Best Stocking Stuffers for Cocktail Lovers

Christmas stockings are typically filled with silly knick knacks, candies or oddly practical bits and bobs (we once received toilet paper covers and a tongue scraper). But if you have an alcohol-enthusiast in your life, forgo the ubiquitous chocolate Santa and stuff his or her stocking with cocktail-inspired goodies. Here, the best stocking stuffer ideas for every budding bartender.

The last thing you want during a cocktail party is to misplace your Martini. Avoid the mishap with decorative cocktail glass charms. Check out these customizable chalkboard charms ($12), whimsy wine-themed charms ($9), or even these Game of Thrones house sigil charms ($20).

These glitzy straws and swizzle sticks are flashy enough to make even the most mundane of Vodka Sodas an event. Metallic, rose gold-colored straws ($7) and silver and gold star-topped swizzle sticks ($8) would look lovely sparkling on a bar cart, especially compared to the generic kind stuffed in the kitchen drawer.

Disposable toothpicks are so blah. Instead, stylishly skewer that fruit flag or olive with a set of decorative cocktail picks. These elegant arrow-shaped, stainless steel picks ($20) keep your cocktail classy, while these skull-shaped picks ($10) give your drink an emo edge.

This Little Black Book of Cocktails ($9) fits on any bar, no matter how small, while this attractively designed Whiskey Notes Tasting and Distilling Logbook ($17) from the Kings County Distillery slips right into your pocket. They’re entertaining and educational without taking up valuable bookshelf real estate.

Novelty ice cubes are an easy way to inject some fun into a humdrum cocktail. These “brain freeze” ice molds ($8) instantly upgrade a Halloween party, while these Death Star spheres ($9) will imbue any drink with the Force. For the ultimate (if slightly offensive) Gin & Tonic, opt for these “Gin and Titonic” boat and iceberg molds ($7).

Keep whiskey cool—both in appearance and temperature—with whiskey stones and ice wedges. Opt for this classic whiskey wedge from Corksicle ($18), elegant soapstone cubes ($20) or scientifically efficient Balls of Steel ($26).

Everyone loves to get candy on Christmas morning, but boozy candies are especially sure to make any adult light up with childlike excitement. The list of tipsy edibles on the market is endless, but some of our favorites include boozy lollipops like this absinthe-flavored pop from Lollyphile ($8), spicy Fireball-flavored marshmallows from Wondermade ($8), and Dom Pérignon Brut and Rosé Champagne-flavored gummy bears ($9)—for a more sophisticated take on the booze-soaked gummy.

Supercall’srecipe library presents a huge selection of cocktail options when inspiration runs dry, but sometimes you want to leave it all up to chance and roll the dice—literally. A set of Mixology Dice ($24) includes eight wood dice, each engraved with different categories of ingredients, so every roll results in a new drink. In fact, there are 1.5 million possible combos. For example, you might roll gin, agave, elderflower liqueur and tangerine juice, and discover an unlikely new favorite.

Salted rims already elevate drinks like Margaritas and Bloody Marys, but seasoned salts take those flavor profiles to the next level. While any mini bottle of flavored salt from the grocery store would be a great stocking stuffer, this stackable World Salt Tower ($20) features hand-harvested salts from around the world, like Black Cyprus Sea Salt, Hawaiian Red Alaea Sea Salt and Maine Cherry Smoked Salt.

Friends don’t let friends ruin their cocktails with toxically artificial cherries or flavorless olives. Give the gift of a good garnish with small, artisan jars, like these sweet and salty, cocktail-onion-stuffed Gordal olives ($10), or these Jack Rudy bourbon-soaked Oregon cherries ($16).

Break out the keychain bottle opener and you’re instantly the hero of any party. This slick Mako flat bottle opener ($6) fits in any wallet, or opt instead for a multitool that can open bottles, pop corks, peel citrus and measure pours like this Bar10der 10-in-1 multitool ($20).

Sipping hooch straight from a flask is inherently badass. Whether it’s for passing around the campfire after a long day of backpacking, or sneaking into a party without an open bar, a flask is an ultra-useful and ultra-cool gift. We love this geeky leather flask—engraved with the chemical composition of alcohol ($10)—this outdoorsy vinyl mountain range design ($20), or this cheeky “Tears of Ex-Lovers” etched flask ($15).

Sports fans, video game fiends, artsy folk—there’s a shot glass out there for anyone. Need something more generic? Just about anyone would love a rustic, mini mason jar set ($13) for their Apple Pie Moonshine shots.  

If you’ve ever expressed a desire to bathe in a bottle of booze, now you literally can, thanks to a host of boozy bath products. Turn your bathtub into a bottle of bubbly with these Champagne and grapefruit bath bombs from Charmed Aroma ($16), or rub a dub dub with this Hair of the Dog whiskey soap from Outlaw soaps ($7). Gentlemen can even make their beards smell like an Old Fashioned with bitters-scented beard oil from Dr. Adam Elmegirab bitters ($26).

When in doubt, stuff a stocking with mini bottles of liquor. Or, go the extra mile and put together a DIY cocktail kit. Or, if crafting isn’t your thing, W&P Design’s Carry On Cocktail Kit collection ($24 each) does all the work for you—just add booze.

Why fill your stocking with booze-related goods, when you can just fill the whole darn thing with the real thing? Santa’s Flask is a plastic Christmas stocking that can be filled with 2.25 liters of your chosen cocktail, or three bottles of wine. Use the handy toe tap to fill your glass, or as the company’s imagery suggests, pour it directly into your mouth. It’s a perfect contribution to a White Elephant gift exchange (just make sure to get an extra for yourself).