Choosing a gift for a cocktail-lover can be a bit of a minefield, so we’ve tested a selection from mixology kits to taster sets to help you spend your money wisely.

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For extra gift inspiration, take a look at some of our other guides, like the best cocktail subscriptions and clubs, best canned cocktails, best ready-made cocktails, best cocktail shakers and best home bar supplies, all tried-and-tested by the BBC Good Food experts.

For more advice and help, head over to our drinks reviews page, where you’ll find our round-ups of the best gins, whisky, white rum, coffee liqueur and more. If you fancy treating someone to a new bottle for the bar cart, we've selected the best gin deals and offers whenever we've spotted great deals on brands including Bombay Sapphire, Chase, Whitley Neill and more.

Looking for a personalised gift idea? Put together a customised My BBC Good Food cookbook, or treat someone you love to one of our online cookery courses.

20 best gifts for cocktail lovers 2023

Ramona coupe glasses, set of 4

Serve cocktails in style with these dinky coupe glasses, updating a 1920s design. Available in lilac, turquoise or peach.

Available from:
Anthropologie (£48)

NIO cocktail boxes

These classy single-serve cocktail pouches are easy to send through the post. You can buy packs in different sizes: three for £19.50, six for £39 or nine for £59. Simply rip and pour to serve. NIO's range consists of all the classics, including margaritas and manhattan. Each cocktail we tried was punchy and flavoursome in equal measure. Keep an eye out for seasonal additions, too.

Available from:
NIO (from £19.50)

Gin & Tonic hamper by olive magazine

Our sister brand olive magazine has curated a craft gin hamper sure to please any gin lover. Inside is a full-size 700ml bottle of Jensen's Bermondsey Dry gin, a rich, heady gin produced by Jensen's craft distillery. Neighbouring brand Bermondsey Mixer Co. uses natural cinchona bark from South America to give tonic its distinctive flavour and amber hue - there are four flavours to try in this hamper, including grapefruit and cucumber. A selection of bean-to-bar chocolates from Bermondsey-based Lucocoa complete the hamper, with flavours ranging from milk to 70% dark and natural blonde.

Available from:
olive shop, £59.99

Uberstar silicone diamond ice tray

Give homemade drinks a professional look with chunky diamond ice cubes. Drinks on the rocks just got a boost, and the silicone makes it easy to release the ice.

BTFY Manhattan Iridescent Cocktail Set

You can’t help but love this holographic cocktail shaker set made to be kept out on a bar cart or bookshelf instead of being tucked away. A good cocktail kit is the starting point to experimenting with cocktails at home, and this has it all: the shaker, strainer, jigger, double-ended spoon and muddler, plus a recipe guide to get started with the classics.

Available from:
Vonhaus (£24.99)

Gin mule hamper

Know somebody who loves a Moscow mule? This sleek hamper from Not Another Bill is the ultimate boozy hamper delivery - containing a full size bottle of Sipsmith London Dry Gin, plus four classic steel hammer mugs for serving up your finished drinks. As a bonus, it also has a whole cocktail set including cocktail shaker, measuring jigger, tongs and strainer.

Available from:
Not Another Bill (£90)

Premium bartenders’ cocktail set

Comprising five pieces of mixology equipment, this gift is for someone who's serious about cocktails. It has a 570ml shaker, jigger, fine strainer, wooden muddler, bar blade, spoon and handy canvas bag to keep it all contained.

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Patrón Paloma Picante cocktail kit

More fun than just gifting a bottle, this DIY set contains everything you need to make three spicy palomas – miniature bottles of tequila, spiced sugar syrup and grapefruit soda, plus dehydrated lime for garnishing.

Available from:
Cocktail Porter (£33)

Umeshuya starter set

Of all of the cocktail gifts we tested, this was the set that really got us talking. This unassuming trio is a showcase of three sakes: shio ume (plum sake with salt water), shio yuzu (yuzu sake with salt water) and Kyoto umeshu (plum sake). We loved the logo and the set is beautifully presented. Each sake is bursting with complex flavour. Take the shio yuzu for example: we detected a deeply salty preserved lemon aroma on the nose, and enjoyed a clean, natural, sour yuzu flavour, that developed a slightly nutty rice-flavoured finish. These sophisticated sakes are an adventure on the palate and a must-buy for inquisitive cocktail lovers.

Available from:
Umeshuya (£18)

Mr Black cold brew coffee liqueur

From Australian brand Mr Black, this cold brew coffee liqueur is sure to elevate any home bar. Straight out of the bottle this liqueur has the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The drink is sweet and features a natural coffee bitterness, with notes of fragrant vanilla and dark chocolate.

Of course, this liqueur is ideal for an espresso martini. We also think it’d work brilliantly in a mudslide with vodka and cream liqueur. Read our full review of Mr Black cold brew coffee liqueur.

Sow Clever cocktail herbs big kit

Sow Clever is a Yorkshire-based, family-run business that sells grow-your-own herb, vegetable and flower kits. For cocktail lovers, there's the Cocktail Herbs kit, which contains seeds for basil, lemon balm, mint and lavender. Each box comes equipped with everything you need – compost, seeds and tray – so all you need to do is add water. For those who've never grown their own, the included instructions are easy to follow – you don't need a garden either, just a balcony or windowsill.

Kocktail, Old Fashioned Collection

This letterbox-sized kit is the perfect gift for anyone who loves an old fashioned. Included are one classic tipple and three inviting twists on the cocktail: peanut butter and jelly, salted maple, and cherry cola. Each single serve is made using Buffalo Trace bourbon and comes with a well-considered garnish that really helps elevate the drinking experience.

Each drink also comes with a recipe card detailing everything you need to know about how to recreate them. They're well-balanced and memorable – the peanut butter and jelly was a standout.

Available from:
Kocktail (£39)

Cocktails by Candlelight

Cocktails by Candlelight is a unique concept providing gifts for the creative cocktail lover. These kits contain everything you need to make two delicious cocktails and coconut wax candles. We chose the spicy watermelon margarita, but there are a whole host of other cocktails to choose from, including bramble, negroni and espresso martini, as well as seasonal offerings for Halloween and Christmas.

Our margarita had a peppery kick. The watermelon flavour was authentic and very well balanced, standing up to punchy jalapeño and lime.

Making the candle was great fun, too, and the instructions were clear. Ideal for a creative evening in with a date or a friend.

Available from:
Cocktails by Candlelight (from £24)

M&S Marksologist range

M&S’s Marksologist range features six premixed cocktails: margarita, espresso martini, passion star martini, clover club, negroni and old fashioned. These bottles are a lovely gift to keep in the fridge for after-work drinks or to share with friends. Each bottle is £18, or buy the whole collection for £108.

The margarita was a standout for us. This twist on the classic features jalapeño and coriander, making it a more complex drink than a standard margarita. We loved the strong and savoury capsicum flavours and the earthiness of the coriander.

If you’re after a punchy pre-mixed cocktail, look no further.

Available from:
M&S (£108 for complete range)

Fox and Velvet Cocktail Prints

These vibrant cocktail prints are an ideal gift for a cocktail lover with an already fully-stocked bar. They’d look fab hung in the kitchen or above a bar cart, and bring a welcome pop of colour to any room. A range of cocktail designs are available, from amaretto sours to dirty martinis, so you’re sure to find the ideal print. They come in a good range of sizes, too.

Available from:
Fy! (from £16)

Two Birds 20cl gift box

This one is for flavoured vodka lovers. The set comes with one bottle of salted caramel vodka and one of after-dinner mint vodka. Both tasted good sipped neat, but we think they’d be ideal for festive additions to classic cocktails; try the salted caramel in an espresso martini and the after-dinner mint in a chocolate martini.

Available from:
British Honey (£26)

Aarke Carbonator 3

Aarke Carbonator 3

This sleek and industrial-looking sparkling water pump was named Star Buy in our test of the best models on the market. If you’re buying for someone who likes to make their cocktails from scratch or loves a gadget, this would be a thoughtful present. Read our full review of the best sparking water makers for more options.

Bristol Cocktails

If the person you’re buying for is a cocktail lover, but you’re not too sure what their favourite is, this trio from Bristol Cocktail Company are a generously sized selection of the classics. Buy the whole pack or select bottles of piña colada, margarita or passion fruit martini separately. The bottles are attractive and we love the dark wood cork. Each cocktail simply needs shaking up with ice. Each tasted great – we could pick out individual flavours. Whether you’re gifting all three or just one, these do not disappoint.

Available from:
Bristol Cocktail Company (from £19.95)

Monin cocktail syrups set

No home bar is complete without a set of flavoured syrups. This set from Monin (who you'll know for their coffee syrups) contains a generous range of five flavours: passion fruit, strawberry, mint, coconut and elderflower. Each 5cl bottle is enough for a couple of cocktails, so you'll quickly be able to work out your new favourite. Larger, full-size bottles of each syrup are also available to buy separately.

Kyrö dairy cream liqueur

All the way from Finland, this cream liqueur is perhaps surprisingly both lactose- and gluten-free. It has a rye whisky base and, when poured over ice, we picked up vanilla notes as well as chocolate, caramel, star anise and roasted nuts. It works beautifully in coffee cocktails, but we enjoyed it on its own. It has a luxuriously creamy mouthfeel and is undeniably moreish. We originally thought the four-week shelf-life in the fridge was a little short, but we had no problem polishing it off way before then.

Two Birds pick 'n' mix ready-to-drink cocktail pouches

Two Birds' cocktail pouches offer quirky twists on classic recipes. Each pack consists of four cocktails, of which there are eight to choose between – our favourite was the Cherry Mai Sky (a twist on a mai tai). There's no special kit required – simply shake the pouch and pour. Whether entertaining at home or visiting a friend's for drinks, these cocktail pouches are sure to please.

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If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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