Still need to cross a few names off your shopping list? Whether you’re looking for a simple stocking stuffer or the gesture of the year, can never go wrong in the food-and-drink realm. And because we love all things local in this fair city, it’s easy to give the gift of ho-ho-home.
Richmond Glassware
Found at Mongrel in Carytown, these glasses are the perfect complement to any Richmonder’s kitchen, or perhaps your college student who’s away at school and homesick. Fill ’em up with your favorite local beer and slide them onto some Richmond-themed coasters for the full effect. Glass $9.95, coaster $6.95.
Hummingbird Gardens Herb Salts
Available in five varieties, these 2-ounce jars will thrill any adventurous cook. The garlic-chive variety is perfect for chicken and fish, roasted veggies benefit from the lemon-basil and the sage-and-porcini will spice up a bowl of plain old popcorn. The rose-chili, which serves nicely on a cocktail rim, was named best overall product at this year’s Virginia Food and Beverage Expo. Find these salts at Ellwood Thompson’s, Libbie Market, Olive Oil Taproom and Boketto Wellness. $8.
Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix
Free of preservatives and artificial colors, this hefty bottle of smooth, spicy bloody mary mix is exactly what your brunch-loving friend wants to open on Christmas morning. Just make sure it’s unwrapped before breakfast. Find it at Ellwood Thompson’s, Lombardy Market, Aw Shucks Country Store and Little House Green Grocery. $8.99.
AR’s Southern Hot Southern Honey
For the person who appreciates a little kick, AR’s Hot Southern Honey delivers. Drizzle it over pizza crust, fried chicken and roasted veggies, or add it to homemade marinades and barbecue sauces. For that extra punch, try the extra spicy bourbon-barrel-aged variety. Available at Strawberry Street Market, Ladles and Linens Kitchen Shoppe and Pleasants Hardware. $12.99.
Reservoir Bourbon
This Scott’s Addition distillery is only open for tastings four days a week, which means it’s not always easy to fit it in when you’re booze hopping around the neighborhood. For the loved one who’d rather sip a nice whiskey at home on the couch, consider a bottle of bourbon from Reservoir. It’s a traditional corn mash with notes of vanilla and coffee and a not-too-sweet finish. Available at Reservoir and ABC stores in the area. A 375-milliliter bottle costs $42.19 and a 750 milliliter one costs $84.29.
Locally Roasted Coffee
Nothing says “I love you” like a couple weeks’ worth of liquid ambition. For the coffee snob in your life, we recommend the $26 sampler pack from Lamplighter Coffee Roasters, which features four bags of single-origin beans. Consider pairing it with a gadget, like the Porlex hand grinder or Chemex wood-neck six-cup brewer.
Club Membership
Give the gift that keeps on giving! Whether it’s beer, cider, cheese or ice cream that that special someone in your life just can’t get enough of, with a single gift you can shower them with their favorites all year-round.
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery offers the Family Tree Beer Club. Standard membership includes quarterly packages of three 750-milliliter beers brewed exclusively for members, two $5 allowance cards redeemable in Hardywood taprooms and one Hardywood Family Tree gift like a hat or T-shirt. Premium membership includes all of the above, plus one club-exclusive beer “designed with input from you,” delivered at a special party for premium members only. Standard $245. Premium $295.
Members of the Three Notch’d Brewing Co. Case Club get a monthly case of beer for $25 each, plus 10 percent off all future visits at all locations. The VIP membership at $35 a month offers a monthly case of beer, a complimentary Tap That Thursday beer every week, and two tickets to the quarterly School of Brew events led by brewmaster Dave Warwick.
For $43 per quarter, your favorite cider fan will receive four shipments a year, each containing cider and special merchandise. Members also get access to exclusive events and pricing.
Truckle Cheesemongers, a pop-up cheese shop, offers a monthly cheese share in three-month and six-month options. For $35 a month, members get a thoughtfully curated selection of cheeses available for pickup at Blue Bee Cider.
Listen, it’s never too cold for ice cream. For $70 you can ensure that a loved one deserving of something sweet gets three pints of ice cream a month for three months, plus a pint koozie. The six-month membership is $135, and a full year is $250, which includes three koozies, a cooler bag and a sundae pack.
An Experience
Holiday shopping can be stressful when you’re trying to find the perfect gift for the person who has everything, or the minimalist couple. So instead of buying more stuff, give a delicious experience.
Has a lady in your life always dreamed of eating her way through Italy? Sign her up for the Italian for Foodies class at the Broad, a six-week course led by chef and historian Elise Canup, where she’ll learn basic Italian phrases, try her hand at making pasta and drink delicious Italian wines. $150 for members of the Broad, $200 for guests
Brenner Pass will hold an eight-course awakening dinner Dec. 23 for $150 per person. On New Year’s Eve, a prix-fixe menu will be available for $65 per person, and later that night the restaurant will hold a dance party with an unlimited bar for $65 per person ahead of time and $75 at the door.
Tickets are available now for the annual Virginia Wine Expo, Feb. 26-March 3. The six-day affair will feature events showcasing the best food and drink the state has to offer, culminating in the Walk-Around Grand Tasting on March 2 and 3. Tickets cost from $55 to $765. Go ahead and buy a ticket for yourself, too.
Surprise the aspiring chefs in your life with gift cards to Mise en Place. Either sign them up for classes yourself, or give gift cards that allow them to sign up for the ones they want. Classes available in January include Paleo From Appetizers to Desserts, Mexican at Home and Vegetarian Winter Dishes.
