The 8 Best Gifts for Cocktail Lovers in 2022

Best Overall

Cocktail Kingdom Queen Beehive Juicer

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Can this be right? A mere twenty-dollar juicer is our "best overall" gift for cocktail lovers? All we can say is this: if you have a cocktail enthusiast in your life who's still using bottled citrus juices for their Daiquiris and Margaritas, they need a manual juicer right now—and ideally a high-quality one, like the Queen Beehive juicer from Cocktail Kingdom, which features a wide enough enclosure to hold the largest of lemons (and even small oranges).

Of all the happy improvements that the craft cocktail movement has bestowed upon the beverage world, perhaps the most game-changing is the contemporary expectation that a well-made cocktail includes juice that is fresh-squeezed, never bottled. There's no single way to up the status of the cocktail lover you know faster than upgrading their citrus game from pre-packaged to fresh, and this brushed aluminum juicer makes an easy and attractive way to do it.

Best Splurge

Vevor Slush Frozen Drink Machine

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Looking for a surefire way to put a smile on someone’s face amidst the holiday blues? The answer, according to cocktail consultant and educator Amanda Whitt, is frozen cocktails. “A frozen machine is the kind of cheerful gift that someone is unlikely to buy for themselves but that could encourage them to make a fun night around it," she says. "It’s something both a cocktail nerd and their partner or roommate could have fun with, too.”

This 10-liter, single-bowl slushy machine is equipped to make frozen drinks in just 30 minutes. Although compact, it's great for both indoor and commercial use.

Best Value

Hella Cocktail Co. Bitters & Soda

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Hard seltzer is great, but have you ever had a zero-sugar, zero-proof sparkling canned apéritif made with gentian tincture? It’s as awesome as it sounds, and we have Hella Cocktail Co. to thank for it. Bitters & Soda can be enjoyed on its own as a refreshing drink at any time of day, or mixed with your spirit of choice.

Available in a pack of 12, the beverages come in flavors like Dry Aromatic, Ginger Turmeric, Lemon Lime and Grapefruit. The company also offers an aromatic canned spritz, which is no-ABV (though it does contain sugar) and is perfectly bittersweet with notes of baking spices and orange peel.

Read Next: The Best Bitters

Best Garnish

St. Agrestis Amaro Soaked Cherries

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Amidst all of the (justified) emphasis in today's cocktail culture on the need for fresh juice and gorgeously-sculpted citrus peels, we sometimes neglect to extend the same passion to the preserved garnishes. But a poor garnish can ruin a drink, plain and simple—doesn't matter if it most recently spent time on a tree or in a jar. Take the guesswork out of your cocktail friends' lives by gifting them a bottle of the St. Agrestis Amaro Soaked Cherries.

Wonderfully tart Michigan cherries are macerated in St. Agrestis' signature amaro for twelve weeks, resulting in a bright and boozy cherry with as much flavor as the Manhattan, Last Word or Old Fashioned that it will so ably garnish.

Best Book

Unvarnished: A Gimlet-Eyed Look at Life Behind the Bar

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Any lover of high-quality cocktails knows that it's impossible to separate the craft cocktail resurgence of our current era from the foundational bars that made it possible. Eric Alperin’s cocktail memoir co-authored with Deborah Stoll, "Unvarnished: A Gimlet-Eyed Look at Life Behind the Bar," is a juicy, boozy jaunt through the formative days of the high-end cocktail movement of the past two decades, set against the backdrop of Los Angeles' defining craft watering hole, The Varnish.

Detailing his origins as a struggling actor in New York, his collaboration with Sasha Petraske of the inimitable Milk & Honey, and his adventures bringing the craft ethos to Southern California, Alperin's wildly entertaining account of this particular moment in cocktail history takes a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes dynamics of his bar and the nascent movement overall. Featuring equal parts libidinous anecdotes and mixology nerdiness, "Unvarnished" is a must-read for any beverage enthusiast who's curious about all of the twists (and trysts) that result in her expertly-prepared Boulevardier.

Related: The Best Gifts for Bourbon Lovers

Best Bottle

Del Maguey Vida

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Cocktail enthusiasts know how important the proof of a given spirit is to the overall flavor and mouthfeel of a drink, and the use of higher-ABV spirits will often result in bolder and more complex cocktails. After numerous requests from bartenders for a stronger-proof version of their cocktail-friendly Vida mezcal, category leader Del Maguey introduced a new 45 percent ABV expression called Vida de Muertos in the fall of this year. Like Vida, this higher-proof iteration is crafted from mature Espadín agave by Paciano Cruz Nolasco and his son Marcos Cruz Mendez in the village of San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca, and is inspired by the batch that they make for friends and family every Dia de los Muertos.

With its creamy texture and its well-integrated notes of tropical fruit and roasted peppers, Vida de Muertos makes an excellent sipper—but have your cocktail-loving friend try it in a Mezcal Negroni or a Ready Fire Aim, and they'll see firsthand how its assertive flavors add both intensity and complexity in any mezcal cocktail.

Related: The Best Mezcals Under $40

Most Unique

United Sodas of America Variety Pack

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If you think soda is boring, think again—we came across United Sodas of America earlier this season, and now it’s a staple in our fridge. Not only are the cans easy on the eyes, but the sodas are organically sweetened and contain just 6 grams of sugar each, and they come in seriously fun flavors.

The United Sodas of America collection is perfect for mixing with various spirits, and you can purchase a 12-pack in any one of its flavors or as a variety or theme pack. Some of our favorites include Young Mango, Sour Blueberry, Toasted Coconut and Blackberry Jam. Best of all, every order ships for free across the country.