SusieDrinks’s Holiday Gift Guide

Yes, this is last minute, but I checked, and most of these can still be sent by Christmas! So, put your drink down (for just a little while) and get to ordering!

1. COCKTAIL BOOKS BY MY FRIENDS

Who doesn’t love a cocktail book? They look great on your bar cart or shelf and help you learn new cocktails. Both of these options offer delicious cocktails and just drop dead gorgeous photography … and both were written and photographed by friends of mine!

Cocktails, Mocktails, and Garnishes from the Garden: Recipes for Beautiful Beverages with a Botanical Twist by my booze friend Garnish Girl has intriguing cocktail recipes and tips on growing your own cocktail ingredients and garnish!

Amazon.com
$18.99
Delivery by Christmas? Amazon has your back …

Beautiful Booze: Stylish Cocktails to Make at Home by my other booze friends behind the Beautiful Booze team, Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson, has stunning photography and unique yet approachable cocktails you can make at home. They have some great punch options for your holiday parties, too!

Amazon.com
$27.99
Delivery by Christmas? You bet … Amazon has it handled.

Drinking with Chickens: Free-Range Cocktails for the Happiest Hour by Kate Richards

Amazon.com, Target
~$18

Texas Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of More Than 100 Recipes Inspired by the Lone Star State by Nico Martini

Amazon.com
~$16.50

Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season by Jessica Strand

Amazon.com, Anthropologie, Target
~$20

2. Apotheke Bar Candles

Apotheke combined two of my big loves … booze and candles. They recently released three booze-inspired soy wax, made in the USA candles as an homage to three of the “World’s 50 Best Bars” bars. The partnerships resulted in three intoxicating scents to represent Maybe Sammy’s Espresso Martini (using Mr Black), The NoMad Bar’s Nod to Nothing (using Absolut Elyx), and Attaboy’s Penicillin.

apothekeco.com
$28
Delivery by Christmas? I’m not sure about shipping on this one, but if you live in Brooklyn, you can pick it up from their warehouse in 2 days!

3. Fred Minnick’s Single-Barrel Hot Sauce

The bourbon connoisseur is branching out to hot sauce as a partnership with Kentuxican! If you know the name, you know that this will be great. Order now and get the first-ever sauces. The Holiday Pack comes with a bottle of three different blends—hot, medium, and Kentuxican.

kentuxican.com
$39.90 for three 5oz bottles (use code “Fred” for 10% off your purchase)
Delivery by Christmas? Hot damn, yes! Preorder ASAP for delivery by Christmas

4. Order from Foxtrot

This little shop is well curated and it’s easy to find a nice gift for just about anyone. They have booze, food and goods from local artisans, CBD supplements, candles, sex aids (really), body care, and much more. Create your own gift or pick one of their curated boxes.

Foxtrotco.com
various prices
Delivery by Christmas? Easy … they can deliver in under 30 minutes if you’re within five miles of one of their stores. And they can wrap it. (Also available to ship.)

5. Pokey O’s (Hot) Cookie Delivery

Did you know my family has an ice cream and cookie shop in Dallas? Sure do. And the cookies are delicious. Order on your favorite delivery app for HOT cookie delivery, or order on our website for delivery after Christmas.

Order on DoorDash, UberEats, Postmates, or Grubhub
Delivery by Christmas? Yup … however fast your delivery guy can get there, they can have them ready. 

6. Bowen House // Las Palmas Signature Candle

If you live in Dallas and you’ve been to either of these restaurants, you know how amazing these candles smell. This partnership done with local candlemaker Sweetly Recycled made for the most noseable candles you can find. Stop into Las Palmas for a candle and grab a gift card while you’re at it.

Pickup at the restaurant
$29 each, two for $56
Delivery by Christmas? You bet your boots. You can pick up as soon as you’re told they’re in stock!Call the hostess stand to reserve your candles.

7. Gardenuity Cocktail Garden

This cocktail garden can be shipped and set up in less than an hour! You get 4-6 cocktail-inspired herbs matched to your location and season and a 5 gallon “grow bag” with everything you need to prep the perfect soil for your herbs. Mine has been used quite a bit since I got the delivery!

Gardenuity.com or pickup at their Dallas shop
$76 (free shipping or Dallas pickup)
Delivery by Christmas? Yes! Order by noon on 12/20 for holiday delivery, or pick up today at their Dallas Design District shop!

8. RBT Bar Accessories

This line from RBT (formerly Rabbit) is just gorgeous. These black and brass bar accessories will undoubtedly up your bar’s look. And coming from a well-loved brand like RBT, you know it’s quality. (I first saw the decanter when staying at the Thompson Dallas and loved it so much that I just had to track it down.)

Bottle Opener, $45
Electric Corkscrew, $125
Manual Corkscrew, $40
Decanter, $110
Delivery by Christmas? A couple of these could get to you by Christmas … you can find these items on Amazon or at West Elm, Bloomingdale’s, and Pottery Barn, so see who offers fast enough shipping!

9. Gamechanger Hangover Patches

The name is accurate … these really are a game changer. I’ve used these a few times when I’ve had a couple more cocktails than intended, and they are effective. (They leave a little reside that can easily by scrubbed off, but it’s worth it.)

Amazon.com
~$3.50 per patch
Delivery by Christmas? You bet!

10. Absolut Elyx Tiny Tini Coupes

I LOVE everything that Absolut Elyx does, but their copper just delights me. I have a set of these and used them at a Friendsgiving to make everyone some Tiny ‘Tinis, and they may be small, but they were mighty.

AbsolutElyxBoutique.com
Delivery by Christmas?  Cross your fingers, but it’s worth a try!

11. ReserveBar Gift Card

Can’t figure out what to get? Just send them a gift card! I love the selection and unique offerings Reserve Bar has, and they give you the chance to engrave some bottles!

ReserveBar.com
Delivery by Christmas? Yup! You can send them electronically!

How to Drink Well at an All-Inclusive Resort

Whether it’s a quick getaway to relax or a friend’s destination wedding, we’ve all found ourselves standing at a swim-up bar trying to decide what drink will be the best balance of tasty, boozy, and non-hangover-inducing. My recent trip let me try out some of my theories, and here’s what I learned …

Take Care of Yourself First

As a general reminder: if you drink enough of anything—high end or well—you’re going to have a hangover. Water and food always help, but keep in mind that you’re (likely) in the pool/ocean, so you won’t notice dehydration creeping up on you. And the sun doesn’t help. These trips are a marathon, not a sprint, so be sure to eat all your meals. Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea.

How to Order

First, be respectful of the bartenders. They’re busy and deal with a LOT of people, so be prepared when you get to the bar. Make yourself memorable (in a good way) and tip well. (It may be all-inclusive, but it’s still good form to tip. Just a dollar or two each drink, or if you want to be boujie like my friends and I were, we did $10/round.) Tipping may get you the top shelf pours, and it’s nice to be remembered.

Most resort properties will have a “deal” with a specific spirits company to stock only their bottles, so it’s likely you may not find exactly what you drink at home, and that’s ok! Find a bottle you like and go from there.

Just like any other night out, it’s best to pick a direction and stick with it. Don’t have a beer, then a margarita, then a frozen daiquiri, then wine, then another margarita … that’s the fastest way to get to hangover city. (And I’ll kindly stay on the party train, thanks.)

At some resorts the well isn’t always the only option; you can just ASK for the higher-end bottles. Get the lay of the land early when it comes to options.

What to Order

My go-to this past trip was rum. Since they had Havana Club on the back bar, I asked for it every time—whether it was a shot, a classic daiquiri (on the rocks), a neat/OTR pour, or in a frozen piña colada.

While I can’t tell you what to like, I can tell you what to avoid. Those bartenders can make frozen drinks in their sleep so it’s a quick option, and sometimes they batch them out with less booze than you’d want/expect … and all that means you’re likely to have one (or five) frozen drinks during your trip. Just remember that those frozen drinks often have a lot of sugar, which doesn’t always mean good drinks for your hangover potential.

Learn how to ask for what you want specifically and in their language. (I asked for a classic daiquiri (not frozen). I knew how to ask for it in Spanish and 7/10 times it was perfect.)

PRO TIPS

Take your own reusable cup and straw. Many all-inclusives are in hotter climates, so your drink is likely to melt/warm up quickly. A Yeti-style cup will help with that, and may get you a bigger pour (if you’re going with beer), so you’ll spend less time at the bar.

And many resorts now don’t have any straws on-property, and not having straws makes that frozen drink a bit difficult to sip. Just don’t lose track of it, bc I love turtles.

TLDR

Drink plenty of water and eat.

Be nice. Tip well.

Ask for the higher-end bottles.

Ask for the drink you want.

 

Slim Shooters

Pool season only just started, and I’m already tired of canned cocktails and sparkling seltzers. So what’s better than a can by the pool? … a tube. (Yes, you read that right.)

The people at Slim Chillers (the folks who make delicious boozy popsicles, Skinny Freezers) just came out with a new product, Slim Shooters. These premixed shooters are ideal for a pool day with friends when you don’t want to make a bunch of different drinks to accommodate all the picky guests. Just take the whole pack to the pool, throw them in the cooler to chill (which isn’t even necessary), and enjoy!

There are two different flavor packs you can get now—Creamy & Delicious or Refreshing & Fruity.

Refreshing & Fruity (Specialty): Coconut Lime, Black & Blue, Granny Apple, Raspberry Lemonade, and Just Grape

Creamy & Delicious (Vodka Cream): Salted Caramel Pecan, Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Mint, Peaches n’ Cream, Oatmeal Cookie, and Banana Cream Pie

The flavors were all quite nice, but my favorite were Salted Caramel Pecan, Black & Blue, and Coconut Lime. The best part, though? They limited the sugar, so they’re not overly sweet and are a little kinder to your calorie budget!

Each pack comes with 30 tubes of vodka-based boozy shooters at 25mL each. Ringing in at 35 proof (17.5%), these little pockets of booze are true party starters. What even better is, if you don’t feel like lugging a cooler to the pool and emptying your ice machine, they can be served at room temperature!

SLIM SHOOTERS

35 proof (17.5%)
~$27.99 for a 30-pack

In the DFW area, these (and their Slim Chillers popsicles) are available at Total Wine, and other liquor stores. Look for a place close to you here.
Or order online here.

El Rincon Opens in Addison Circle

El Rincon, a local, family-owned Mexican restaurant, recently opened its THIRD location in Addison Circle earlier this year. This authentic spot’s first location opened in Carrollton in 2016, and they’ve been a neighborhood favorite since. (I even made the long drive from Dallas Proper to eat at their original location a couple times!) But, I’m delighted that their third spot is even closer to me.

Their dishes and cocktail are made from scratch with fresh ingredients, and you can taste the quality. While TexMex in DFW is a cut throat category, they’ve continued to stand out, and rightfully so. (I broke my diet after this shoot so I could get my face in their queso … it was irresistible.) You’ll also melt when a hot plate of fajitas passes your table; because they’re legit. With five fajita options, there’s a little something for everyone. (Order extra tortillas … you’re welcome.)

As I say in nearly every review—I know why you’re here … THE BOOZE. And luckily, El Rincon has some great drinks. Their approach to the bar is simple yet impactful—they want quality spirits and cocktails, and that extends to their staff’s knowledge. They ensure their staff knows what they’re serving and where it comes from. They say themselves, “[they] believe in fully understanding where our drinks come from.”

Can’t decide which of their delicious-sounding margaritas to get? Opt for their margarita flight—three margaritas made with their house-infused tequilas. (Currently they’re offering tamarind, pineapple-serrano, and hibiscus-ginger margaritas in the flight.) For people like me who just like to try everything, it’s ideal. (It’s like a cruise … see what you like best, and then you can go back to it!)

One of their cocktails, the El Jefe Margarita, is really special. They bring together a house blend of Herradura Anejo Tequila (that they went to Mexico to pick themselves), Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar and they shake it tableside and serve it up in a martini glass. To make sure you appreciate their house Herradura blend, you get a small taste of it to sip on the side.

Beyond great cocktails, killer specials/HHs, and curated spirits list, El Rincon offers tastings and specials to help their customers appreciate spirits. They’re passionate about the juice, and want their guests to learn about them, too! Every Tuesday they feature a tequila and put it on special so guests have a chance to explore new brands, expressions, and flavors. Watch their website and social channels for regular announcements of the upcoming tastings and features. (Also ask about their tequila flights!)

The staff is friendly and ready to take care of your needs. As they say, “Come as a guest, leave as family.”

EL RINCON
elrincontx.com

Carrollton: 1114 South Elm Street #100  | 469-892-6429
Frisco: 2809 Preston Road #1200 | 469-664-0012
Addison: 5004 Addison Circle | 469-547-1019

HAPPY HOUR & SPECIALS
Monday (all day, Tuesday-Friday (3-7pm), Saturday (5pm-close)

$5 house margaritas, $5 sangria ‘ritas, $5 select wines BTG, $4 well drinks, $4 bottled beers, $3 Crown & Fireball, $3 draft beer, $2 off appetizers

Tuesday: $10 taco entrees, featured tequila specials
Wednesday: 1/2 price bottles of wine, $3 house blanco margaritas
Thursday: $4 house margaritas & sangria ‘ritas, $3 draft beers
Saturday (11am-3pm): kids eat free

El Rincon is currently observing all COVID precautions to keep guests safe.

BAR CART STYLING 101

Many of us have these beautiful bar carts but have no clue what needs to be on them. (I use mine as booze storage … if you’ve ever seen my place, you know that’s a necessary evil.) I was having a chat with my friend who owns Talking Out of Turn and she said a Bar Cart 1010 would be a helpful post … ask and you shall receive!

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS

  • Keep it classy. All due respect … this is not the place for your koozies and your favorite bottle opener from college.
  • Keel it simple. Don’t crowd your bar cart!
  • Let the booze do the talking. Many bottles are pretty enough to be art … show them off!

CART

The cart itself makes a bold statement. My brass and mirrored cart is from West Elm (and matches some other furniture), but you can find many different styles to reflect your home or the kind of drinks you make. Here are some suggestions for different  …

For the drinker who wants to be just like Susie: Terrace Bar Cart (West Elm, $399)
For the Romantic: Champagne Cart (World Market, $199) | Kiven round Bar Cart (Wayfair, $145)
For the Lucite Lover: Atka Bar Cart (Wayfair, $214)
For the Bourbon Lover: Wood & Gold Bar Cart (Target, $150)
For the Bachelor: all black Hoskin Bar Cart (Wayfair, $215) | Dram Bar Cart (Burrow, $295)
For the Tiki Fanatic: Opalhouse Rattan Bar Cart (Target, $150) | Darcy Bar Table (Williams-Sonoma, $595)

GLASSWARE

There’s not much more stunning than a nice set of glassware. Having a stack of rocks glasses I think is the classiest look on a bar car, and I think these Talking Out of Turn rocks glasses ($20, set of 4) really make an impact. This set of four glasses offers four different gold prints—I like the grid the best as it reminds me of some of the glasses my grandmother had on her bar cart.

If you’re allowing your guests to make their own cocktails, make sure to have a variety of glassware handy so your guests can make anything from shots to martinis.

BAR TOOLS

Choose a color and invest. I have multiple sets for my cocktail pictures, but you should choose a finish and lean in. I prefer tools by Barfly; their tools are well made, well weighted, and reasonably priced. Cocktail tools are NOT the place to buy cheap; you want tools that will be reliable. The last thing you want is for your cheap shaker to bust open when you start shaking a cocktail. (Aunt Sue still hasn’t forgiven me for the incident last Thanksgiving involving a whiskey sour with egg white.)

Basic cocktail tools I suggest you have on-hand: jigger (measuring cup), shaker, stirring glass, stirring spoon, strainer, and muddler.

Barfly sells their tools on their website or on Amazon.

COASTERS

I picked out these adorable canvas coasters from Talking Out of Turn ($12, set of four). I’ve just about had it with glass coasters that get stuck to the glass and then fall off. I’ve decided that fabric is the way to go. They’re easier to store and actually do their job!

BAR BOOKS

Your bar cart shouldn’t look like a bookshelf, but a well placed book (or stack) is not only convenient, but necessary. And many books look stunning enough to be considered art. My go-tos this season have been:
– Drinking with Chickens by Kate Richards ($20): This book, y’all … is greatness. Kate actually drinks with her chickens and takes pictures of it. Look for hilarity and high balls from this book.
– Beautiful Booze by Natalie Migliarini & James Stevenson (~$20): Another well named cocktail book … this one really is beautiful. My friends Natalie and James are beyond talented and this book is proof. The pictures are stunning and the cocktails are all well-balanced and unique.
– Very Merry Cocktails by Jessica Strand ($17.21): this lovely holiday cocktail book has plenty of merry mixes to keep our holiday spirits high
– Texas Cocktails by Nico Martini ($16): This Lone Star State cocktail guide happens to be written by another friend of mine! Look for classic Texas cocktail recipes and signature cocktails from your favorite bars across the great state complete with the stories behind them and lovely photography.

INGREDIENTS – Booze, Bitters, & Modifiers

While you’ll never have EVERYTHING you need (there will always be a recipe that calls for some obscure liqueur from Norway or a bar spoon of Malört), you can have a basic stock of the following to make quite a few classics:

Basic liquors: whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, vodka (there are many different varieties of each, but these are the basics)
Modifiers: sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, orange liqueur (Cointreau), elderflower liqueur (St-Germain)
Aperitifs/Digestifs: Campari, Averna, Montenegro
Bitters (the salt and pepper of bartending): Angostura, Peychaud’s, orange bitters
Sugars/syrups: simple syrup, demerara (unbleached sugar), sugar cubes
Citrus juices: lemon, lime
Mixers: soda water, tonic, ginger beer
Garnish: Luxardo cherries, whole citrus (for the rind), dried fruits (these last longer and are edible!)

The space on a bar car is obviously limited, so if you run out of room, you can use something like this metallic wine total from Talking Out of Turn ($18) to hang a bottle on the side. (This also makes a great hostess gift with a bottle of wine or a unique amaro.)

ETC.

Some extra items to have handy:

  • Cocktail picks & swizzle sticks: for your garnish
  • Bottle opener
  • Wine bottle opener
  • Hand towel: it’s just good sense
  • Ice bucket: make sure to get good ice!
  • Ice mold: I love my custom gold ice press from Bevratech! It makes a perfect sphere every time, and it’s a great party trick!(presses start at $199)
  • Vegetable peeler: these allow you to peel a citrus garnish
  • Knife and cutting board
  • Cocktail napkins: it’s right there in the name …

Again, these are the BASIC ITEMS that will allow you to make quite a few cocktails. If y’all love this and want a Bar Cart 201, let me know!

 

 

CHAI CHAI AGAIN

We were all sad when Kentucky’s most well known horse race was rescheduled to September. And now we’re even more bummed that it was announced that it’ll be run with no spectators. (Though it’s understandable, given the circumstances … it still sucks!)

Luckily, my friends over at Maker’s Mark whisky want to give you some fall-inspired juleps to sip so you can still celebrate the fastest  two minutes in Sports in true southern style (with a julep in-hand) … and they brought me in to help you do it!

They sent me (and some of my other blogger buddies), a box with some horse race goodies and the following items: cinnamon, star anise, and a handful of syrups (mint, cran, vanilla , hazelnut, and noisette.) We were asked to pick at least two of those items to use in our juleps, and I went with THREE—vanilla syrup, cinnamon, and star anise.

Juleps are such simple cocktails (bourbon, sugar, water, and mint), so I wanted to keep it simple. So, I added some chai to the vanilla syrup (recipe to make your own below). I named it “Chai Chai Again” because I thought that was a name that could actually be given to a horse running the race. (I will honestly say that I partially bet on horses with great names.)

I will be making this cocktail often … it’s quite easy once you make the vanilla chai syrup (also easy to make)! Upon first sip, I was delighted and really wished it was starting to get chilly out. The chai lent some spice and the Maker’s Mark 46 complimented it perfectly thanks to the extra nine weeks they let it rest in a limestone cave with French oak staves added.

CHAI CHAI AGAIN
2 oz Maker’s Mark 46 Bourbon whisky
1/2 oz chai vanilla syrup (recipe below)
Mint Leaves
Cinnamon stick garnish & sprinkle

Combine whisky and syrup in a julep cup, stir, then top with pellet ice. garnish with mint leaves and sprinkle with a touch of ground cinnamon. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, fresh (slapped) mint, and a star anise.

CHAI VANILLA SYRUP
4 chai tea bags (straight chai … make sure it’s not chai spice!)
1/3 C maple syrup
1 T vanilla bean paste (extract acceptable if paste isn’t available)
1 C water

In a pot, boil water, then remove from heat and add tea bags. Allow to steep for 12 minutes, then remove bags and stir in maple syrup and vanilla. Put back on heat and bring to a boil again for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Some of my lovely neighbors, Victoria and Stuart, had planned to attend this year and were ready to be dressed to the nines with matching outfits, hats, etc. … and even had some custom masks made so they’d look fancy AF in the stands. I was sad that they were going to miss it, so I invited them out to show off their duds and drink some of my vanilla chai juleps with me during this shoot! Don’t they look great?!

Big thanks to @makersmark for letting me play along on this sponsored campaign! #ad

The Pom Pom // Courtesy of Hopdoddy Burger Bar

1.5oz Monte Alban Silver Tequila
.5oz Grand Marnier
1oz Pomegranate syrup
1oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
.50 Simple syrup
2oz Ginger Beer

Add all ingredients (except the Ginger beer) to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
Strain contents into a pint glass over fresh ice.
Top with Ginger beer and garnish with a lime wedge.

This, and other cocktails, are available at Hopdoddy during their Hoppy Hour. Visit hopdoddy.com to see all their HH specials!