DIY Festive Gift Hampers: Colourful Cocktails, Mocktails And Traditional Drinks
Families, friends or associates always deserve thoughtful gifts during the festive season. Instead of buying pre-set gifts, gifting something self-made creates connection with the receiver. A few such gifts include hampers of colourful cocktails, mocktails or traditional drinks mix hampers.
The basic components of a DIY customised cocktail gift hamper include: one base alcohol; one or a few colouring agents, bitters or sweeteners; one or more cocktail-making equipment, like a cocktail shaker (Boston or Cobbler) to mix and dilute all the ingredients; strainer, which separates the solid ingredients from the cocktail; a jigger to measure the alcohol quantity; glassware (martini cocktail glass set, coupe glass set, highball glass, etc.); bar spoon, a long and slender spoon to mix or create the colour layering in a cocktail; muddler to crush the ingredients like mint or citrus fruits; a juice press to extract juice from the citrus fruits; ice trays to keep ice; peelers to remove the skin and create garnishes. Any one or more elements can be added to the hamper.
3 Basic Gift Hampers For Colourful Cocktails & Mocktails
Rainbow Cocktail Hamper
A cocktail hamper can have - a bottle of vodka (base alcohol), grenadine (non-alcoholic mixer made from pomegranate syrup, sweet-tart in flavour and deep red), Blue Curacao (a deep blue mixer made from infused peels of Laraha citrus fruit native to curacao, also contains different herbs and spices, giving it a mixture of sweet, citrusy and bitter notes) that adds colour. A bar spoon and glassware, like hurricane glass, are suitable for this gift hamper with Rainbow Cocktail in mind.
Sunrise Mocktail Hamper
Different juices, like orange, pineapple, lemon, cranberry, etc., can be added to make a colourful mocktail gift hamper. One club soda or sparkling water bottle is needed to create the fizzy element. Juices are mixed in different ratios to create the hue in a mocktail, but alternatively, colouring agents, like grenadine, are also good. Finally, one or a few mocktail-making apparatuses like a bar spoon and a highball glass can be added to complete the hamper if Sunrise Mocktail is in mind.
Masala Chai Hamper
A traditional drink mix gift hamper can have Masala Chai ingredients and the apparatus to make it. This can include black tea leaves or dust, whole cardamom, cinnamon powder, cloves, star anise, etc. Equipment in this hamper can be a pot to boil the ingredients, a mortar and pestle to crush the spices for flavour, a strainer to separate the solid ingredients from the chai, and a cup set for serving. Adding these ingredients in separate, customised small pouches can be innovative. One or more equipment can be combined into the gift hamper along with the ingredients.
Gift Wrapping
Gift Wrapping In A Traditional Way
Pack the ingredients in a sturdy, customised box, basket, cardboard, or paper box. Place some shredded paper on it. Keep the larger items at the back and rows of smaller items at the front according to size. Wrap them with some good quality transparent cellophane paper or net.
Furoshiki Gift Wrapping
Alternatively, the gift items can be wrapped in a square, small fabric using a Japanese gift-wrapping method called Furoshiki. Put all these Furoshiki-wrapped ingredients in a gift box or scarf.
Adding A Recipe And Gift Card
Add a recipe card mentioning the recipes in each of these hamper boxes. For example, the basic rule of cocktail making is 2:1:1. This means 2 parts alcohol can be added to 1 part sour and 1 part bitter to create a cocktail. While gifting a mocktail hamper, add the golden ratio of mocktails in the recipe card, which is 4 parts- 1 part - 0.5 part, that means 4 parts of the base, like club soda or iced tea, 1 part sour and one-half part sweetener. Add some personal, heartfelt messages in paper tags, and the hampers will be ready to be gifted to the adored person.
Gift hampers can be customised for festive seasons based on seasonal ingredients and basic ingredients. It just needs a bit of research on what the receiver likes and appropriate customizations.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
