Mini Cocktail (or Mocktail!) Kits For Everyone On Your List

Mini cocktail kits make perfect gifts because they’re just the right amount of thoughtful, and can be adjusted to fit both the giftee’s tastes and the gifter’s price range. The added genius of this gift is that, the more of them you give, the cheaper they get per unit — if you buy the supplies in bulk. So gift away, and make sure none of your friends (or 30 coworkers) go thirsty this holiday season.

To go high end, use top shelf liquor and beautiful boxes. For more budget friendly options, choose bottom shelf and paper gift bags from the dollar store. For non-drinkers, go the non-alcohol route (mocktails!)

• Gift box or bag
• Small glass containers for syrup
• Recipe card
• Stir sticks
• Cocktail napkin
• Garnish
• Jigger
• Tiny bottle of alcohol
• Shredded paper (optional)

Before heading out to do your shopping, first decide what you want to put in your boxes. We went overboard and put everything you could possibly want, but you can dial it up or down depending on how much you want to spend on each box. Start by measuring the largest item so you know what size box to purchase. Our sugar • paper box came from Target and cost $3.

Tip: If you are giving one of these to someone who needs to fly home, stick to TSA’s liquid rule when choosing items to fill the box. The recipient should be able to easily toss the items into their carry on. (You can even helpfully add a zip top bag to the bottom of the kit!)

Larger liquor stores will have a fantastic selection of tiny bottles to choose from.

Inexpensive jiggers can also be found at liquor stores for a few bucks each, but if you plan to do more than a few kits, try ordering them in bulk on Amazon.

Depending on the cocktail, you might need a few extra jars for simple syrups or garnishes. For our Whiskey Ginger, we made this easy simple syrup, and included crystalized ginger from our favorite spice shop.

Instead of plastic stir sticks, we opted for these wooden rock candy sticks.

Include a typed or handwritten recipe.

And add a fun little cocktail napkin to complete the theme.

Last, add some shredded paper, or tissue paper, and arrange everything so that it fits in the box with the lid closed. Wrap it in a pretty ribbon and you’re all set!

Have a really great DIY project or tutorial that you want to share with others? Let us know! We love checking out what you’re making these days, and learning from our readers. When you’re ready, click here to submit your project and photos.