Welcome to part three our of 2020 gift guide! This is certainly a year like no other, and so we’re sharing ideas for local gifts and experiences. Small businesses all need our support more than ever, and our four-part gift guide follows our travel mantra of Food, Park, Drink, & Art. Read part one, all about FOOD and part two, all about PARKS/plants/outdoor activities, or skip ahead to part four, all about ART.
So now we present part three: DRINK!
Watershed Distillery Holiday Bourbon Bundles
Watershed released a perfect little three-pack of 375 ml bottles bundling their bourbon, Old Fashioned mix, and new barrel-strength bourbon. Their full lineup of spirits is available, too, including a 375 ml Old Fashioned (perfect stocking stuffer) or a big 1.75 liter jug of it. watersheddistillery.com/holiday-bourbon-bundles
Bottles of Ohio Pop Co. Pop
Remember, we’re in Ohio. It’s pop, not soda. Give the pop collector in your life a selection from this new company producing flavors like cherry, lemon-line, orange, root beer, cola, ginger beer. They’re made with Ohio-grown beet sugar. ohio-pop.com
Middle West Spirits Bourbon Cream
Middle West Spirits has been on a roll, too, launching a couple new whiskeys meant to pair with BrewDog beers. Their big addition this year is a smooth and creamy bourbon cream. middlewestspirits.com/spirits
Coffee Beans, Canned Brews, & Subscriptions
Coffee is a constant on my Christmas list. I always love getting new beans to try. Order bags from local roasters like Thunderkiss Coffee, Crimson Cup, Brioso, Ramble Coffee, Mission – many of which offer local delivery or easy pickup at their stores. Granville Coffee has gift packs, while Florin Coffee offers coffee subscriptions, for the gift that keeps giving. Many places are doing canned or bottled coffees, like Thunderkiss cold brew, ROST bottled coffees, Jennings Java canned drinks.
Spritz Tea
Spritzers and seltzers are enjoying their day in the sun, and deservedly so. They’re refreshing on their own, perfect for mixing, and offer a lighter and usually gluten-free alternative to sipping beers. We’re getting plenty of local options these days, too, including Spritz Tea. Spritz features flavors like Bright Citrus, Pink Guava, Golden Peach, and Wild Acaí. spritztea.com
Root 23 Simple Syrups
For folks who love to mix their own drinks at home, Root 23’s all natural flavored simple syrups are a must. They come in individual flavors like blueberry mint, cherry almond, vanilla ginger, plus little mixer and starter kits. root23.com
Simple Times Mixers
The same goes for Simple Times Mixers! The all-natural pre-made mixes allow you to create a variety of drinks by just adding your preferred booze. Look for seasonal flavors or mainstays like the pineapple mule or blueberry basil lemonade. simpletimesmixers.com
Beers
Just like coffee, beer is a standing item on my Christmas lists. So many more breweries have turned to bottling and canning their beers in 2020. Random Precision bottles their sours, Wolf’s Ridge has created a huge list of bottles and specialty bundles, Seventh Son cans and delivers, Olentangy River Brewing just started canning, Nocterra has tons of stuff in cans, Zaftig features stouts and other big beers. You get the picture.
A Sip + Play Night
Wolf’s Ridge Brewing and Kingmakers joined forces to create Sip + Play nights. You and your group sign-up, receive a pack of WRB brews, then log in virtually for a combined beer tasting and game night! kingmakersfun.com/sip-and-play
Bottled Cocktails
One of the good things to come out of 2020 is the permanent law allowing bottled cocktails and drinks to-go. That means that, while we can’t belly up at our favorite bars, we can savor (and pass on as gifts) cocktails to go from spots like Lawbird, Service Bar, The Bottle Shop, Mouton, Huli Huli Tiki Lounge, and many others.
Wine
We don’t drink a lot of wine in our house, but we appreciate it nonetheless, especially when we find bottles from trusted sources. Columbus has a wealth of wine shops staffed by experts, from Coast Wine House in Dublin to House Wine in Worthington, The Twisted Vine in Grandview and Corner Stone in Olde Towne East.
See the full 2020 Holiday Gift Guide here!
