Top 4 ways to give craft liquor for the holidays

It’s that time of year again, with the holiday party season in full swing.  Everyone has likely been to a party where the bar features that bottle of rum with the pirate on it, or knows someone who fancies themselves a whiskey connoisseur.  So, why not try something new this time?  Craft liquor can be the hit of any party – here’s how:

BYOB and be the hit of the party

The type of party will tell you the type of bottle to pick up.  Cocktails?  Grab a bottle of Ballast Point’s Barrel Aged Three Sheets Rum or Dogfish Head’s Brown Honey Rum.  Save the pirates for the Caribbean! Dinner? Take dessert in the form of a super- smooth bourbon like Angel’s Envy.

As a gift

Hopefully you have some idea of your intended recipient’s favorite bottle. If he (or hopefully she!) is a Scotch drinker, while you can only get Scotch from Scotland, there are other craft spirits that may fit the bill.  Rye is making a comeback, so there are a few to choose from. It has a bit of bite, rather than say a smoother bourbon, which could be more up the alley of your Scotch drinking friend.  Try Corsair’s Ryemageddon or Templeton Rye.

Pick a simple drink recipe, take it along

To me, the majority of the craft liquors I’ve tried are so good you don’t want to mix them, but not everyone likes neat or on the rocks.  Pick a 2 (or at most, )3 ingredient recipe – just add glasses (and maybe ice) for an instant cocktail hit!  Maybe try a Whiskey Ginger.

Host your own tasting

A small group of friends, some food to nibble on, and a couple bottles of craft liquor – all you need for your own tasting event! Take your  time – this isn’t about doing shots!  I’d also suggest making sure you have the right glassware – I’ll cover that in the next post, but for now, I’ll say that I was skeptical, too.  How could a glass make that much of a difference?  But trust me – it does!

Stay tuned for my next post – more on doing your own tastings, your choice of glassware – I’m also working on lining up a guest blogger or two.

And please make sure that whatever you choose, you and your guests celebrate responsibly!!

Cheers!