2019 Holiday Gift Guide: Liquor, Beer, Wine & Cider 🥃🍺🍷🍎

The holidays are coming, and with them will be dinners and parties and get-togethers with friends and family ready to celebrate the season. It also means there will be lots of opportunities to pour and enjoy a good drink. Maybe it will be at one of those fancy functions, maybe it will at home on the couch after the kids are in bed or you’re just finished your day and need to unwind. But what are you going to pour?

Jess and I sat down to come up with a long list of options and suggestions across multiple adult beverage types that we think would make great gifts for under the tree or to bring for the host of a party you’re going to. They’d also be great to put on your wish list if someone isn’t sure yet what they should get for you.

And, if you want to take the chance out of things – you can always just pick something up for yourself from the local liquor store and enjoy it without the waiting.

🥃🍷🥂🍸🍺🍎☕🍹

Note: It is important to remember that not everyone drinks. It doesn’t matter what their reason is, it matters that you respect it by not pushing and offering them something non-alcoholic if they are your guest. We suggest some sparkling juice, a non-alcoholic punch (that can be spiked individually if desired), or even a good old fashioned can of pop.

There are a lot of brands and bottles on this list, so let me answer some preemptive questions. No, we don’t have all of these options in stock at home. Yes, either Jess or I or both of us have tried and enjoyed everything that is on the list. No, I don’t know what the price of each of these suggestions is where you are – but I used the LCBO website for images, names, and to double-check that I was remembering things properly. If you’re in Ontario, Canada – you can use the website to check prices and availability.

Now, let’s get to the list, starting with Whiskey and getting progressively thirsty as we go!

WHISKEY & BOURBON

We’re a whiskey house. At any given time there are likely two bottles open in the liquor cabinet. And in most cases, both of them are bottles I’m happy to pop open without needing mix.

We’ve been lucky to cycle through a bunch of different bottles and to sample some great tastes at parties and hangouts over the years. So when it came time to give recommendations, Jess and I came up with 10 bottles of whiskey and bourbon that we think you’ll enjoy.

At the top of our list, you’ll find Canadian Club 12 Year and Jameson Black Barrel. Two bottles we’d be happy to have at any time.

🥃 Canadian Club 12 Year Old
🥃 Jameson Black Barrel
🥃 Jameson Irish Whiskey
🥃 Crown Royal Whisky
🥃 Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky
🥃 Knob Creek Bourbon
🥃 Lot No. 40 Single Copper Pot Still Canadian Whisky
🥃 Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey
🥃 Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry
🥃 Jim Beam Black Kentucky Bourbon 6 Year Old

WINE AND BUBBLES

Jess is more of a wine lover than I am, and she’s into the reds more than the whites. However, we did want to give a little balance here so we’ve included a couple of bottles of whites that I like to go with the reds that she suggests.

And at the bottom, how about some bubbles. Enjoy!

🍷 Apothic Red (Blend)
🍷 Yellow Tail (Chardonnay)
🍷 Apothic Dark Red (Blend)
🍷 Cupcake Red Velvet (Blend)
🍷 Josh (Red Blend)
🍷 Jackson-Triggs (Sauvignon Blanc)
🥂 Moet and Chandon Imperial Champagne
🥂 Mionetto Prestige Prosecco Brut DOC Treviso

RUM

When I was a kid, I lived in a rum house. And specifically a Bacardi Gold house. And while the traditional gold isn’t on this list, there are three Bacardi options here that we like in a variety of mixed drinks and cocktails.

🥃 Bacardi 8 Year Old Reserva Rare Gold
🥃 Bacardi Spiced Rum
🥃 Bacardi Superior Rum (White)
🥃 Appleton Estates V/X Signature Blend
🥃 Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Spiced Rum and Eggnog
Ingredients:
★ 1 part Spiced Rum
★ 5 parts Eggnog

Notes:
1. Garnish with cinnamon and/or nutmeg to finish.

VODKA

I’m not so much a vodka guy, but we always have it in the cabinet and it’s nice to be able to make a caesar or a screwdriver or a vodka seven with cranberry.

🍸 Absolut Vodka
🍸 Belvedere Pure Vodka
🍸 Grey Goose Vodka
🍸 Pravda Vodka
🍸 Smirnoff Vodka

Classic Caesar via Mott’s Clamato
Ingredients:
★ 1 oz Vodka
★ 2 dashes hot sauce
★ 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
★ 3 grinds fresh cracked salt and pepper
★ 4 oz Mott’s Clamato Original Cocktail
★ Celery Stalk
★ Lime Wedge

Notes:
1. Rim a glass with citrus and rimmer.
2. Fill the glass to the top with ice.
3. Add the ingredients in the order listed above.
4. Stir well to mix the cocktail, and garnish with celery stalk and lime wedge.

BEER

I like beer. I’m not a craft beer expert. I’m not into many trends or specialities or anything like that. BUT I do like to drink a nice cold beer and have been doing that for a couple of decades now.

This list includes some Ontario crafts and major brands and more than anything, includes 10 beers that I’d be happy to brink today, tomorrow, or the next day.

🍺 5 Paddles Home Sweet Home
🍺 Triple Bogey Hurry Hard
🍺 Brock Street Blonde
🍺 Church Key Northumberland Ale
🍺 Coors Banquet
🍺 Innis & Gunn The Original
🍺 Junction Craft Brewing Conductor’s Craft Ale
🍺 Mill St. Organic
🍺 Molson Stock Ale
🍺 Rickard’s Red

CIDER

Cider is a major player in our fridge. It takes up the same amount of space as beer, and within the last couple of years, we’ve changed from summer only to year-round with our cider love. Jess and I both have a few (or more) flavours and brands that we like, but Brickworks has been a big winner here when it comes to multiple favourites from one brand.

Check ’em all out!

🍎 No Boats On Sunday
🍎 Brickworks Ciderhouse Queen Street 501
🍎 Brickworks Ciderhouse Batch: 1904
🍎 Brickworks Ciderhouse Rose Cider
🍎 Shiny Apple Cider
🍎 Somersby Blackberry
🍎 Tempt Cider No. 9
🍎 Molson Canadian Cider
🍎 401 Brewery Premium Craft
🍎 Strongbow Gold

COFFEE LIQUORS & CREAMS

I LOVE COFFEE! #xocoffee

With that out of the way, it’s time to get into some options for adding some holiday spirit to your coffee in the morning, afternoon, or evening.

There are a lot of options and flavours, and while I do like a chocolate cherry or caramel, Jess and I have trimmed this list down to five with no fancy flavours included.

☕ Baileys Original
☕ Forty Creek Cream
☕ Kahlua Coffee Flavoured
☕ O’Caseys Irish Cream
☕ Sheridan’s Original Double Liquor

Coffee and Baileys
Ingredients:
★ 1.5 oz Baileys Original
★ 6.5 oz Coffee

Notes:
1. No milk, cream or sugar required. But a candy cane on the side is pretty great.

MISCELLANEOUS

Sometimes you want more than the classics and we’ve got you covered. If you want a hard root beer or iced tea, a cooler, a shot, or an after-dinner sip, here you go!

🍹 Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream
🍹 Crazy Uncle Root Beer
🍹 Disaronno Originale Amaretto
🍹 Palm Bay Key Lime Cherry
🍹 Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea