Gift Ideas for the Home Mixologist
Smashes, sours, slings, and toddies—there’s nothing your nearest and dearest cocktailian can’t make when properly outfitted
Danny Kim1/18How to Mix Drinks
No library is complete without Jerry Thomas’s 1862 classic, reissued this year as part of the American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection. ($27; andrewsmcmeel.com)
Danny Kim2/18DrinkMaster Chrome Classic
"Anyone serious about making tiki cocktails at home should get this mixer. You build your drink in the metal tin, add crushed ice, then buzz: The cocktail comes out the perfect temperature, dilution, and frothiness. It also integrates heavier ingredients like coconut cream more thoroughly than standard shaking.” —Paul McGee, Partner, Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago ($49; hamiltonbeach.com)
Danny Kim3/18Dasher Cork Top
The mark of a serious home bar-keep? He uses bitters so often, he plugs gold-plated dashers into the bottles. ($27 for three; cocktailkingdom.com)
Danny Kim4/18Horsford’s Acid Phosphate
No lemon or lime? A drop of this diluted phosphoric solution lends tongue-tickling tartness to any concoction. ($19.50; thebostonshaker.com)
5/18Animale Ram Decanter
Old Crow nearly passes for Macallan when poured from a Boardwalk Empire–meets-Portlandia-style pewter bottle. ($225; arteitalica.com)
Danny Kim6/18The Schmallet
Pair this wooden ice crusher with a heavy-duty Lewis bag, and you’re halfway to a Julep. ($15; cocktailkingdom.com)
Danny Kim7/18Vermouth Dispenser
A sterling canister for the Hemingway acolyte: The writer reportedly liked his Martinis with a 15:1 gin-to-vermouth ratio. ($475; tiffany.com)
Danny Kim8/18Stainless-Steel Ice Cube Tray
Cocktail snobs know the importance of ice. Use this ’50s-inspired model to turn out evenly formed cubes. ($30; thetickletrunk.com)
9/18Macchu Pisco La Diablada
"More great expressions of pisco are making their way into the States, with a huge array of flavor profiles, from rustic and edgy, to delicate and floral," says Charles Joly, bartender at The Aviary in Chicago. "La Diablada is cool stuff.” Make 2014 the year of the Pisco Sour (click for recipe) with this blend of first-pressed Peruvian grapes. ($39; astorwines.com)
Danny Kim10/18Dakota Coasters
The hand-tooled onyx leather screams “Dimple Pinch, bartender—and make it a double.” ($150 for four; ralphlaurenhome.com)
Danny Kim11/18Leopold Jigger
Precise measurement bands on the inside of this bell-shaped jigger guide would-be bartenders through tricky recipes. ($19; cocktailkingdom.com)
Danny Kim12/18Decanter Tags
There’s no mixing up brown or clear spirits when their names are engraved on cast-pewter plates. ($16 each; kaufmann-mercantile.com)
Danny Kim13/18Elsa Peretti Padova Cocktail Forks
What classier way to garnish a top-shelf Martini than by spearing its olive or onion on a silver fork? ($350 for six; tiffany.com)
Danny Kim14/18The Spike Muddler
For ingredients in need of mashing, a sturdy, flat-bottomed muddler is a must. This one is fashioned from cherrywood. ($24; vermontfarmtable.com)
Danny Kim15/18Cuby Ice Crusher
The lightweight German hand tool shatters cubes to a perfect gravel. ($35; objectsofuse.com)
Danny Kim16/18Marc Blackwell Double Old Fashioned Glass
The sturdy, squared-off rocks glass gets an update with shimmery gold paint. ($75; barneys.com)
Danny Kim17/18Old West Shot Glasses
Handmade of solid copper right in the U.S. of A., these saloon-worthy vessels earn a lovely patina over time. ($125 for four; jacobbromwell.com)
Danny Kim18/18Yarai Glass Cobbler Shaker
The traditional weave pattern makes this petite Japanese shaker (just 8 ounces!) a charming addition to any home bar. ($85; umamimart.com)
