Gift Guide

2024 Holiday Gift Guide for the Home Bartender

November 29, 2024 No Comments Gift Guide

Home entertaining is a passion of mine because it helps bring people together. After years of working in restaurants, and tending bar, I particularly like making my home bar area well-stocked and beautiful! If you have someone in your life that enjoys breaking out the cocktail shaker showing of their own bartending skills, then this gift list is for you!

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GIft Ideas for the Home Bartender

Any of these gifts will make for a winning gift for the home bartender in your life. They range in price from less than $20 to around $120. Whether your friend or family member (or yourself) could use a new barcart or some really beautiful glassware, may the shopping commence!

Bar cart: A glass and gold bar cart is a statement maker! I love that this one comes on wheels. The cart comes in gold, rose gold, or black.
Crystal Mixing Glass: I use my crystal mixing glass ALL THE TIME. It is not only a beautiful way to put together a drink, but such a great tool for any home bar.
Shaker Set: Every bartender needs a good shaker, jigger, strainer, etc. This Gold Cocktail Shaker Set has it all! If silver is more the vibe for the home-bartender you’re shopping for, then this cocktail shaker set is an affordable option with all the necessities!

Bitters and Syrups for the Home Bartender

A great way to make a cocktail sing is to add a few dashes of bitters or utilize a delicious syrup as a mixer. Get some great suggestions on ways to use bitters from Food & Wine. These are some of my favorites which would make great gifts. You can purchase them online or you can purchase many of them in a good specialty market or liquor store!

Scrappy’s Bitters: Scrappy’s is a household name for a reason! They make unique and flavorful bitters that brighten an Old Fashioned or make a Manhattan! Two of my favorites from Scrappy’s are the Grapefruit Bitters and their classic Aromatic Bitters.
Portland Syrups: Yes, I am a bit biased since I am based out of Portland, but these syrups are delicious! They work great in cocktails, but are also wonderful with sparkling water to make a tasty soda! Give a gift of a Portland Syrups Sampler or pick out a flavor you’re sure they’ll love!
The Bitter Housewife Cardamom Bitters: This bottle of bitters is a staple in my bar. I love the taste of the cardamom bitters instead of traditional bitters in many of my cocktails over the holidays. Adds such a delicious spice to my drink!

Beautiful Glassware for the Home Bartender

I have a lot of glassware in my home bar. I really love the feel of a beautiful glass and how it can highlight a drink be it water or a tasty cocktail. These sets of vintage-inspired designs are both in my bar and on my personal wishlist!

Vintage Flamingo Belle Coupe Glasses: These glasses are in my home bar as we speak. They made for a gorgeous presentation for my Spiced Cranberry Negroni Cocktail during last year’s holiday celebrations! The box that they come in is an added treat. It makes for a truly beautiful gift to open!
Vintage Art-Deco Ribbed Collins Glasses: A collins glass is a classic and is incredibly versatile! This belongs in any home whether they have a bar or not. They make for lovely water glasses on a set table just as well as highlighted glassware sitting upon a bar.
Vintage Art-Deco 1920s Lowball Glasses: Lowball glasses, similar to collins glasses, are versatile and classics for that reason. This size and shape of lowball glasses are great for those cocktails with large ice cubes!

Smoker Kit: If your home bartender is playing with more nuanced drinks, this a cocktail smoker kit is a fun thing to find under the tree!

Searching for the right gift for someone can be a task, especially during the holiday season. If you have a loved one that enjoys making cocktails and hosting others in their home bar, then you’ll be sure to make their holiday with anything on the above list!

Cocktails

Six of the Best Thanksgiving Cocktails: Everyone Will Thank You!

November 25, 2024 No Comments Cocktails

Be the reason your friends and family are thankful this Thanksgiving get-together by bringing one of these delicious Thanksgiving cocktails to share. Each of these beverages are simple with limited numbers of ingredients (making them great to bring to an event) but they have also been tried and enjoyed by many groups of friends who all gave their thumbs up reviews! Utilize some of the best flavors of fall— pear, apple, cranberry, and spice— to create cocktails for Thanksgiving this year!

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Fall-Flavored Drink Recipes Perfect for Thanksgiving Cocktails!

Spiced Pear Cocktail featuring Wild Roots Vodka - A Well Crafted Party

Spiced Pear Thanksgiving Cocktail

Pears are often overlooked. They are the subtle and most delicious fruit of the Fall in my opinion! This spiced pear cocktail is similar. It is sweet, but not overly so. It is spicy, but again, not overly so.. making it just right for your Thanksgiving cocktail this year! Serve it in a martini glass* and garnish with a slice of pear! Click on the image above to access the full recipe!

Apple Cider Margarita

Apple Cider is a classic flavor profile for Fall and for your Thanksgiving drink. Make it a party by adding the classic citrus elements of a margarita! Due to the sweetness of apple cider this Apple Cider Margarita is made without Sour Mix. This drink is best served in a rocks glass*, don’t forget to rim it in brown sugar and cinnamon! Click on the image above to access the full recipe!

Bourbon Sparkling Apple Cider Thanksgiving Cocktails

Yes, I obviously love apple cider during the Fall season… but, let me tell you, bourbon and apple cider BELONG TOGETHER! This fall Bourbon Sparkling Apple Cider Cocktail is extra refreshing with the addition of sparkling wine making it a great opening cocktail for your Thanksgiving festivities! While you can make this cocktail with an apple brandy of your choice, I love the Wild Roots Apple & Cinnamon Vodka for the natural flavors and kick of spice! Click the image for full recipe.

Spiced Apple Cocktail

I know, I know… the apple is a theme. This one though is NOT an Apple Cider cocktail! Though I do enjoy a good apple cider cocktail, this Spiced Apple Cocktail brings the spice and flavor without being overly sweet. The cinnamon flavor is EXCELLENT in this cocktail. The secret to this cocktail is a spiced simple syrup that really comes together with a day in the fridge, so get started on this one a bit early! These beautiful belle coupe glasses* are available on Amazon! They are some of my favorite cocktail glasses! Click the image above for the full recipe!

Pear and Apple Cider Sangria // A Well Crafted Party

Pear and Apple Sangria

We’re mixing these two fall fruits together for this Thanksgiving cocktail! Sangrias are such a great beverage for a crowd. This drink is no exception. Mix together the wonderful flavors of pear and apple then fortify it with bourbon for this Pear and Apple Sangria! The soaked fruit then become a treat at the end! Click the image above for the full recipe!

Spicy Cranberry Cocktail | A Well Crafted Party

Chipotle Cranberry Cocktail

While I originally created this cocktail for Christmas (the red color is fantastic, isn’t it?) the flavor of cranberry is very much a Thanksgiving staple. This slightly spicy Chipotle Cranberry Cocktail will be exceptional paired with turkey and the heavier dishes from the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Filled with the best flavors of Fall, any of these drinks will be great Thanksgiving cocktails! May your Thanksgiving be filled with merriment and fun. Drink safely, of course, and monitor your dear Uncle who will inevitably bring up politics after one or two of these tasty drinks. Happy Thanksgiving from me and my family to yours!

A Well Crafted Pantry

Peach & Orange Blossom Sangria

June 14, 2019 1 Comment A Well Crafted Pantry

This summer sangria makes for a beautiful botanical sangria! While you can certainly make this peach & orange blossom sangria as a single serve cocktail, it also works great in a batch!

This drink was first featured in my Instagram project #NightcapwithJenni. Follow along each Sunday evening when I share a new beverage and some things I’ve been thinking about in my Instastories!

This post is not sponsored by the companies with products featured. There are some affiliate links in this post, affiliate links give a small portion of products purchased to this blog. Thank you for supporting this blog! This recipe is created for those of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.

Summer and sangria = perfect pairing. While we are not technically at summer yet, lately we’ve had some gorgeous weather and I’ve been soaking it in! I’ve greatly been enjoying my newly decorated outdoor deck area. Having a cocktail and good book in hand has only made me enjoy it more!

Ingredients of Peach and Orange Blossom Sangria including frozen sliced peaches, mint, peach and citrus soda, reisling, and peach and orange blossom voda.

Summer Sangria Ingredient Choices

Typically a sangria is going to feature both a wine and some sort of liquor. Often you’ll see a beautiful red wine and brandy or orange liquor. I chose to make a bit of a lighter sangria with this combo of vodka and Riesling. I think it is a good fit for a summer cocktail!

I’m a sucker for a good Instagram or Facebook ad. One Friday afternoon (right before my husband got off work) I had scrolled through my feed and saw an ad for Ketel One Botanical vodkas and I simply had to have him pick it up on the way home! Ketel One (I think recently) released three botanical vodkas (Grapefruit & Rose, Cucumber & Mint, and Peach & Orange Blossom) they feature no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, no sugar…. to me that is the ideal type of infused vodka.

I knew I immediately wanted to pair the vodka with a peach soda of sorts, but also knew it would need a little sweetness. In came one of my favorite Rieslings… A to Z Winework’s Oregon Reisling. I’ve been a fan of A to Z Wineworks for their affordable but tasty Oregon wines but also because of their commitment to be a business with intention. They are a four time – B Corp ‘Best for the World’ business. B Cor’s work to be sustainable,healthy businesses for good workers, the community, and the environment.

Sangria served over crushed ice and garnished with mint and peach.

How to Make a Peach and Orange Blossom Sangria

Read on to see ingredients and directions for a pitcher of this Peach and Orange Blossom Sangria as well as directions for a single serve cocktail. The pitcher of Sangria serves approximately 6 glasses.

Pitcher of Sangria Ingredients:

9 oz Ketel One Peach & Orange Blossom Vodka
18 oz Riesling (on the sweeter side) I used A to Z Wineworks Riesling
4.5 oz Simple Syrup
1 Can Fresca Peach Citrus Soda* (Affiliate Link) Or any peach or orange flavored soda water… Fresca is slightly sweet, but that lends a nice sweetness to this sangria)
Frozen Peaches
Mint for garnish

Pitcher of Peach Orange Blossom Sangria Directions:

Pour the vodka, Riesling, simple syrup and frozen peaches into a pitcher and chill.
Right before serving, add the Peach and Citrus Soda.
Serve over ice — I chose to serve over crushed ice as it is much more festive!
Garnish with mint.

Single Serving of Peach Orange Blossom Sangria:

Pour 1.5 oz Peach & Orange Blossom vodka, 3 oz Riesling, .75 oz simple syrup in shaker with ice. Shake.
Pour into a glass — no need to strain.
Top with approximately 2 oz of Peach and Citrus soda.
Garnish with a slice of frozen peach and a sprig of mint.

Sangria served with peach and mint featuring ingredients.

Prefer it in a martini glass served up instead of a glass of ice?

Simply wait to add in the soda water, pour into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously (You are trying to melt the ice a bit in the process of chilling the cocktail and mixing ingredients.) Then strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a peach and mint spring.

What is your favorite summer drink go to? Share in the comments or @ me, @JenniBost!

And don’t forget to check in this upcoming Sunday around 6 PM PST (or the week after) for this week’s #NightcapwithJenni. I’d love to have you in the conversation.