Note: This post contains affiliate links. It costs nothing extra for you to buy those products, but I receive a (very) small finder’s fee if you buy them. I would have recommended these items even if I didn’t receive this finder’s fee.
Personalized Engraved Bottle Opener
Ballard Engraved Bottle Opener – $17.95
from: HomeWetBar.com
Fairmount Personalized Bottle Opener – $19.95
from: HomeWetBar.com
Bartenders live by this style of bottle opener. It’s fast, efficient, and if it’s missing from your pocket you feel like you’re missing an arm.
But bartenders can be a careless lot and we tend to lose our precious tools when we have 50 people screaming at use and we’re running around trying to make everyone happy. I personally have lost a few tools during a hectic night.
That is, until I got a bottle opener with my name etched right into the damn thing. Now, I would still manage to misplace it, like, all the time. But, like a lost dog, it always managed to find its way back home in my pocket.
When I accidentally dropped mine down an open drain that someone had removed the grate from, I damn near cried. I placed an order for another one that same night.
Tasting Notebooks
33 Glasses of Whiskey Tasting Notebook – $6.95
from: HomeWetBar.com
33 Glasses of Whiskey Tasting Notebook – $6.95
from: HomeWetBar.com
Being a bartender requires having an insane amount of knowledge about the product behind by the bar. Well, at least being a good bartender does. However, sometimes even the best of us forget the exact details of every product behind the bar.
These handy notebooks provide a way to have consistent notes with a convenient flavor wheel to help visualize the information. We would go even further by taking these pages and arranging them in a binder in alphabetical order for easy reference.
As a bonus, photocopies of these pages made for invaluable training material.
Soft Handled Double Hinged Wine Key
Bartenders can be extremely picky about their tools. For some reason wine openers seem to be a common gift we receive. Our friends and family see us using a simple little wine key and assume we want/need a big fancy one with gears and knobs.
This is, unfortunately, not the case. Almost every bartender/server I know prefers these double hinged wine keys. Once you get comfortable with them, they are the fastest and easiest to use. Most of us can use these one handed holding the wine bottle in the other hand. You cannot do that with the large “fancy” ones.
However, bartenders can also be pretty cheap. A great bartender gift that shows you pay attention and care is one of these slightly pricier wine keys that come with a nice soothing padding. They also come in a bunch of fun colors, and bartenders love them some colorful flair.
Tool Holster
Speaking of a bartender’s love of tools, the down side to them is what they do to our clothes. Some try to set our tools down when not using them, but that is just asking to lose them when we need them most. So our best bet is to keep them in a pocket (usually the back one.)
However, this inevitably leaves to the same thing. Holes. Holes in all our damn clothes. I have so many pairs of pants that just have fucking giant bottle opener shaped holes in the pockets.
This awesome belt accessory is a great gift for a bartender for less than $20. This little guy can save a bartender hundreds of dollars in buying jeans and keeps our tools right where we need them.
Shirts!
Those bartenders that don’t have to wear uniforms love wearing clothes that shows just what they feel about their craft.
Whether to gently remind our guests that we rely on their cash tips and just professing our love for our favorite spirits, every bartender loves new clothes.
Bitters!
One of the bartender’s favorite things to do is find a way to get creative with our cocktails. One of the easiest yet tried and true methods to do this is by playing with different flavors of bitters.
This bartender gift costs less than $20, but could easily lead to greater tips and a fun night of experimenting with different flavors with their bar team.
Ever had a gin martini with some orange bitters? Thrown some lemon bitters into a gimlet? It’s fantastic and the possibilities are endless.
Liquid Ass Bartender Gift
Liquid Ass – $9.99
from: Vat19.com: Curiously Awesome Gifts
Bartenders loves our customers. We really do. Unfortunately, sometimes we need them to leave because it’s closing time and you’re too damn wasted to figure out what words mean.
Some bartenders have a trick to get overly drunk guests to leave without yelling or being mean. And it’s farting. Sometimes we haven’t eaten enough Mexican food that day, however, and we lack the, umm, inspiration to deploy this method.
Enter this cheeky gag gift of liquid ass. Farts in a bottle allow us to, if not politely, quietly let our guests know it’s time to go home and make that frozen pizza before they make a total ass out of themselves.
We do it out of love, really, we do.
Bonus Bartender Gift Idea: Amazon Prime
Alright, this one is technically over $20, but its value in immeasurable.
I’m pretty obsessed with Amazon Prime. For a low monthly price you get free shipping on most items (sometimes even 2 day or same day shipping!), access to a large streaming video library that is starting to surpass Netflix, access to popular music albums/playlists/stations, free ebooks, and more. If you’re not convinced, you can try a Free 30-day Trial! Even if you don’t like it you can take advantage of the free 30 days to get free fast shipping on your holiday gifts.
An Amazon Prime gift subscription is the gift that truly keeps on giving all year round and is perfect for anyone in your life with an internet connection.
Great list! I gifted my bartender friend with a t-shirt that said “Don’t Forget To Tip Your Bartender.” Each time he wore it, he made a mountain of cash!!
Great ideas. I like the personalized bottle openers
Great gift list! Perfect for one of the people on my list!