Great gifts for wine, cocktail lovers
Happy holiday month!
December is really the holiday month, at least in terms of gift giving. If it isn’t Christmas (Dec. 25), Hanukkah (Dec. 14 through 22) or Kwanzaa (Dec. 26 through January 1), it’s Advent (now through Dec. 24), the 12 days of Christmas (Dec. 25 through Jan. 5), Zartosht No-Diso (the date of Zoroastrian prophet Zoroaster’s death, Dec. 26), as well as the winter solstice (Dec. 21) and Festivus, a secular holiday originally created by Reader’s Digest editor Daniel O’Keefe and then popularized by his son Dan O’Keefe, a writer on “Seinfeld” (Dec. 23). And then, of course, there’s also New Year’s Eve. Happy holidays indeed.
If you don’t have to shop for gifts in December, then I suggest that you aren’t really trying. And in the spirit of any or all of those holidays, what better gift is there than the gift of holiday cheer? To that end, I’ve assembled a few lovely things that any imbiber would be happy to unwrap.
• Cork Pops’ single bottle wine tote, $30
The problem with wine bottle carriers is that they look like wine bottle carriers. While some people might like that, I don’t want to be the person wheeling my wine fridge in the door of my local restaurant. Luckily, Cork Pops in Novato has the solution: a wine tote that looks very much like a designer handbag. It’s certainly more Louis Vuitton than it is Igloo. The bag comes in two styles: faux crocodile/alligator skin in red, black or copper brown, and cork. Both are designed to carry just one bottle, which, when going out to dinner, should be more than enough. And just a sidebar here, the CO2-powered Cork Pops wine opener is still hands down the absolute best wine opener for problem corks. Pair it with the bag, and you just might put the “festive” in Festivus.
For more information or to purchase, go to corkpops.com.
• Williams Sonoma’s double old fashioned whiskey smoker, $39.95
Normally, I’m not big on retail chains and also not big on elaborate, expensive, trendy merchandise. So, imagine my surprise to find a reasonable, functional doohickey at a retail chain. This whiskey smoker is compact, very user-friendly and a fraction of the price of what you can find elsewhere. For those unfamiliar with the concept, almost all old-fashioneds these days are served in a “double” glass, and this device fits right on top. Sure, it’s not a fancy cloche, a cabinet or an elaborate pump, but you know what? It still gives you that smoky taste that you’re looking for. And it doesn’t set you back $200. Plus, it fits easily in a kitchen cabinet, which is much better than somewhere in the garage like last year’s gift.
For more information or to purchase, go to williams-sonoma.com.
• Hanson of Sonoma’s Hanson Double Barrel Single Malt Whiskey, $75
Hanson Distillery, which has a tasting room in Sausalito, is well known for its organic vodkas. But they have been producing whiskey for more than half a decade. Their double barrel single malt is rested first in used bourbon barrels like some Scotch and then finished in sherry wine casks like some Scotch and some Japanese whisky. It has always been delicious. But it used to come in a black, heavily embossed and very beautiful bottle that pushed the price north of $125. For 2025, Hanson has pivoted somewhat. They take the same wonderful whiskey and put it in new metal-labeled clear bottles, nearly cutting the original price in half. (If you take advantage of their 10% off new customer discount, it comes pretty.) It is still 100 proof, still made with four different malts and still delicious. Tell ’em Santa sent you!
For more information or to purchase, go to hansonofsonoma.com.
Jeff Burkhart is the author of “Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender, Vol. I and II,” the host of the Barfly Podcast on iTunes (as seen in the NY Times) and an award-winning bartender at a local restaurant. Follow him at jeffburkhart.net and contact him at jeffbarflyIJ@outlook.com