20 Best Gifts From Amazon Sure To Impress The Cocktail Lovers In Your Life

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While a huge percentage of the population seems impossible to buy for — the proverbial man who has everything, the person that's impossible to please, and the perpetual complainer primary among them — booze lovers make gift giving a breeze. And it isn't even because they might be drunk when they receive one! There are just so many potential alcohol accessories that the dedicated imbiber could continue building their collection in perpetuity and still have (theoretical) room for more. 

There are so many fun, functional cocktail accoutrements, in fact, that sourcing it isn't even the challenge; curating it is. The good news is Chowhound happens to know a thing or two about a drink or two, so we have whittled down a list that includes not only things that we have in our own homes, but 20 items that we have and will award to the cocktail lovers in our lives — so look away now, Instagram story close friends, lest your future presents be spoiled! The rest of the 'net can gather round, confidently click add to cart, and get back to the business of liquoring.

The American bartender often credited with starting it all actually lived, worked, and died before Prohibition even blighted the nation. Jerry Thomas (1830-1885) was responsible for illuminating some of the libations that we still enjoy today, and his 1862 tome "Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide: How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks" is the authoritative first word (or, close enough) on how to make 'em. Anyone who has yet to tip a little Grand Marnier into their Manhattan will thank you for putting this mixology must-have on their bookshelf.

Purchase "Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide: How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks" for $11.29 on Amazon.

A beverage professional of a more recent vintage, with the social media following to match, Kaitlyn Stewart's "Three Cheers: Cocktails Three Ways: Classics, Riffs, and Zero-Proof Sips" contains, conveniently, exactly what it states. It would take you a few years' worth of weekends to test each of Stewart's tipples, including plenty to get you through those dry Januarys and sober Octobers. And, while so many other twists on the mainstays go off the rails, Stewart's are worth the detour.

Purchase "Three Cheers: Cocktails Three Ways: Classics, Riffs, and Zero-Proof Sips" for $18.94 on Amazon.

Skip this one if your cocktail-loving loved one is the perpetual cocktail night host, but if you've seen 'em refashion a Mason jar to shake up a martini even once, snag this gift. This Bare Barrel bar tools set comes not only with the pièce de résistance, but also with a jigger for precision pouring, a muddler for satisfactory bashing, a long spoon for superior swizzling, and a strainer for... keeping stuff out of your drink. The kit includes 14 pieces all in a relatively petite footprint and several shiny finishes.

Purchase Bare Barrel's mixology bartender kit for $59.99 on Amazon.

The moment when a person first transitions from Solo cups to actual glass is a momentous one. And, if you're blessed with as many friends as you are occasions to celebrate, it also begins with a path gleaming with broken glass. Seriously, host enough, and those proper glass glasses start to shatter. So start being The One to replace them. This "vintage" set of six looks the part, even though it was certainly more recently manufactured. At $50, it's probably about the same price as the quickly forgotten, likely duplicate bottle of booze you otherwise would have brought, and it comes in a cute gift box, for goodness' sake.

Purchase Say Ho Um's vintage crystal Champagne coupe glasses for $49.99 on Amazon.

Take all of the above, and add a classic twist that also happens to a perennial trend. That's the Nick & Nora, for ya. These four glasses are intended to evoke a kind of Art Deco sophistication for your friend's next Gatsby-themed fête, hopefully sans (spoiler alert) the bloodshed. While they're often used interchangeably with a coupe, Nick & Nora glasses often hold a little less volume, so they're ideal for all the mini martini imbibers in your bunch, and, even at a glance, their design is also little less vulnerable to sloshing, ideal for the greater guzzlers.

Purchase Glassique Cadeau's Nick and Nora glasses for $49.99 on Amazon.

If you're sensing a pattern, it must not be 5 o'clock where you are. Yes, this is the third — but last — glassware recommendation you'll get from us this gift giving season. Although they do seem sturdier thanks to their absence of stems, rocks glasses are also known to disappear in high-cadence cocktail households. Compared to the duo above, this set of six glasses is rather affordable (they actually look a dollar sign or two above their price tag), and it comes pre-packaged for optimal party guest convenience.

Purchase Triplorare's rocks glasses for $17.95.

Throwing a party is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, all of your closest friends have gathered at the time and place most convenient to you to celebrate the real or imagined occasion of your very own decree. On the other hand, hosting is a big job, and one might not find time to actually talk to all of those assembled besties between all of the requisite snack and drink freshening. Punch slakes about half of that labor, and you can easily give the gift of ease to your own duty-saddled pal with this punch bowl that also transforms into a domed cake stand, a dip vessel, a tray of no mandated particular use, and more.

Purchase Libbey's 6-in-1 multiuse glass server for $49.98 on Amazon.

Depending on where you are in the world, you may or may not be able to buy booze via Amazon. That is mostly why you don't see any listed here, although we do certainly have lists of our favorite gins for a dirty martini, cheap bourbons that are actually worth the buy, and top tequilas for excellent margaritas. Bitters are also critical to a lot of the terrific cocktails that you'll find in our book recommendations, and all over the internet. Strongwater is a staple maker, and this sampler set comes with the classic drops you'll dash into those Manhattans, as well as walnut, orange, and cherry bitters.

Purchase Strongwater's cocktail bitters sampler set for $24.95 on Amazon.

Twists, those lovely strips of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and other citrus varieties, are also crucial for plenty of drinks. That's why if you watch the old TV show "Cheers," the protagonist Sam Malone is almost constantly fiddling with fruit. They may have thought you wouldn't notice that he seems to do little else in the way of side work because he's so handsome, but you notice. Anywho, a Y-peeler makes the task more elegantly uniform and theoretically a little safer than the old steak knife that we suspect a lot of folks are using.

Purchase OXO Good Grips' Y-Peeler for $13.99 on Amazon.

Perhaps the most famous garnish of them all, even as one might be able to make a convincing case that they're actually outpaced by the aforementioned botanicals, olives enjoy an outsized place in the American cocktail aesthetic. Whether or not you even know how to order a martini like you know what you're doing, you probably know how to ask for one with olives. A multipurpose gift for any martini lovers, these Italy-imported Castelvetranos are peak picks not only for those iconic libations, but also in a little snack bowl.

Purchase ​​Frankies 457's whole Castelvetrano olives for $11.95 on Amazon.

Pass a certain age and the cherry on top isn't just for ice cream, it's also for that adult treat: alcohol. And, although you can technically toss a few into any old straight spirit, you'll more frequently find them crowning old fashioneds, mai tais, and the like. Luxardos (also Italian), are a deep, sexy, oxblood red, with more of a snap than the candy-adjacent babies that might otherwise punctuate those sundaes. We've even been known to introduce a drip or two of their thick syrup into an otherwise plain seltzer for a near-zero effort non-alcoholic beverage.

Purchase Luxardo maraschino cherries for $24.34 on Amazon.

With all this talk of garnish finery, we'd be remiss to skip a tip on how to suspend them. A single olive sunk to the bottom of a martini glass, for example, might be too great a metaphor to bear, but a trio pierced on one of these lovely gold-hued skewers signals abundance that simply makes you want to have another. They're also great, of course, for piercing those twists, cherries, grilled pineapple wedges, or whatever extra might dress up a cocktail lover's drink.

Purchase A Bar Above cocktail picks for $20 on Amazon.

These bloody Mary branches are the final boss of cocktail skewers, able to accommodate a veritable garden's worth of pickled vegetables, fruits, and even charcuterie elements that will turn brunch's favorite tipple into, well, brunch. There's a great chance that even the most creative bloody Mary maker on your list won't have these on their bar cart, and you can even toss in a bottle of tomato juice for a laugh and a few bucks more.

Purchase Raw Rutes cocktail trees for $18 on Amazon.

Depending on your drinking jurisdiction, caviar bumps, which is to say little tastes of fish eggs served alongside cocktails, may have been all the rage a few years ago. Yes, it was easy to make fun of the microtrend when it was bubbling up in unbearable rooftop bars for eye roll-worthy sums in the early 2020s. But, just like it's better to whip up a caviar snack at home than to order it at a restaurant, so, too, is it better to enjoy it alongside your own booze. Marky's is a leading dealer of sturgeon caviar, and this 1-ounce tin will net its recipient several petite tastes. Pair it with a Patelai mother of pearl spoon duo for proper portioning.

Purchase Marky's Siberian sturgeon royal caviar for $119.90 on Amazon.

We get it: Nobody over a certain age needs a darn game to get tipsy. But this is a far throw from your standard dorm room beer pong. Mixology dice aim to achieve quality, not quantity. One must already have a good selection of ingredients on hand to roll the bones and chance upon clever creations like, say, herbaceous gimlets, so maybe pair this gift with a bottle of St-Germain if you aren't certain about what the mixologist in question might have in stock.

Purchase Two Tumbleweeds mixology dice for $19.95 on Amazon.

You know what nobody has ever brought to one of our many, many parties? An Hermès scarf. Or non-alcoholic mixers, including the club soda, tonic, and ginger beer that populate this Q-brand variety pack. They're all just fine on their own, but the first two are easy clear liquor accompaniments, and your recipient can use the third for all of their copper-mugged Moscow mules, or any regionally specific, equine-inspired adaptations, for that matter.

Purchase Q mixers variety pack for $24.98 on Amazon.

Not many gifts are poised to make your Indiana Jones types even sexier, but boy, does this one do the trick. Barillio's traveling bartender bag comes packed with all the tools you need to turn any impromptu little drink session into a polished affair in one ruggedly handsome pack. It's got a shaker, a jigger, a zester, and even some darn ice tongs to slake any wandering thirst. It's basically everything but the booze, which a couple of rugged-looking flasks can easily solve to further extend this thing's maverick cred.

Purchase Barillio's traveling bartender bag for $96.99 on Amazon.

Sometimes that proverbial person who seems to have it all has overlooked the basics. And a big old ice cube tray is as advanced-basic as it gets. Do you know what can ruin a perfectly good cocktail? Dumb ice. Dumb ice can be those dastardly mid-sized discs that even decent bars peddle sometimes, pebble ice where pebble ice simply does not belong, or just the cloudy cubes from your French door refrigerator maker. Big ice, instead, is advanced, it's sophisticated, it's versatile, and virtually anyone can make it with this $15 piece of silicone, plus the price of tap.

Purchase OXO Good Grips covered ice cube tray for $14.95 on Amazon.

Most things are just better when they're followed by "in bed." Sure, breakfast gets a lot of attention, but drinks, and martinis in particular, are an even more intoxicating proposition — plus, there won't be any pesky crumbs. But you'll still need a place to put the drinks. This Juvale tray comes in three neutral colors, a couple of handle finishes, and ably does the job of, you know, holding stuff. It also includes a couple of coasters should your gift recipient want to protect this $30 investment.

Purchase Juvale's serving tray for $30.51 on Amazon.

Once a person has a big glass pitcher in their possession, they won't know what they did without it. Not only is this 2.5-quart pitcher terrific for mixing and serving all kinds of batch cocktails, it's ideal for the forgotten liquid: water. Who among us hasn't been caught just slightly off guard when a party-goer requests the wildcard, "just water." Now, your giftee can simply pour some in a pitcher, maybe add some sliced cucumber for that fancy hotel lobby effect, and get back to the act of hosting.

Purchase Simax's large glass pitcher for $34.99 on Amazon.