Dreaming of a wine Christmas? An alcohol gift guide for the holidays 

 Looking for the perfect gift for that bibulous friend, a close relative, or for an upcoming Christmas party you’re attending? Alcohol could be the perfect gift to make their spirits bright! 

From classier options such as wine or premium spirits, to go-to social drinks such as beer, alcohol is a timeless gift that’ll never lose its appeal. However, it’s best to have at least a vague idea of your giftee’s alcohol preferences to start. That being said, here are a few general gifts that would bode well with anyone who loves a good drink. 

Gift bundles

Before anything else, it’s important to note that alcohol stores offer packaged holiday gift bundles that serve as perfect ready-to-give gifts. These bundles often include the alcohol bottle, as well as matching glassware, metal flasks, and even scented candles. 

With online stores such as Boozy, you’re given a wide selection of drinks (typically whisky, tequila, and wine) to match the recipient’s tastes, so there’s no need to worry about the options. All items are encased in a neat, no-frills box that’s good to go, or can be decorated further if you would like. 

Keep these gift bundles in mind when reading the next entries, as there may be gift bundles for some mentioned drinks depending on the store. 

Christmas/seasonal craft beer

Going along with the festive spirit, Christmas craft beers capture the warm, colorful essence of the holidays and condense it into a 330ml beer bottle. 

Often dark, rich, and malty, these delectable drinks are a great present for those open to trying out creatively unique flavors of beer made by independent breweries. Like your standard beers, they are usually sold in packs of 4, 6, 12, or 24. These gifts could make for a great chance to sit down and crack open a cold one with the giftee—the more, the merrier!

Some examples of breweries selling seasonal craft beers for the holidays are Mitchell’s Backyard Brewery, Engkanto, and Treeline Ales. Prices vary depending on the brewery.

Liqueur

Exceptionally smooth and sweet, liqueurs are a mix of spirits, sugar, and other sweet ingredients such as fruits to produce an almost dessert-like drink. In fact, liqueurs are commonly served during or after desserts due to their sweetness, and are often consumed without being mixed. 

These drinks are pleasant gifts to anyone who prefers sugary and diluted liquor with flavors such as coffee, citrus, or crème. Due to their taste, these can also be gifted to those who aren’t particularly into alcoholic beverages, but have a sweet tooth to sate. 

Some popular flavors and brands nowadays include Manille Liqueur Calamansi at P750, Paradise Mango Rum Liqueur at P650, and the 2022 award-winning Ube Cream Liqueur at P1,200. 

Awarded the World’s Best Cream Liqueur at the 2022 World Liqueur Awards, Ube Cream Liqueur is made up of sugar cane vodka from Negros, full cream, and Filipino ube. As the world’s first ube cream liqueur, this Filipino favorite can be consumed on its own, or even mixed with other delicacies such as halo-halo. The liqueur can be purchased from Lazada and other online shops.

With its familiar ube flavor and its soft, creamy taste, Ube Cream Liqueur will no doubt find a place alongside other Filipino desserts on the dining table this Christmas.

Wine

Arguably the most gifted drinks among this list, wines can be fairly tough to shop for due to the dizzying amount of styles, labels, and other options to choose from—worse yet if you don’t have the faintest clue what your giftee prefers. 

To be safe, it’s best to stick to the three most common wine types: white, red, and sparkling. In order to further expedite the decision process, you can check out Vivino, an app and marketplace designed for users to discover and rate wine. By searching under popular, you can get a good idea of which bottles are generally favored among the public. 

For each of the three wine types, the most popular wines are the following: 

According to its Vivino profile, Barefoot Moscato has a punchy taste of peach and apple, with a twist of citrus and honey. This sweet white wine costs P500 and can be purchased at Boozy among other places. 

Piccini Memoro Rosso on the other hand, has an oaky taste of tobacco and coffee, according to its Vivino profile. The red wine is fairly smooth to drink and goes well with meat such as beef, lamb, and poultry. A bottle goes for P1,000+ in online shops such as Winery.ph

Fruity and sweet, Martini Asti perfectly pairs alongside both sweet and fruity desserts, according to its Vivino profile. This light sparkling wine is often served during New Year’s celebrations, but can also mix well with other holiday festivities. Martini Asti typically costs around P800 and can be purchased from Flasked, and other online retailers and stores. 

Aside from these three, it is highly encouraged that you explore more Vivino wine profiles to view the other available options that might suit your giftee’s tastes a bit better. 

Another neat alternative to simply purchasing a bottle would be to give a wine subscription box instead. Subscriptions such as winery.ph’s are great gifts for wine lovers, as they deliver a select number of wine bottles a month depending on the plan. 

Apart from the bottles themselves, you could also consider purchasing wine accessories such as wine stoppers or corkscrews from various e-commerce sites including Lazada. 

Gifting a bottle or two will surely help your giftee wine~d down after a hectic year!

Premium Spirits

If you’re looking for something classier and costlier than your typical bar drinks, premium spirits are a great gift for those who have, or would like to have, a more sophisticated taste in alcohol. If they own a collection of old unopened drinks, chances are they would probably love these as gifts too. 

But what is a premium spirit? According to Taster’s Club, premium spirits “are usually aged for 18 months or more, made in smaller quantities, and are made for casual sipping rather than shots.” Compared to well spirits, which are the standard mass-produced liquors, premium spirits have a much longer shelf life and have a more complex taste. 

One of the most popular and vastly expensive premium spirits is Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Going for P9,000+, this super-premium scotch has won several awards for its tastes of rich honey, dark chocolate, and hazelnuts with a hint of smoke. At the moment, Blue Label can be purchased in a gift pack on Boozy and other online stores. 

However, there are much more affordable premium spirits available, such as Johnnie Walker Black Label at around P1,500+, Hennessy VS for around P2,000+, and the locally-made award-winner Don Papa Rum for around P1,500+.

Don Papa is created on the foothills of Mt. Kanlaon, and boasts bold flavors of candied fruits, oranges, cacao, and honey. This much sought-after drink is available in most online shops such as Manila Wine, but supplies may vary.

Bar books

Instead of a bottle, why not give them mixing ideas? Bar books can make a good gift for those into mixing drinks, as well as for those who already own all the alcohol they need. 

One such book is The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender’s Craft by famous bartender Gary Regan. The book is available to purchase at Fully Booked for P1,500. Among other things, the book will help professional mixers and amateurs alike remember drink recipes as well as invent new ones. This is just one among many bar books out there, so feel free to search around for a bit in case you think there are more interesting options available.  – Rappler.com