By TM Petaccia

What’s holiday cheer without the, you know, cheer? For the home cocktail enthusiast on your shopping list, you can fill their stockings and never leave the state. There are a host of gifts crafted and created in North Carolina you can gift which both show some Old North State pride plus give your hobbyist mixologist some excellent cocktail tools.

Mecklenburg ABC Gift Card. Bottles of booze have been a time-honored holiday gift. If you want to leave it up to the recipient, you can purchase gift cards at any Mecklenburg ABC store in five-dollar increments, starting at $10. Note: they can only be used at Mecklenburg ABC stores. Get more info on their website.

Durham Distillery’s new Kinship Conniption gin gets its unique color from butterfly pea flowers. TM Petaccia/UP

Unique NC Spirits. North Carolina boasts a wide array of distillers – many producing internationally awarded spirits. You can find most of them in the NC section of your local ABC store. Here are three of the more unique offerings sure to impress and spur some creativity: Conniption Kinship Gin (made in Durham); $34.95 – it gets its deep indigo color from butterfly pea flowers; John A.P. Conoley Carolina Peanut Butter Whiskey (made in Bogue); $27.35 – trust us, this actually works; Southern Star Double Shot Bourbon Cream (made in Statesville); $24.95 – bourbon, espresso, and cream, what’s not to love?

Crude Bitters. Bitters add depth and uniqueness to any cocktail. Changing up the bitters in a Manhattan, for example, results in a whole different experience. Made in Raleigh, Craig Rudewicz and Lindsay Lasserre have been crafting unique bitters since 2012. Flavors include “Rizzo” (rosemary, grapefruit, & peppercorn), “X” (shiitake, sesame, and banana), and “Sycophant” (orange and fig). You can find them at Assorted Table Wine & Shop and Savory Spice Shop, as well as from their website. $12-$20*.

Craftsman Syrups. A popular pop-up vendor at many Charlotte-area farmers markets, including South End, Uptown, and Davidson, owners Stephen and Katie Marshall recently opened their own brick-and-and mortar just south of the border in Rock Hill. Their non-GMO, vegan syrups often include local ingredients. Current flavors include “Holiday Blend” (spiced cranberry), spiced apple-vanilla, and rosemary-peach. In addition to the farmers markets and storefront, you can order from their website. $10.99-$17.99*.

“The Chef’s Farmer” Jamie Swofford uses all NC ingredients to create his shrubs. TM Petaccia/UP

Old North Shrub. Two-time UPPY Farmer of the Year finalist Jamie Swofford keeps this ancient preserving technique alive with flavors all sourced in North Carolina, such as “Two in the Bush” (strawberry and chamomile) and “The Pink Lady” (Appalachian apples, berries, and herbs). These “fruit vinegars” make for excellent mixers. Some like to do shrub shots as a daily medicinal regimen. You can find them at The Culture Shop and Free Range Brewing in addition to their website. $13-$22*

Beautiful Booze. Written by Waynesville native Natalie Migliarini with her husband James Stevenson, Beautiful Booze: Stylish Cocktails to Make at Home is a stunningly photographed and well written exploration of how you can enjoy high concept cocktails without having to leave your home. Available at most booksellers. $16.89 from Amazon.

J & E Designs in Mount Holly creates unique lamps made from bourbon bottles. Photo courtesy

Bourbon Bottle Lamp. J&E Designs out of Mount Holly creates a number of woodcraft, often from reclaimed or upcycled materials. Their bourbon bottle lamps are no exception. Choose from Eagle Rare, Old Forester, Russell’s Reserve, and Smooth Ambler bottles. Each lamp is color-matched and mounted to a decorative wooden base coinciding with the barrel the respective whiskey matured in. Works with an E26 bulb (not included). $200 via Etsy.

Leather Wrapped Whiskey Glasses. Charlotte leathersmith Colsen Keane has earned a national reputation for handcrafted leather goods, available at the ColsenKeane Leather shop on 7th Street. Their leather-wrapped glass sets include two 12 oz lead-free, dishwasher-safe glasses with a matching set of leather wraps in your choice of seven colors. $95. Also check out their limited edition leather coasters; 6 for $35.

Inexpensive Bar Tools. Not so much locally sourced, but locally obtained, The Chef’s Store on Eastway has a nice collection of bar hardware to round out any home mixologist’s collection – from shakers to bar spoons to hand juicers, and more – at below retail prices. Cost varies.

*Website price. Retailer prices may vary.

Be sure to check out our other 2022 holiday gift guides:

For the home cook
For the host
For the lover of local
For the wine lover