Brittany Umar
For another interesting choice this winter, Jerald recommends Castries Peanut Rum Crème. The tall, wavy bottle resembles bubbles stacked on top of one another. It reminded me of Bailey's Irish Cream, but with hints of peanut; Tastings.com describes it as having "peanut brittle, roasted peanut, cream, and delicate spice flavors. Finishes with a long, creamy crushed peanut, salt, and coconut cream fade. Delicious and lush."
Castries Peanut Rum Crème retails for about $29.99. For a unique twist, O'Kennard suggests mixing the spirit with a raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord, for a grown-up a peanut butter-and-jelly treat. For an unusual gift, Jerald suggests Bong Spirit Import Company's Bong Vodka. Coming in an extraordinarily shaped bottle, "it almost looks like contraband, but it's vodka," Jerald says. "Last year this came across my desk and I was like, 'You know, this is a pretty remarkable package -- I wonder what it tastes like.' But the vodka is really, really good, so it's kind of a winning combination." Ryan Mayer, director of business development for Bong Spirit Import Co., says the bottle is "a pop-culture icon ... it's a conversational piece." A gold-medal winner of the International Review of Spirits Award, the vodka is described by Tastings.com as "intriguing and elegant" with flavors of "delicate tarragon, anise and white chocolate toffee." A 150-year old recipe never bottled before, from five generations of master distillers, the 100% grain alcohol is six times distilled and four times filtered. It's offered only in a one-liter size bottle and retails for about $37.99. Mayer says a 750 milliliter bottle will be available starting on Feb. 1, for $28.99. "It's a Holland vodka that's very smooth, and it's an unbelievable package," O'Kennard says. "I mean, it's just going to start a conversation -- or end one, I'm not really sure," he jokes. While some of these selections are new to the market, O'Kennard says most of them are nationally distributed brands and should be fairly easy to find. "They make great gifts, [they're] very unique," he says. "You're going to enjoy what's in them as well as looking at them, and feel very confident in your gift." Which brings about the real question -- when it comes to these gifts, is it better to give or to receive? Either way, enjoy -- and have yourself a merry little cocktail.
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