‘Tis the season for gift guides and end-of-year lists. I am back, with my fourth annual guide to the best liquid treats and fun, non-alcoholic and booze-adjacent ideas that can be brought to a party or delivered to someone’s door. I sampled every item on this list. While my palate is not the same as yours, I stand behind my boozy and non-alcoholic holiday gift ideas for 2025 as delicious and exciting options to offer anyone on your list.
Wohlfert Distilling Decaf Clutch Coffee Liqueur
When I found out that Wasington State’s Wolhfert Craft Distilling made a coffee liqueur – and decaf coffee liqueur – I had to try it. Dry distilling using beans from Clutch Coffee (in Lynden, Wash.) yields a liqueur that tastes remarkably like espresso. Wafting from the glass are coffee and caramel aromatics; on the palate, its creamy sweetness is nicely cut by alcohol – it’s 40-proof.
I enjoyed it straight up alongside chocolate chip cookies and I liked it with a splash of full-fat oat milk, too, but I bet others will use it as a starter for an espresso martini.
750 ml / $46.95
Lustau White Vermouth
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve taken a shine to sherry and vermouth, straight up in most cases, but I do like a white vermouth on the rocks with a twist or an orange slice. It’s pleasantly bitter which a melting large ice cube and a hint of orange nectar nicely softens into sweetness. So a wine – this fortified wine – made from a dry, Fino sherry and a floral Moscatel hit my aperitif sweet spot. A bit nutty on the nose (almond?) gave way to a pleasant citrus and fresh herb character. Easy-drinking and delicious.
It’s 15% abv, but the wine’s refreshing character it makes a nice drink before or during a big meal.
$18.99
Martin Ray 2025 Estate Grown Verjus of Pinot Noir
Verjus—French for “green juice” – is not typically drunk straight but used in cocktails and cooking as an alternative to vinegar or citrus juice. Sonoma’s Martin Ray Winery (they are in the Russian River appellation) produces small amounts of their estate-gorwn verjus and its crisp acidity and light sweet finish lead me to trial it as an aperitif. (Can you already see where I am going with this?) I found it delightful on the rocks with an orange twist.
To turn it into something more, add a splash of elderflower tonic and a clear spirit if you’re drinking booze and turn it into a new style of spritz. Call it The Christina, if you like. And tell me all about your adventure.
375 ml / $22
Clif Family Wines x Reyna Noriega Artist Collection
Miami-based artist Reyna Noriega is known for her use of color and bold patterns to create abstract depictions of Black and Brown women. She brings that same energy to a custom wine bottle series with Saint Helena’s Clif Family Wines. In the Artist Collection assortment, a bottle of Reyna Noriega 2022 Red Blend and a Reyna Noriega 2024 White Blend are bundled with a tote bag and two wine tumblers, each with unique works by Noriega.
This gift is perfect for your auntie who enjoys spending an afternoon at MoMa.
Includes two 750 ml wine bottles, two tumblers and a tote / $185
Pendleton Whiskey 1910 Bourbon
Owned by Hood River Distillers in Oregon (and not far from the home of Pendleton Woolen Mills), this particular bourbon is named to honor the inaugural year of the Pendleton Round-Up, a rodeo that celebrates the spirit of the American West. Trying to bottle a cowboy? Probably not, but there’s plenty of spirit in the bottle. Aged for 10 years in American white oak, it is a bold son of a bitch, with plenty of oak on the nose and the palate. That’s balanced with a hint of citrus (really? yes!) and a round finish. I liked it with a big ice cube; Stefan promptly mixed it into a Manhattan where its sweetness plays favorably with vermouth.
750 ml / $40
Brucato Amaro Gift Set
When I visited San Francisco’s Bar Brucato earlier this year, the savory freshness of the house Woodlands amaro was unmistakable in a Blood & Sand cocktail. The bar, attached to a distillery which turns out all manner of delicious spirits and liqueurs, sells its amaro as a three-fer. While I was smitten with Woodlands (I’m a sucker for cocoa and vanilla notes), the Gift Set includes Chapparal, which I found hearbaceous and heady, and Orchards which tasted of citrus and apricot.
All amaros start with California-made brandy – these amaros may be made in the spirit of Italy but they are all-American.
$90 for three 375 ml bottles
Schott Zwiesel Etched Nick & Nora Glasses
Crystal made in Germany is never a bad thing, especially these beautiful yet sturdy Nick & Nora glasses. Made from the brand’s Tritan® crystal glass, these cutie pies can be put into the dishwasher over and over without a problem. The Art Deco design – cascading teardrops seem to fall from stitches of a weaving – is very on-trend right now.
These would make a great house-warming gift or a gift for the person who has everything, because who doesn’t need more pretty, durable glassware?
Set of 6 / $120
The Prisoner X Corrections Art and Wine Series
Artist Jesse Krimes, photo credit: Anthony Tahlier
In 2022, The Prisoner Wine Company introduced an annual, limited-edition wine series inspired by the power of art. Using a wine label as a canvas for advocacy is a great match for the brand – I mean, look at the original art on the brand’s label! For the inaugural release, artwork by Jesse Krimes is featured. Krimes is the first living, formerly incarcerated artist to have work acquired by New York’s Metropolitan Museum. Artwork from his “Purgatory” series, which was on view in his solo exhibition at the museum earlier this year, is pictured on this year’s label.
Drink Corrections for its bold fruit (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec), or buy it as an act of charity – the wine supports Krimes’ nonprofit, The Center for Art & Advocacy, which mentors and funds justice-impacted artists.
750 ml / $100
Heirloom Chai
Chai was always elusive for me. Pre-mixed with too much sugar or dairy, I avoided chai. With Dallas-based chai.com’s pre-mixed Heirloom Chai, I can make chai my way, with my sweetener and mik. Hooray! The three-ounce tin is filled with powdered black Assam tea and organic spices (Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, black pepper, cardamom and clove) – a classic masala. There’s a tiny scoop inside. I take two scoops for robust flavor, add boiling water, stir, then add warmed, full-fat oat milk and a teaspoon of raw honey. It’s my new 2 p.m. pick-me-up ritual and I love it. There’s a caffeine-free version, too, Glow Chai, with turmeric.
3 ounces / $29.95
Mount Veeder 2022 Napa Cabernet
A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot the 2022 Mount Veeder Napa Cabernet is sultry in the glass. So many Napa cabs over-promise and under deliver but not this cab. It’s aromatics jump out of the glass, definitely cherry and, wait, is that cinnamon? Take a sip. Swirl. The cherry aromatics continue, buffered by that bit of Merlot, graced with just enough tannic warmth to add heft without over-powering.
I wish I could lay it down for 10 years but I served it with roast chicken seasoned with herbs Provence. Decadence.
750 ml / $70
Quinta Nova Vintage Port
Nestled in the hills above Portugal’s Douro River lies Relais & Chateaux property Quinta Nova De Nossa Senhora Do Carmo. It’s a stunning vineyard, too, producing exceptional wines from its 85 hectares of vineyards laid out in traditional stone‑walled terraces into 41 plots ranging in altitude from 80 to 700 metres. That gives the winemaking team a lot to work with. Even so, they only produce port in exceptional years. The wines are made using traditional granite lagares for foot‑treading, a method that allows gentle extraction while preserving freshness.
These Ports are known for their deep colour, concentrated fruit, and the ability to age for decades. Buy one for your friend who juggles two or three wine apps to keep up with their cellar holdings.
750 ml / $198
Overshine Wines Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir
I’ve been a huge fan of the Sonoma Coast’s Gap’s Crown region since Stefan made wine with grapes from the region. (This was before kids). The grapes consistently offer depth and intensity and that ideal balance between old school (light and low abv) and new school (full-bodied and high abv). Overshine released its 2023 Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir and I found it a bit young, which perhaps explains its reasonable price. Lay it down for a year and it will add plenty of polish to the blue fruit notes and medium body.
750 ml / $60
Inniskillin Vidal Pearl Icewine
Made from ripened grapes in BC’s Okanagan Valley and the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Inniskillin Icewine is a remarkable feat of conquering the weather. Grapes are left hanging, developing flavor for months until they are harvested when the temperature drops to -10°C (14°F). The intense flavor in the nearly dehydrated grapes is a balance of sweetness and a refreshing acidity. In this case, 2022 is literally frozen in time, captured in the tiny drops that are carefully squeezed from each grape. Pour into a snifter and let it warm to room temperature to best experience a swirl of peach and honey on the nose and that refreshing flavor across the palate.
Bring this to your friend who eats dessert first. It’s sublime.
375 ml / $53
Thomas Henry Tonics
In 2025, tonic has splashed out, emerging as a go-to flavor for mixologists to craft pleasantly refreshing non-alcoholic cocktails. Its distinctive bitter flavor used to be paired almost exclusively with gin – the better to balance all of those botanicals, my dear. And you can certainly do that – gin’s botanical flavors make a most complementary pairing for almost any tonic,. Boom – drinks are ready! But if what you are after is something non-alcoholic (or “NA”) Thomas Henry has you covered.
I trialed the straight-up Tonic Water, Cherry Blossom, Bitter Lemon (which the boys loved), Pink Grapefruit and Mystic Mango. I found the flavor profile to be not extreme, i.e., not too bitter, and in the case of Mystic Mango and Cherry Blossom, to meet a basic standard of nice savoriness and not too sweet. I’d drink any of these on their own but lean into Pink Grapefruit. Why? Because the bitter of tonic and the bitter of grapefruit citrus are a mighty fine combination.
750 ml / $5.99
UNDONE Non-Alcoholic Italian Spritz
If, like me, you’ve tried a bunch of non-alcoholic cocktails and found them lacking (or downright sad or not worth the calories), I’m here to tell you that I have found the needle in the haystack. Proudly stating “this is not an Italian apéro) on the side of their cans, UNDONE has upped the standard for the no longer niche, not buzzy yet oh-so buzzy NA business.
I sampled the Italian Spritz with soccer mom friends on a warm afternoon. With a large rock and an orange slice, this can of de-alcoholized white wine mixed with fruit and vegetable juice was refreshingly tart with a good balance of sweetness to savoriness. No, it’s not a Campari or Aperol spritz, but if you are sitting next to a sideline somewhere and don’t want the buzz, this little number has got your number.
8.4 fl oz. cans (12-pack) / $48
Doladira Alpine Aperitivo
A stunning red aperitif from Italy? Not another one, right? But, hear me out. The red color is all-natural, from rhubarb and plum. It’s tart, no doubt, but a whisper of Alpine elderflower and rosemary softens the edges while adding herbaceous notes that reminded me of my long weekend in the Swiss Alps. Ah! The aroma of the sun on warmed pine needles and fields of edelweiss. There’s nothing like it. And is that a whiff of pine or is that my imagination? Hmmm…
Drink it on the rocks or add it in place of Aperol to a Boulevardier.
700 ml / $39.99
Rhum Clement Creole Shrub
A.k.a. orange, I hardly knew ya! This stunner of an orange liqueur will have you rethinking your liquor cabinet. Crafted on the Caribbean island of Martinique comes this shrub (a drink made of sweetened fruit juice and liquor) that delights in orange. It all starts six-year-old Clément Martinique agricole rum which is blended with orange peels in then laid to rest in oak casks for a year. The result is zippy and zingy – you won’t miss the orange flavor – but there’s also a hint of honeyed sweetness and a beautiful vanilla aroma. Thank you, oak casks!
The rounded bottle will look great on your bar, too.
700 ml / $37.99
Olta Mexican Whisky
Whisky can be made anywhere in the world, of course – and spelled with or without that pesky “e” – so why not make it in corn’s ancestral home? Which is precisely what Olta’s makers decided to do. Heirloom corn is much more flavorful than the bland, sweet stuff to which Americans have become accustomed. Give it some time (three years) to rest in aged añejo tequila barrels and a little bit of altitude (7,000 ft / 2,134 m. in Michoacán) and what emerges is a smooth whisky, bursting with full flavor. It emerges a striking yellow from the bottle (not gold, yellow), with aromas of corn and pineapple and finishes with a subtle warmth.
It’s a young whisky. Dare I call it frisky whisky? This would make a great starter whisky for anyone experimenting with bourbon and its friends and neighbors.
750 ml / $55
