Give the gift of great cocktails! Here are some bar necessities under $20 that make perfect gifts for the beginning bartenders in your life. (And I’m just getting started! Keep checking back for more gift ideas.)

For about $13, “The Mr. Boston” Platinum Edition is a great gift for budding mixologists and cocktail aficionados. Mr. Boston recipes have never steered me wrong, and the platinum edition has over 1,500 recipes as well as tips and advice from the pros.

This 7-piece bar set has the tools every bar should have, packaged together in an ice bucket. It’s a good-looking and practical gift for any home bartender.

Fresh citrus juice is essential in many great cocktails. Fresh juice just tastes much much better! This squeezer is by far the easiest and least-messy one I’ve ever used.

It’s not a bar if you can’t make a martini. Vermouth is  a bar staple, and it does matter what kind you get. I like Vya extra dry vermouth. It’s made with whole dried herbs (rather than artificial flavoring or oils) … and it’s a difference you can taste.

Alcohol and food are a great combination.

But it can be surprisingly tricky to cook with beer, wine and liquor. (And no one wants to waste a drop of the good stuff)

Whether you’re looking for a gift or preparing to entertain for the holidays, these cookbooks are good for anyone looking to learn how to cook with booze:

Here’s to Good Food: Cooking With Beer, Wine, Liquor and Liqueurs
Cooking With Booze
Cooking With Jack, The New Jack Daniels Cookbook
Cooking With Beer Season by Season
The Gourmet’s Guide to Cooking With Wine

Here are some recipes that are really making me hungry:

Bourbon-Molasses Drumsticks
Pasta With Pepper Vodka Sauce
Shrimp With Spicy Chili and Beer Sauce
Long-Cooked Lamb Shoulder

At a loss for a cool Halloween costume?

I am.

Well, all it takes is a roll of duct tape.

The Original Duct Tape Halloween Book

19th Century bartender Jerry Thomas is known as the father of the American cocktail and most just called him “Professor”. With stints in New York, London, San Francisco and other cities about the globe, he spread cocktail culture the world over.

Imbibe is Jerry’s story and a great read. The author does a great job of capturing cocktail culture of the late 1800s. Truly a great read.

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar

more bartending books

Sangrias, margaritas and any other drink you can make in large pitcher is a wonderful addition to a Summer cocktail party or just a lazy Summer afternoon.

101 Sangrias and pitcher drinks gives you a new concoction to try for many Summers to come.

We say, get started now!

101 Sangrias and Pitcher Drinks

more Cocktail Books

As we close the bar on 2007, I felt it appropriate to take a look back. Sure everyone does these lists, but it is fun to look at the year that was. I I figure, hey! why not?

So with out further ado, here are some of my favorites from 2007.

Cheers!

January
- Gin, The New Vodka?
- Super Bowl Cocktails
- Top 10 US Party Cities

February
- Suck & Blow
- Presidential Cocktails
- Beer Launching Fridge

March
- Preparing Drinks in a Blender
- Million Dollar Tequila (really $1,000,000)
- Teach your baby how to mix cocktails
(more…)

Bartending & entertaining guides make great gifts. Here’s a few we really like.

Gary Regan — (writes for the SF Chronicle , very well regarded mixologist)
The bartenders Bible

Bartending for Dummies (always good)

The Craft of the Cocktail - Dale DeGroff — Legendary Bartender from the Rainbow Room

The ultimate A-Z Cocktail Book - I use this one alot

Cocktail Food - we gotta eat

Cocktail Parties with a twist

This one is just plain fun
Teach your baby how to mix cocktails

and more bartending books here