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The 29 Best Alcohol Gifts, for Classy Drinkers

Warming whisky, stylish decanters, botanical gin and more

Headshot of Esquire EditorsBy Esquire Editors
best alcohol gifts
Amazon, Cazcabel

The bars opened after lockdown, and you couldn't get a table. So you waited, and waited, hovering over fast-vanishing booking slots like a hawk. But when you finally did secure a spot, it only confirmed what you'd long suspected: drinking at home, over dinner or within sniffing distance of a sizzling barbecue, is a far better way to enjoy alcohol with friends.

One problem with that, however, is that the internet is the vastest drinks menu in the world. Whether you're buying for yourself or as a gift, how are you supposed to choose? By listening to us, and our round-up of the best alcoholic gifts of 2021. Cheers.

Iberica Wines

mar de frades
Mar de Frades

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To make up for all those booze-soaked holidays we haven’t been going on, Iberica restaurants has been delivering wine from Castilla y Leon, home of some of Spain’s most famous wine regions. We’re big fans of the Mar De Frades 2020, a white wine made from Albariño (a variety of grape grown in Galicia) which has notes of mango, pineapple and lychee, as well as wild flowers and eucalyptus. Perfect with seafood and just about everything else, it also comes in at an incredibly reasonable price, considering the quality. Check out the whole range on offer here.

Mar de Frades, £25, iberica.vmos.io

Russian Standard Vodka

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Russian Standard

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Made with the finest winter wheat from the Russian Steppes and super pure glacial water from Lake Ladoga (a truly beautiful spot near St Petersburg), Russian Standard Vodka has a rich history and a clean taste (derived from the fact that it’s distilled over 200 times.) Perfect with cocktails or simply on its own.

Russian Standard Vodka, £14.50, tesco.com

Rick Stein's White Burgundy

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Rick Stein

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Watching Rick Stein eat his way around the world is the perfect way to kick off a weekend, and pouring a glass of his white Burgundy is one of the nicest ways to see it out. The bottle is blended exclusively for the family’s restaurants, a rounded, nutty and buttery flavour with a bit of flesh that’s best paired with a light fish dish. You know the vibe: sardines on the grill, glass in hand, jazz on the speaker and the existential fear of another working week pushed firmly to the back of your mind. At under £20, it’s a no-brainer.

Rick Stein's White Burgundy, Macon, Burgundy, France 2019, £19.95, rickstein.com

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Tarquin’s Handcrafted Cornish Dry Gin

tarquin's
Tarquin's

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Distilled with 12 botanicals sourced from the wild Cornish coast and much further afield, Tarquin’s handcrafted dry gin is a crisp and clean offering, with notes of green pine and frangipane. It’s very tasty, is what we’re trying to say – zesty, spiced and balanced enough to sit well with a simple sprig of thyme and a slice of grapefruit. Cool bottle, too.

Tarquin’s Handcrafted Cornish Dry Gin, £35, tarquinsgin.com

Shop Cuvée

shop cuvee
Shop Cuvee

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We go on about Top Cuvée (the North London neighbourhood wine bar that’s about to open up a second location in Bethnal Green) a lot. That’s because the team behind it are really good at what they do: delicious, Insta-ready natural wine in a cosy setting, inspired by the bars of Paris. But you can enjoy what they have to offer at home as well – by signing up to a subscription, which delivers a big box of curated bottles to your doorstep every month. You can opt for three (£55) or six (£110), safe in the knowledge that they’ve all been curated by people with terrifyingly good palates.

Shop Cuvée natural wine subscription, £55, shopcuvee.com

1800 Silver Tequila

best alcohol gifts
Master of Malt

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With a chestful of rosettes for being really quite delicious (it's actually the most award tequila in the whole world, don't you know), 1800 Silver is another reason to rethink the Mexican spirit thanks to a well-rounded flavour profile abetted by a thorough double distillation.

£32.33, Master of Malt

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Select Aperitivo

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Amazon

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You've had of an Aperol Spritz, but have you enjoyed a Venetian Spritz? You'll need three parts prosecco, a splash of soda water, a large green olive and two parts Select Aperitivo: a complex rhubarb and juniper mix, first brewed in 1920, that's just waiting to become the next big summer drink for 2021.

£16.25, Amazon

Miami Cocktail Co.

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Revl

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Tinned cocktails are enjoying a watershed moment. No longer just the fuel of hen dos on National Rail, brands like the Miami Cocktail Co has souped up the canned spritz by delivering an actual cocktail: one that you'd order in a bar, and one that tastes just as good.

£11.95, Revl

Beluga Noble Vodka

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Beluga

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The Mariinsk vodka distillery in Siberia was established over 120 years ago, 300km from the nearest town. Not great for a commute, granted. but well-placed for the pure water that’s pulled from deep within the local 300m deep artesian wells. The distillery has been producing Beluga Noble Russian Vodka since 2002, which is well known for its smooth and refined taste (that's all down to a simple mixing and triple filtering process, as well as the prolonged resting period which lasts from 30 to 90 days). It’s the kind of spirit that works perfectly in a cocktail: rich but unobtrusive. A very nice bottle, too.

Beluga Noble Vodka, £32.95, masterofmalt.com

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Artelium

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Artelium

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A blend of European grapes cultivated and handpicked in Blighty, Artelium wine is a big reason why English vineyards are gaining traction on the scene. That means you get ahead of the curve with a bottle now. Or several.

£32, Artelium

Jose Cuervo

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This luxury white tequila from the Cuervo family is made from matured agave plants and produced in small batches. A tequila you can (honestly) sip and enjoy.

£53, Master of Malt

The Kraken

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The mythical Kraken sea monster is immortalised in this bottle, filled with their signature rich and smooth dark rum packed with hints of cinnamon, clove and vanilla. It's just as visually appealing as it is to taste.

£24, Master of Malt

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The Botanist

botanist
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This beautiful bottle contains 22 hand-foraged botanicals found on a Scottish island. Its zesty and floral flavour is a great addition to cocktails and makes for an excellent G&T.

£35, Waitrose

Patrón XO Cafe

patron
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One to hide when all your friends pile back to your flat for drinks, Patrón XO Cafe tequila knew what made an espresso martini work before everyone else caught on.

£25, Majestic

Laphroaig

laphroaig
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The Scottish Laphroaig whisky is a cult favourite and this limited edition Lore malt has a distinctive and smoky flavour.

£62, The Bottle Club

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CÎROC Snap Frost

best vodka 2022
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This luxury vodka is made from French grapes and distilled five times to give it a unique, sweet and crisp flavour.

£28, The Bottle Club

The Duppy Share

the duppy share
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A blend of five year matured rum from Barbados with three year matured Jamaican rum from two prestigious distilleries, this blend has a warm and buttery finish. The spirits are aged in oak bourbon barrels giving a smokey note to taste.

£37, Harvey Nichols

Martin Miller's Gin

martin millers gin
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This gin is made using two separate distillation processes to enhance the botanicals in the flavour. It's distilled in England and then shipped to Iceland to incorporate the softest Scandinavian spring water to create a smooth gin that drinks just as well on its own as it does with a mixer.

£25, The Bottle Club

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Monkey Shoulder Batch 27

monkey shoulder
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Monkey Shoulder scotch whisky spends three years ageing in oak casks to give it its complex and smooth taste, and comes in a distinctive bottle adorned with tiny monkeys.

£25, Laithwaite's

Don Papa

don papa rum
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Distilled in small batches on the island of Negros Occidental, which is the sugar cane capital in the Philippines, it's aged over seven years in oak barrels to give it its intense flavour which has notes of vanilla, honey and candied fruit.

£32, Master of Malt

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