three passes through layers of Herkimer diamonds.

Los Arango tequila honors Jose Doroteo Arango (AKA Pancho Villa) for defending his people in the Mexican Revolution. Its locally harvested 100% Blue Weber Agave is fired onsite in clay ovens, fermented with a specialty yeast strain, double distilled, then bottled in blown glass and hand-finished with leather, metal, and wood accents.

The full flavor of Grand Old Parr 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky is smooth as David Beckham’s off-field swagger. Fellow soccer star Sebastian Lletget (currently with Major League Soccer FC Dallas, and formerly the LA Galaxy) is an Old Parr fan so they partnered to create the perfect cocktail for soccer watch parties.

This 14-piece bartending set includes all the tools you need to make great cocktails. It includes a stainless steel shaker, a double jigger, two strainers, ice tongs, three pourers, a corkscrew, a muddler, 35 recipe cards, and a mixing spoon, all set into a modern bamboo organizer. Available in five color combinations.

Uncle Nearest crafts an impressive range of whiskeys in the historic tradition of the first Black master distiller, Nearest Green. In 2021, it became the best-selling African American-owned and founded spirit brand in history, and the most-awarded American whiskey or bourbon of 2019, 2020 and 2021, with 500+ awards and accolades.

Candy corn cocktails should not be a thing. Scare away bad spirits this Halloween with a Ghost Margarita made with top-shelf 1800 Tequila and impress 21+ boys and ghouls with smoky flavors and ghostly mixologist magic. It’s our kind of treat, whether it’s 1800 Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, Coconut, or ultra-premium 1800 Cristalino.

James Beard Award-winning mixologist Toby Maloney and the bartenders of Chicago’s The Violet Hour created this 320-page guide to the fundamentals of cocktail making. You’ll learn about balancing ingredients, getting the right textures, aromas, and temperatures, then advance to making your own concoctions.

WhistlePig Whiskey teamed up with Runamok Maple to create this delicious maple syrup aged in whiskey barrels. It’s got a great depth of flavor and edible sparkles to add magic to your cocktails. Mix it with PiggyBack rye and bitters for a lightly sweet Maple Old Fashioned. Sold as a gift set from the WhistlePig shop.

For those of us mourning the loss of the Choco Taco, the Choco Tacotini cocktail will aid the healing process. Cody Goldstein of Brooklyn-based hospitality group Muddling Memories has created a dreamy, sweet ‘n’ salty dessert cocktail featuring Tequila Cazadores, amaro, cold brew, cream, peanuts, and fudge-shell chocolate.

We always appreciate barware that makes us look like we know what we’re doing. Made of lead-free crystal, with a silver-plated finish over a stainless-steel dasher top, Cocktail Kingdom’s bitters bottles add finesse when a drink calls for a dash of bitters, house bitters, or absinthe. Also available with an Engraver’s style typeface.

Puncher’s Chance Bourbon is a knockout, a one-two punch of 5- and 6-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons made from a mash of 75% Corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley. The 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition gold medal winner won a 95-point review from The Tasting Panel. We give it two boxing-gloved thumbs up.

Bring new depth and dimension to your whiskey with this spirit-enhancing gift set. The kit includes various types of oak, herbs, and spices to infuse your whiskey with, along with two bottles for mixing and six stainless steel whiskey stones for ice-free chilling. They also make infusion kits for gin and vodka.

Trailblazing celebrity stylist Jason Rembert is not a minimalist. He fitted Zayn Malik with a robotic arm for a Met Gala, crowned Solange in a crystal halo for SNL, dressed erratic Ezra Miller (yes, the fugitive) in a puffer gown for a film premiere, and mixed up a mean Maximalist Margarita for Grand Marnier.

The mack daddy of summery European cocktails is the refreshing Aperol Spritz, making it de rigueur to stock up on Aperol aperitif, chilled prosecco, and soda. First distilled in 1919 in Northern Italy, the bittersweet orange liqueur gets its pizzazz from a century-old recipe of gentian, rhubarb, cinchona, and other botanicals.

Not every drink needs to knock you on your ass. Author Kat Odell’s cocktail book offers up 50 recipes for festive drinks that taste delicious but are light on the alcohol. They’re perfect for a daytime party, a day at the beach, or just when you want something mellow and not too potent.

Pratt Standard makes delicious cocktails inspired by the classic pre-prohibition-era recipes. This set of three mixers includes 8oz bottles of True Rich Simple Syrup, True Tonic Syrup, and True Grenadine Syrup. Makes a great gift for any cocktail lover.

We love summertime Bourbon Sours and Old Fashioneds, so it’s no surprise that we’re in-Spire-d by the sweet-and-sour Spire cocktail created by Woodward Reserve Bourbon Whiskey. It’s a cinch when made with William Sonoma’s Spire mixer, a blend of tart cranberry and lemon juice, sweetened with simple syrup.

Surf’s up! Bottom’s up! Cocktail Courier dives into summer with a Surf Kit to make it easy to pack beach/lake/pool essentials. Inside are handpicked goodies from SoCal small businesses including YeahBah natural sunscreen, an Urban Beach House towel, margarita mix by Collins & Coupe, and a bottle of 100% agave Volcán Blanco.

Add a splash of Polynesian style to your cocktails with these metal swizzle sticks from Tikiland Trading Co. Each one is cast from an original mini sculpture and includes designs like a rum barrel, a crow’s nest, an anchor, a parrot, or a tribal mask. Sadly, the Jolly Roger skull and swords design is sold out.

This unique bar accessory sits atop your shaker or glass and lets you measure and pour ingredients in one smooth process. Its cone-shaped vessel has markings from .5 oz. to 3 oz., and its fill-and-pour mechanism releases your spirits and mixers into your container when placed on top of it. Includes a matching metal stand.

Until the 19th century, Polish vodka-makers used the technique of “malting” (fire-kilned drying) for rich and distinctive flavors. Over time, that old tradition faded as vodka became more associated with neutrality. Belvedere Heritage 176 applies fire to the rye before distillation, to offer a taste of vodka’s flavorful past.

Wake up and smell this deliciously nutty take on the popular coffee cocktail. The classic hazelnut liqueur, Frangelico, makes all the difference. Sweet, aromatic, and golden, it’s made in Piedmont, Northern Italy, from a guarded recipe of Italian hazelnuts combined with coffee, cocoa, and vanilla distillate and extracts.

This boxed gift set for drink enthusiasts includes eight mini-notebooks, each dedicated to a single spirit: whisky, rum, gin, vodka, tequila, champagne, sherry, and amaro, along with cocktail recipes and room to jot down your own concoctions. Includes 100 total drink ideas.

Cheers to Bols Cocktail Tubes, the fun way to sip ready-to-drink concoctions from tall 200ml cylinders serving 1-2 cocktails each. Gift packs offer four tubes in three varieties – Classic, Martini, and Modern – each featuring a different combo of Negronis, Old Fashioneds, Margaritas, and Martinis. Prosit!

Did you know that “margarita” actually means “daisy” in Spanish? Patron Tequila and St. Germain teamed up with artist and floral visionary, Maurice Harris, to create a bouquet of fresh takes on the classic cocktail. The floral secret ingredient is St. Germain liqueur, made with 1,000 handpicked elderflower blossoms.

Banish basic margaritas the easy way. This kit contains everything needed for 12 delicious servings: agave syrup, cold-pressed crystallized lime juice, spicy margarita salt, a measuring cup, and the smoky star of the show – a bottle of Ilegal Mezcal Joven, double distilled in Oaxaca by fourth-generation mezcaleros.