Gift Ideas for Wine Lovers and Cocktail Enthusiasts

thoughtful gifts for anyone who enjoys a tipple or two

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Have you been racking your brains for the perfect gift for your mom, dad, husband or wife? Shopping for a wine lover or cocktail enthusiast has never been easier. An abundance of clever and useful products on the market will make perfect gifts. Pair them with a bottle of wine or alcohol and you will be remembered as a thoughtful and generous gift giver.

Here are several ideas based on the preferences Dinner Table Doctor and I share. If you are interested in any of these items, simply click on the photo which will link you to Amazon where you can see the price and make a purchase if you like. Your price is not affected by using these links, and your purchase will support my site, so many thanks!

Glassware Makes a Great Gift

Wine and cocktails are best when served in the perfect glass. Dinner Table Doctor and I have a ton of glassware which we have collected through the years, yet we always seem to need a little more. Each type of spirit needs a specific kind of glass, and heaven forbid you drink red wine out of a champagne flute or a glass made for white wine! We have certain glasses we prefer, and we aren’t fans of drinking wine out of plastic cups, unless we have to. Wine out of plastic is better than no wine, after all! Please know that whatever you drink of choice is, it will absolutely taste better in the proper glass. Any of these make terrific gifts, particularly when paired with all the ingredients needed for the intended drink.

A Gift of Memories with Sentimental Glassware

You can buy wine and cocktail glasses that are decorated with the names of almost any college, city, national park, sports team or even personalized with a name or initial. (Sometimes you have to go directly to the website of the specific attraction or college bookstore, etc.) A set of glasses with a nice bottle of alcohol makes a terrific gift. The extra thought and effort will be much appreciated by the recipient.

The Gift of Presentation

Proper presentation is key, and any wine or spirit looks elegant in a serving vessel. Serving any beverage out of a beautiful container will elevate the mood. A wine carafe will make the bar look lovely, and it will decant the wine at the same time. A whiskey decanter just oozes class. Both are great gifts.

Cocktail Bitters Make Fantastic Gifts for Cocktail Lovers

How many times have you decided you wanted to create the perfect cocktail at home only to find you’re missing a key ingredient? So many cocktails call for bitters. There are several brands on the market, and you could even create your own bitters. Store them in vintage bottles and you’ll be most impressive. Any of these would make a thoughtful present for the cocktail lover in your life.

The Gift of the Garnish

No cocktail is complete without the perfect garnish, yet this is another thing DTD and I don’t always have on hand. Cocktails are elevated to another level with one simple garnish, so these make fantastic gifts.

The Gift of Chilled Wine

Do not add ice to your glass of wine! Why would you want to water down a perfectly good wine, unless you’re a child who is permitted to have a glass with the adults during dinner?? Generally speaking, red wine should be served slightly cooler than room temperature (around 65 degrees F) and white wine at around 50 degrees F. It never hurts to look up the exact wine to see what is recommended. If you want to keep a bottle chilled, a marble wine cooler is perfect. Keep it in your fridge and it’s ready when you need it. You can also get wine chiller inserts to quickly cool a bottle, and wine cubes which are like ice but aren’t going to melt in the glass and water down your wine. Be a grownup for heaven’s sake.

A Coravin Wine Preservation System is a Gift for a True Wine Lover

Frequently DTD and I hesitate to open a really good bottle of wine when it’s just the two of us. We may not finish it and we hate to waste good wine, or any wine for that matter. Too often an excellent wine just doesn’t taste the same the next day. If you are anything like my dad or father-in-law, you’re reading this and thinking “wine doesn’t go bad! It tastes great weeks after it’s opened – especially the giant jugs of wine!” While this may be true for some, many wine lovers want to preserve the integrity of the bottle. A Coravin system is designed to pour wine without removing the cork, so the bottle tastes as if it’s just opened, even months or years later.

Drink Markers – Never Lose Your Glass Again!

How often have I been wandering around a party searching for my glass that I set down somewhere? Too many times. I always appreciate glass markers, even though I often forget which one is mine. I usually make DTD take notice because he has a much better memory than I do. There are so many fun wine markers out there to help guests keep track of their glasses. Pair some with a bottle or two of wine and you have a terrific gift for someone who loves to entertain.

The Gift of Wine Appreciation

It’s hard to believe it, but there was a time when DTD and I did not drink wine. While DTD was in the Navy, we met some couples who were very interested in wine, and we all had a collective desire to expand our wine pallets. Thus was born our first wine tasting group. We would do blind tastings of three bottles of the same grape. For example, we would buy a cheap cabernet, a mid-priced cabernet and an expensive cabernet. The test was whether we could identify which was most expensive. We always hoped to favor the cheapest, because we could save money and be happy, but invariably we all could tell the best bottle. The more we did this, the more we learned to appreciate different wines. We shared appetizers and quickly learned what food paired well with what wine. It was a lovely education! Since then, we have done similar wine tasting clubs where we have gathered and sampled specific wines highlighted in tasting videos. Sharing and comparing and discussing wine with friends is a wonderful way to expand your taste and truly enjoy trying new wines. A wine tasting kit or interesting book about wine is a great way to inspire someone who wants to learn more.

Bar Tools Make Useful Gifts

Every home bar needs the right tools. These make lovely and practical gifts. Pair them with some elegant or funny cocktail napkins and a bottle of something yummy and you’re all set.

Breezy Cleanup

Eventually the party’s over. All good things must come to an end, and someone has to do the cleanup. Make the job easier with these useful products. Do cleaning products make good gifts? Only when they’re tucked in a basket with alcohol and other goodies!

Don’t Forget the Non-Drinkers

Many of the above gifts come in handy even when the recipient enjoys virgin cocktails. The holidays in particular can be challenging for those who doesn’t drink alcohol for whatever the reason, so a good host will have plenty of nonalcoholic options available, along with all the fancy glasses and fun fixings to make any refreshment feel special. Read my post Non-alcoholic Drink Options When Entertaining for some ideas on how to make all guests feel welcome and comfortable.

Hopefully you now have some ideas for perfect gifts for the wine lover or cocktail enthusiast in your life. If you missed my post Gift Ideas for a Foodie, check it out here. Please find and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest as well. Comments are always welcome, and subscribers are treasured beyond measure!