Photo Credit: Matt William
This holiday season instead of doing a traditional gift guide, I’ve reached out to my favorite local shop owners to learn what they recommend giving. The retailers stock their respective stores with gorgeous clothing, covetable home goods, sensational spirits, and delicious eats, so naturally they have a knack for selecting the perfect gift. I came up with a list of 10 quintessential SF personalities, from the gentleman farmer to the Color Factory girl, and asked the curator what they would give each unique type. Now through Christmas, I’ll be sharing their gift guides.
Photo Credit: Gina Domizio
If you haven’t checked out Maison Corbeaux, the wine, beer, and spirits shop on the corner of Sacramento and Divisadero Streets, you are missing out. Run, don’t walk there now! Owner and long-time beverage industry vet, Kyle Nadeau is a whiskey expert who also has an excellent eye for crisp French whites and addictive craft brews. Unlike some spirit connoisseurs, Nadeau is not pretentious or intimidating. He believes that shopping for beer, wine, and whiskey should be fun and makes it so for everyone browsing the shelves of his shop. Nadeau also knows that a bottle of booze is an easy gift that’s appreciated by all types of life. He recommends giving Maison Corbeaux’s private barrel whiskey, a Laguiole Champagne saber, and the following items listed below. Here, in his own words, is Nadeau’s spirits-driven gift guide.
The Lady Who Launched: Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon ($219) is a fantastic bottle of rosé Champagne that was made to honor an entrepreneurial woman, Elisabeth Salmon, who founded the Billecart-Salmon Champagne house in Mareuil-Sur-Ay in 1818 with her husband.
The Hoodied Tech Bro: Salt Point Moscow Mule ($18). It’s a delicious cocktail in a can for the tech worker who is moving at the speed of technology and can’t pause to mix their own drink, but usually has a free hand to crack a can of this high quality pre-mixed cocktail.
The Fabulous Couple: Martini kit—every fabulous couple needs to be able to entertain in style, and nothing is more stylish than Martinis stirred in the Absolut Elyx copper and etched glass martini kit ($300). Grab this with a bottle of Absolut Elyx Vodka, Dolin Dry Vermouth, and a jar of gourmet olives and they will have everything they need to impress friends at their next dinner party!
The Cool Mom: Komagatake Shinano Tanpopo Japanese Whisky ($149) Cool Moms drink whisky. Gift her the third release in the nature series from Komagatake, with its beautiful depiction of the alpine dandelion for which it is named on the label.
The Wine Country Escapists: Anything fresh from Henhouse Brewing. The last thing anyone wants after a day full of wine tasting is more wine! Take time to refreh your palate with a local brew from Sonoma County’s cult Henhouse Brewing like their Stoked! IPA, Saison, or Oyster Stout featuring whole Hog Island oysters.
The Budding Mixologist: St. George Gin three pack ($30). Early stages of a mixology habit are often accompanied by a surplus of all sorts of different bottles as they experiment with different spirits for their cocktails. This convenient gift pack has all three of the gins from Alameda’s St. George Spirits in 200 ml bottles, just enough to mix up a few drinks with each!
The Restaurant Hound: Frederiksdal Reserve Cherry Wine ($35). For the foodie who thinks they’ve tried everything, stump them with this incredibly food-friendly cherry wine from Denmark. Equally accessible as an aperitif or an after dinner sipper with blue cheese and dark chocolate.
The Gentleman Farmer: Scar of the Sea dry hopped cider ($15). Sourcing from three, coastal-influenced, California heirloom apple orchards, Scar of the Sea celebrates the gentleman farmer with this hopped dry cider.
The Interior Aesthete: Westward Whiskey ($90). With it’s sleek, modern, black label, and classic shape, this beautiful bottle will make a lovely addition to the visually curated midcentury bar cart of your most discerning interior aesthete. The single malt whiskey, distilled in Portland, Oregon, inside the bottle is also world class!
The Color Factory Girl: El Jolgorio Mezcal ($72). The fashionista hipster in your life who has been raving about discovering Mezcal on her last trip to Mexico will go head over heels for the gorgeous, colorful labels in the El Jolgorio line up of mostly wild agave mezcals. The labels are unique for each type of agave and were designed by Oaxacan artists.
Check out the other gift guides in this series!
J. Rachman’s Jonathan Rachman
Lost Coast Outfitters’ George Revel
Found by Maja’s Maja Lithander Smith
Convert’s Randy Brewer
Jay Jeffers and Michael Purdy of Jay Jeffers The Store
Hero Shop’s Emily Holt
Bi-Rite market’s Liz Martinez
St. Frank’s Christina Bryant
Haute Pursuits
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