How To Make The Perfect Thanksgiving Cocktail Hamper For Gifting
Handmade gift baskets and hampers make some of the most thoughtful gifts for friends, family and loved ones. These gift baskets are personalised to reflect the taste and choices of the giftee, and can easily be made at home by sourcing and assembling bits and bobs from different stores that somehow make sense together.
A cocktail hamper, for instance, is ideal for anyone who enjoys bartending at home, or even intends to explore the art of mixology. Therefore, the hamper should necessarily contain a range of versatile mixers and liquors, so that the recipient can get multiple uses out of it.
Further, a Thanksgiving gift hamper could also feature a few essential bar tools, a pair of glasses, snacks and sweets that can be paired with the beverages.
Here is an exhaustive guide on how you can assemble the ideal gift hamper for Thanksgiving this year.
Spirits
The foundation of a good cocktail hamper is quality spirits. Bourbon and rye whisky are ideal for classics like Old Fashioned cocktail and Whisky sour cocktail, and pair with flavours like nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon.
Spiced rum, on the other hand, can be used for a variety of Thanksgiving cocktail recipes like Hot Toddy cocktail, featuring notes of clove and vanilla.
Gin is also a herbaceous cocktail base that can pair with a range of fall flavours, and can be a good option for someone who has an experimental streak.
Unique liqueurs and mixers
Liqueurs like cinnamon schnapps, ginger liqueur, or spiced pear liqueur fit well into the Thanksgiving hamper bag. Else, elements like a bottle of artisanal vermouth, lavender honey or maple syrup are also options one can tinker with to create a plethora of fall and winter cocktail beverages.
Flavours like ginger beer, spiced tonic, or apple soda are also quite adaptable across a large number of cocktail drinks.
Jello candies
Jello candies are a fun and easy DIY gift that you can add to each of your gift hampers to give it a unique edge. You can use ice moulds of any shape like brains or skulls, mix in the jello powder with boiling water and 50 ml of vodka, and sprinkle edible glitter onto them before refrigerating the jello candies overnight.
Next morning, take them out of the moulds, and drop a few different shapes of jello inside a ziplock bag generously dusted with edible glitter and powdered sugar and shake them around so that the jello balls do not stick to one another when they are transferred to fancy cellophane packets for gifting.
Festive Garnishes
Include a selection of garnishes to enhance the aesthetic appeal as well as flavour of each drink. These can be citrus wheels that have been sliced and dried, cinnamon sticks, star anise, dehydrated apple chips, or fresh rosemary and thyme.
Special Bar Tools
The aim of the hamper should be to make the recipient enjoy a professional-grade cocktail making experience. To enable this, select practical tools that are both functional and stylish. Things like cocktail shaker, muddler, jigger, a bar spoon and fine-mesh strainer are items that can last a lifetime, and thus function as good keepsakes as well.
Drink responsibly. This communication is intended for audiences aged 25 and above.
