10 perfect holiday gifts for foodies, cocktail lovers and adventurers
From French-style aperitifs to churro kits, backpack friendly flasks and wine-stained -- on purpose -- aprons, these gifts are sure to surprise and delight your favorite people.
By now, you’re likely in the throes of holiday shopping, trying to balance the Amazon “Buy Now” clicks with gifts that offer a little something more. Our annual holiday gift guide is a treasure trove of thoughtfully curated, locally-made gift ideas for those on your list who love food, drinks — there’s definitely a wine theme this year — and adventure.
You’ll find the perfect present to nurture the curious kid in your life, the ideal gift for dessert fiends and a cocktail book that uncovers the Bay Area’s best watering holes — and their drink recipes, too. Oh, and we totally support the “one for them, one for me” motto.
EAT: A DIY churro kit
Dessert fiends will relish the opportunity to make golden-fried, cinnamon sugar-coated churros at home with this everything-but-the-oil kit from Global Grub. The Walnut Creek-based company makes eight DIY food kits, from sushi and ravioli to next-level focaccia (yes, bread art is still thriving) and Iron Chef Morimoto-approved mochi doughnuts.
The DIY Churro Kit includes a piping set, churro mix, cinnamon sugar, chocolate dipping mix and step-by-step instructions to get those ridged fritters just right. All you need to add is water and 2/3 cup vegetable oil. A deep-fry thermometer is highly recommended to maintain the ideal churro-loving temperature of 375 degrees, but they also offer tips on how to achieve deep-fry bliss without one.
Details: DIY kits range from $32 to $43 — the churro kit is $40 — and can be shipped nationwide from Global Grub or Uncommon Goods. https://globalgrub.com
PLAY: Atlas Obscura for kids
Know a kid obsessed with awesomely weird facts, like how the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas (yes, they have one) has a cowboy hat on top? They’ll fall in love with “The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid” (Workman Publishing). The New York Times bestseller came out in 2018 but this paperback edition is new and much easier for budding globetrotters to tote around.
With gorgeous full-color illustrations by Joy Ang, authors Dylan Thuras and Rosemary Mosco brilliantly dive into 100 destinations across 47 countries, exploring everything from the world’s largest cave — it’s in Vietnam — to the Cambodian belief that the human head is sacred and should never be patted. And this mindbender: Until about 8,000 years ago, sea levels were so low you could walk from England to France.
Be sure to point out the handy packing list, world map and GPS coordinates to your future geography or anthropology major.
Details: For ages 8-12. $15 at https://books.atlasobscura.com or from your favorite indie bookstore. (Indiebound.org can help you find one near you.)
DRINK: San Francisco cocktail book
Cocktail lovers who try to replicate their favorite Bay Area bar’s creations will flip over SF Weekly writer Trevor Felch’s new cocktail book. Reading “San Francisco Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the City by the Bay,” they’ll not only master the history of our region’s classic watering holes — think Trader Vic’s and its Mai Tai — but also the key players in the modern craft movement, from Foreign Cinema to Paper Plane and Bourbon & Branch, and the rising stars.
After Felch makes his way through The Mission (Elixir and its 2018 Cocktail of the Year, Pamplemousse Au Poivre), SoMa (Burma Club’s Ananda Spritz) and Chinatown (Cold Drinks’ Sometimes Old Fashioned), he introduces readers to the best watering holes across the Bay. Selby’s in Redwood City has the perfect martini cart. Oakland’s Viridian makes an umami-rich must-sip, the Tomato Beef. And at Palo Alto’s rum-centric La Bodeguita del Medio, it’s all about The Mario, an off-menu riff on the Hemingway.
Bravo to Felch for this comprehensive, discovery-filled collection. It’ll make you thirsty.
Details: $23. “San Francisco Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the City by the Bay” is published by Cider Mill Press. Find it at the De Young Museum Store or your local book store.
DRINK + PLAY: Torch Flask
Warming one’s bones after a day in the mountains. Easing into a night of sleeping on pine cones. Disinfecting wounds and, god forbid, splashing into the face of a charging bear. Booze has many practical applications in the backcountry.
For folks who want to pack it in style, there’s the Torch pocket flask from San Rafael’s High Camp Flasks, whose motto is: “Just because we’re outdoors doesn’t mean we need to drink like animals.”
The flask is small at 6 ounces but designed to deliver the perfect sip. If you like your drinks neat, just fill it up and rest assured the stainless-steel interior won’t impart any weird metallic tastes. For a chilled tipple, unscrew the base and insert ice – the double walls will keep it cold. (That removable base also makes the flask easy to clean.) And if you’re dangling from a cliff and need a boost of liquid adrenaline the sake cup-inspired shot cap is easily popped open by one hand, thanks to its magnetic coupling.
Details: A Torch Flask is $99. Other styles and sizes (with laser-customization options) are available at highcampflasks.com.
EAT + DRINK: Wine-stained aprons
Know somebody who loves wine so much they want to go beyond drinking it? Then perhaps help them wear it, with a nifty chef’s apron that gets its fetching violet hue from cabernet sauvignon.
Heritage Aprons are the result of a partnership between Napa’s nearly century-old Louis M. Martini winery and San Francisco’s Lundy Way, a bespoke clothing operation founded by a culinary pro from Pacifica whose industry fans include Bryan Voltaggio of “Top Chef” fame.
The heavyweight organic cotton garments are wine-stained to create washes of purple that will have your dinner guests experiencing phantom smells of oak and cassis. (If you want to go crazy, Martini’s website also offers exclusive tie-died versions with bottles of fancy cab for $750.) Handy lap and chest pockets keep pens and recipe books in quick reach. Best of all, spill some wine, and it’ll blend into the clothing just fine – you can view it as refreshing the apron’s signature hue.
Details: The $85 double-stitched aprons measure 31 inches long and 33 inches wide, with adjustable straps, and are available in limited quantity at lundyway.com.
EAT: Chocolate made with wine pomace
What happens to wine grapes after their juices have been pressed to make vino? Some vintners distill this pomace, as it’s called, into grappa or use it to make flavored oils. If you happen to own a spa, too, you could whip it up into quite the scrub treatment. But by and large, these leftover solids make their way into animal feed, compost or waste. Lots of waste.
One Santa Rosa-based company figured out how to dry and mill the pomace into an antioxidant-packed byproduct called WellVine Chardonnay Marc — and put it in rich, premium chocolate.
Jackson Family Wines’ aptly-named Vine to Bar upcycled dark chocolate contains no alcohol but pairs really well with wine, especially the Tart Cherry with Cocoa Nibs bar. Get yourself — er, your chocolate-loving boo — the library box which comes with four bars. Sustainable and scrumptious.
Details: The box ($34.50) includes Dark Chocolate, Almond with Pink Himalayan Salt, Chardonnay Smoked Salt and Cocoa Nibs and the tart cherry. Available at www.vinetobar.com.
PLAY: Bejeweled dog collars
Buster needs something special under the tree this year. For him or the dog lover in your life, look no further than Paco Collars. The tiny, four-person, Berkeley-based business specializes in beautiful handcrafted Latigo leather collars often studded with silver hardware or, say, aqua gemocites or fuchsia moonstones. Latigo is the same leather used in horse tack, and it’s specially treated to last.
Owner-founder Ana Poe, a lifetime craftsperson and dog professional, started Paco Collars in 2002 after they couldn’t find Paco, their pit bull, a high-quality leather collar that didn’t make him look intimidating. Poe and their crew make matching leashes and bracelets — yes, bracelets — and take custom orders, too, if Boomer is looking for a particular gem to bring out the gold in his fur.
Details: Collars come in three sizes and start at $60. Bracelets are $50. Order online at https://pacocollars.com or make an appointment to visit the store at 2245 Fifth St. in Berkeley.
DRINK: L’Apero les Trois
Food writer Georgeanne Brennan — who occasionally writes for these pages — literally wrote the book on French-style aperitifs, both the bright, light sip and the convivial pre-dinner practice of relaxing with friends over a palate teaser. Think Lillet, Pastis, and locally made L’Apero les Trois. C’est bon!
Brennan teamed up with partners Corinne Martinez, co-owner of Berryessa Gap Vineyards and winemaker Nicole Salengo, to launch an aperitif tasting room in downtown Winters last spring. Available in six tempting flavors, their low-alcohol, small batch L’Apero les Trois is made by infusing wine with fresh fruit from nearby orchards. Think sauvignon blanc-based Meyer lemon, chardonnay-meets-quince or dry rosé with Blenheim apricots or rosemary-orange.
A 24-ounce bottle ($40) makes a lovely hostess gift. A trio of les Trois makes a statement, especially if you add a bottle of bubbly to make sparkling cocktails.
Details: $110 for a set of three at laperolestrois.com or at the L’Apero les Trois Tasting Room at 22 Main St. in Winters.
PLAY: Park and forest passes
“Big things come in small packages” – did you know that applies to millions of acres of parkland? For the outdoorsy person in your social circle, slip them an envelope with a pass for California’s state or regional parks. It’s practical, yes, but also a great excuse to explore parts unknown while supporting the worthy cause of wilderness preservation.
A Southern California Annual Forest Adventure Pass ($29.99) gets a car in free to four great national forests, including San Bernardino and Los Padres. A Sacramento County Annual Park Pass ($59.99) grants a year’s access to the American River Parkway, while a Sonoma County Regional Parks Annual Pass ($68.99) opens up 50-plus locations in the Russian River and Sonoma Valley with camping and boat-launching perks. And a family membership to the biggest urban regional-parks district in the country – that would be the East Bay ($59.99) – includes unlimited parking, trailer permits, camping discounts, concessionaire deals and free swimming when the weather’s warm.
Details: Available through REI in the “park passes” section
EAT + PLAY: Sidewalk Food Tours
If you’re walking blocks between bites, the calories don’t count, right? These San Francisco food tours take you — er, your gift recipient (but maybe also you) — into the streets of North Beach to sample the delights at five Italian establishments, from a modern burrata and mozzarella bar to an Italian deli that dates back to 1896. Or the alleys of Chinatown for dim sum and buttery buns filled with cha siu pork. Or the Mission district, where you get to skip the queue at Tartine.
It’s a sociable walking tour that’s as much about history and culture as it is about delicious bites.
Details: Walking tours, which start at $75, are offered Friday-Sunday. Gift cards are available, too. https://sidewalkfoodtours.com
Staff writer Brittany Delay contributed to this story.