There are a lot of beverage gifts out there. We’ve selected a few to help you learn how to drink better, fresher and smarter.
HOW TO WINE LIKE YOU MEAN IT
You’ve seen the colorful infographics, now read the book—trusted online wine resource WineFolly.com recently released its first comprehensive book to guide the masses toward wine. From the basics of wine tasting to pairing with meals, Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine opens the door to wine lovers of all grapes and styles. Throughout the 240 pages, certified sommelier and award-winning visual designer Madeline Puckette and co-writer Justin Hammack touch on the details and debunk the mysteries of the drink, from identifying quality bottles to purchasing wines for any occasion, plus unique culinary match-ups, wine maps and even profiles of the wines themselves. $25 || winefolly.com
HOW TO BRING THE BREWERY HOME
Gone are the days of basic glass growlers. Enter the uKeg, a pressurized growler system from Portland’s GrowlerWerks that ensures the freshness and chill of the beer it holds, regardless of its location. With double-walled vacuum insulation, an ergonomic handle, a bar-style tap and an unprecedented carbonation system, the uKeg leaves beer enthusiasts certain that the beer in their growler will be fresh from brewery to last pour. Never sacrifice good beer to flatness again. Available in copper-plated or stainless steel options that come in 64-ounce and 128-ounce sizes. Prices vary from $129-179 || growlerwerks.com
HOW TO HONE YOUR CRAFT
Searching for the missing component for your at-home craft cocktail? Don’t get bitter—create your own house-made tinctures to enhance that libation. As the inaugural product from Minnesota-based Easy & Oskey, the Make Your Own Bitters Kit provides DIY-ers the tools to do just that. With five different recipes (orange, cherry vanilla, grapefruit, habañero and “naked” to serve as a blank slate for various flavor needs), the scratch bitters sets include necessary dry ingredients, a Mason jar, funnel, filters, five droppers and the instructions on how to put it all together. All you need is ¼ cup of sugar or honey and 200ml of a 100+ proof spirit. The cocktails combinations are unlimited. $45 each || easyandoskey.com
HOW TO DRINK NOW
Elegant, arresting and intelligent—the chic, boutique Zalto line of drink stemware is the Audrey Hepburn of the drinking glass. Mouth-blown, lead-free and dishwasher-safe, the ultra-thin lipped glasses are the most prepossessing when the same beverage is tasted side-by-side against its competitors—Zalto goes beyond beauty and fully into function. Designed by Austrian glass artists, the contours of the glass are specific to the type of beverage they hold to showcase its “utmost potential,” from everyday utility to wedding toasts and restaurant performance. A majority of the line highlights wine, but Zalto crafts sippers for whiskey, beer and more. Prices vary per style || zaltoglas.at/index_en.php
HOW TO CHILL COMFORTABLY
From our friends at Food52, the online food community and resource, comes their Vintage Shop, a selection of their favorite “hard-to-find” domestic vintage pieces and props from their stunning in-house food styling. Story has it, the Vintage Zinc Bin was found in the small town of Lunel in Southern France and has since been replicated as a rustic, durable storage container. Although its uses are many, the bin comfortably holds several bottles of the drinker’s choice, chilling in ice with vintage French good looks to boot. $100 for medium, $110 for large || food52.com
HOW TO WIN OVER YOUR TAILGATE
Complete your game day with meat—shipped directly to your door and ready in time for kick-off. Portland charcuterie house and restaurant Olympia Provisions puts out the Game Day Grillin’ Pack for meat-lovers with one 12-ounce pack each of bratwurst, frankfurter and kielbasa, and two sticks of their heavily spiced Navarre and Sopressata salami. As a bonus, the pack wraps up with two beer koozies to hug a game day can with Olympia Provision logo love. $50 || olympiaprovisions.com
