April 27, 2023 -— Between Mother’s Day quickly approaching on Sunday, May 14, Father’s Day right around the corner on Sunday, June 18, and the imminent graduation season, we’ve rounded up a bevy of bottle-shaped gifts ideal for gifting to Moms, Dads, and college grads; with gifts tailored to cocktail aficionados, at-home chefs, country music lovers, mindful imbibers, plus whiskey nerds and newbies alike.
Please see below for information on our friends at Baba’s Acid Trip, The Pathfinder Hemp and Root, Coopers’ Craft, Bellemille Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Bluebird Distilling + Jordan Davis, and Tamworth Distilling.
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BABA’S ACID TRIP
Baba’s Acid Trip, a line of complex kombucha vinegars (and the first of its kind) can be used as a unique cocktail acidifier and shines in bright and fresh culinary recipes. Chefs, at-home cooks, bartenders, cocktail enthusiasts, and everyone in between can choose from four unique flavors, spanning Raspberry Lime, Grapefruit, Pear Ginger, and Cayenne. Baba’s Acid Trip is served in 12 oz. bottles for $12.99 each, or $48 for the Strange Trip Variety Pack, making for a perfect gift for any adventurous chef or craft cocktail lover.
Baba’s Acid Trip is highly concentrated, boasting over 12 1 oz. servings per bottle. Half an ounce is the perfect zero calorie addition to seltzer water for a mindful mocktail, and just an ounce can replace most high-end finishing vinegars and citrus in salad dressings and marinades. Raspberry Lime brightens cocktails including the Pink Gimlet, Grapefruit is a zingy addition to libations such as the Whiskey Bright and Sour, Cayenne brings the heat to a Thai Noodle Salad, and Pear Ginger complements Sorzano’s recipe for a Baked Feta, Pear, and Red Onion Skillet. Additional cocktail + culinary recipes available upon request!
All Baba’s Acid Trip flavors are available for national purchase online here.
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BELLEMILLE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
For the at-home chef: Bellemille Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a premium extra virgin olive oil sourced entirely from a single estate in Reggello, Italy, founded by Philadelphia native turned expat, Alexa Dombkoski. Belonging to the “Liquid Gold” category of olive oil and surpassing standards set by the International Olive Council, Bellemille delivers a true first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.
Intensely fruity and a bit peppery with notes of almond and artichoke, Bellemille is crafted with Frantoio, Leccio del Corno, Moraiolo and Pendolino olives. This luxe oil can be used in cooking, baking, mixing cocktails, drizzled on a salad or used for dipping with a crusty loaf of bread. The Bellemille bottle pops with a lime green label in a chic and unique white opaque vessel– shaped more like a bottle of alcohol than a typical bottle of olive oil, it’s meant to be displayed on shelves and dinner tables alike.
Bellemille is now available for national purchase ($39/375 ml) at www.bellemille.com.
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BLUEBIRD DISTILLING
For the country music-lover: Bluebird Days Whiskey is the brand-new collaborative whiskey born out of a new friendship, between country music star Jordan Davis and Bluebird Distilling Master Distiller Jared Adkins, and the shared love for a perfect bluebird day. For this whiskey, the duo teamed up to select the oldest and best barrels of Bluebird Distilling’s signature Four Grain Bourbon and American Wheat Whiskey from the Bluebird Rack House, to create the perfect blend resulting in a 6 ½ year aged bourbon boasting rich flavors of toffee, butterscotch, marshmallow, and baking spice.
Bluebird Days Whiskey is available for $50 (750 ml), rings in at 86 proof, and carries tasting notes of sweet corn, vanilla, and toffee. The spirit, perfect for the whiskey and country music lover in one’s life, is now available for online national purchase via Bluebird Distilling’s webstore, and is best enjoyed while listening to ‘Bluebird Days’, available now everywhere you listen to music.
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COOPERS’ CRAFT BOURBON
Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve, is a perfect gift for the bourbon-loving parent or whiskey newcomer, and is also the suggested ingredient in Coopers’ Craft Mixologist Fitz Bailey‘s recipe for a savory Bloody Belle (looking at you, Bloody Mary fans), ideal for enjoying over Mother’s or Father’s Day Brunch, or at grad parties galore. Additional cocktail recipes available upon request.
Carrying tasting notes of caramel, cotton candy, fresh apple, pear and citrus fruit atop vanilla wafers dusted with sharp cinnamon, finished off with assertive cinnamon spice softening to a lingering apple and clean oak note, Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve is an highly-rated, bang-for-your-buck gift, with wide availability for purchase in 20+ states for an average of $35/bottle.
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FINLANDIA VODKA
Finlandia Vodka, the premium, versatile vodka made with Finland’s purest water source and barley grown under Finland’s Midnight Sun, makes for a surprisingly affordable gifting option, ideal for aspiring (or expert!) mixologists refining their bartending skills by whipping up Moscow Mules, Bloody Marys, or Martinis at home. Recently celebrated in Food & Wine, VinePair, and more, it’s safe to say that Moms, Dads and all grads can put a 750 ml of Finlandia Vodka (avg. price $15.99) to good use.
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THE PATHFINDER HEMP AND ROOT
Packaged in a highly giftable bottle sure to make any bar cart shine, The Pathfinder Hemp and Root is a fermented and distilled hemp-based non-alcoholic spirit that stands out in a bevy of mocktails and coffee beverages (as well as cocktails). The Pathfinder Hemp and Root carries the intense flavor and aromatic characteristics of a spirit with none of the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages. The base liquid is blended with wormwood, angelica root, ginger, sage, juniper, saffron, orange peel, and wild-crafted Douglas-fir, as well as natural terpenes, to yield a revolutionary spirit of both character and complexity.
As a no-alc spirit that has become so popular that the supply couldn’t meet the demand, The Pathfinder is a gift tailored to the innovative drinker (not necessarily just the “mindful” one), and performs beautifully in classic cocktails such as a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, or zero-proof cocktails like the Pathfinder Spritz or Espresso G&T. The Pathfinder is currently available at select retailers including New York’s Boisson, Spirited Away and Minus Moonshine, Atlanta’s The Zero Proof and The Zero Co., Los Angeles’ New Bar, Pittsburgh’s Open Road, and Virginia’s Point 5, who, overwhelmed with interest, are limiting purchases to one bottle per customer per day.
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TAMWORTH DISTILLING
Tamworth Distilling, the New Hampshire craft distillery known for producing one-of-a-kind spirits made with ingredients all farmed and foraged within 100 miles of the distillery, has a bevy of gift-worthy spirits, including tongue-in-cheek sipper that shines for Grad gifting: Meet Dunce Whiskey, the pyramid-powered bourbon inspired by the dunce cap’s stolen legacy n amed for master philosopher, linguist, theologian, and metaphysical thinker John Duns Scotus.
Contemporary understandings of the dunce cap — the tall, cone shaped hat traditionally shown as a symbol of shame and ignorance — stray from the origins of the brilliant man the notable cap is named for. Canonically, it was believed that the sky-reaching pointy hats attracted divine energy from the heavens above. To create Dunce, that same divine energy was channeled producing a spirit that nobody can put in a corner.
Gift the Dunce in your life this satisfying sipper – Available now for $40 nationally via Seelbachs.com.
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Also from Tamworth Distilling: How about a bottle of Old Man for your old man? Old Man of the Mountain Bottled in Bond Bourbon is a single edition, bottled-in-bond bourbon made from 82.4% organic yellow corn, 11% organic rye, and 6.6% malted barley. Fermented using a traditional sour mash press, the bourbon was aged for four years at 100 proof in accordance to the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 at a government appointed facility, and is the first liquid ever developed by the New Hampshire craft distillery.
Old-World double pot distilling methods used in traditional scotch and cognac distillation were applied to maintain the new bourbon’s natural flavors during the aging process in #3 char, Kentucky-made 53-gallon barrels. Old Man of the Mountain exhibits notes of vanilla and caramel on the nose, with warmer fruitcake aromas evolving after the spirit opens up. The modest heat from the 100 proofing helps to elongate the palate and continues to open up the nose upon tasting. Old Man of the Mountain has a medium finish with notes of piquant black pepper and cherry.
This spirit and more are available for national purchase online via Seelbachs.com.
-Hannah Church