30 Cheap Gifts for Bartenders - Bartender Recommends
Buying a Gift for a bartender? We’ve got just the gifts for you. 30 of them in fact. Recommended by myself, who also happens to be a bartender, so trust me when I say, these are the gifts worth giving.
I’ve also kept this bartender gift guide on the cheap side. Every bartender would be thrilled with rotavap but a 1k gift is a little extreme, isn’t it? So let’s keep this cheap and depending on how much you know the person in question, you can just buy a few of these.
Bartender Kit - 10 Piece Cocktail Shaker Set
What’s the point in learning all these fantastic cocktails at work if you can’t show them of at home? And just like every chef has good quality knives at home, every bartender needs and wants a good quality shaker set.
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Glass Cocktail Shaker
The above shaker set is purely functional. But sometimes, its not all about function. Sometimes it just about fun. This glass cocktail shaker may be more delicate and less functional but boy does it look great! That vintage bar look would like great on any bartenders shelf or home bar.
The Flavour Thesaurus
Theirs so many bar books in the world it’s difficult to choose a good one. This flavour thesaurus is just that, a good one. For those who already work in cocktail bars this will already look quite familiar. For those who don’t, allow me to explain. This book is so popular that’s its a stereotype that every bar has a copy. 90% of the bars I’ve worked in personally have had a copy of this flavour thesaurus stuffed away behind the bar somewhere.
Bar Apron
Behind the bar a good apron is so so useful. You wont believe the amount of times I’ve lost bar blades, phones and wine openers because of a lack of pockets. Worst so, the amount of good shirts I’ve ruined with cocktail spillages. Not only does it look cool having a nice bar apron, its also highly functional. Also great for home use - feeling like a pro chef whilst cooking in one of these? Absolutely.
LED “BAR” Neon sign
Nothing quite lights a home bar like an LED sign that says bar. Heck, I’ve got 2 LED neon signs in my home bar so far. I just can’t get enough.
RELATED ARTICLE: 27+ Must have neon signs for home bars
Professional Wine Opener
This is not just for bartenders, but for anyone who likes to drink wine. The last thing you want is struggling to get into a bottle of wine with some large flappy bottle opener. you know the one I’m talking about, the one in your mums cutlery draw. Not only does this one look stylish but it works a treat. In fact, this is the exact wine opener I myself use. Both at home and in work. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
RELATED ARTICLE: 35+ Luxury Wine Accessories
Cap Gun Bottle Opener
In complete contrast to the last gift idea is this here cap gun. Sure, for wine, you want the sleek wooden handled Barvivo. But for beer, you want something fun like this. And hey, its still functional! it means you don’t need to leave your seat to put your cap in the bin… Result.
Funny Bartender T-shirt
Do whimsical shirts ever get old? Call them ugly, call them tacky, but what you can’t deny is that they sure do provide a quick laugh. Which is all you really need from a cheap gift. Bit of a giggle and perhaps a new pyjama top.
Framed Classic Cocktail Recipes Wall Art
Not only does this look great but you also have a constant wall of recipes for those delicious classics you just keep forgetting. Theirs just something about wall art that makes a great gift, probably because its always up on display as a reminder of how great you are for gifting it. Either way there are a bunch to choose from and this one in particular is beautiful. Not to mention cleverly quite muted, so from a home design point of view, works with many different décor aesthetics.
Metal Wine Rack
Wine racks are always a fantastic idea for gifting for any bartender or booze lover. The trouble is that they are usually one of two things. They are either ridiculously expensive, or cheap but fall apart as soon as you place a single bottle of wine on them. However, this one by IBUYKE happens to be great quality and under £30. Win win. And remember, wine racks are not just for wine.
Speed Pourers
Another functional gift is speed pourers. Perfect for anyone with a home bar. They are incredibly useful, cheap and usually get lost or accidently thrown away. So a pack of 12 for less then £10 is an absolute bargain.
Elephant Bottle Holder
Every bartender has that one bottle they want to show off, and honestly, what better way to show it of then with a whimsical elephant bottle holder?..
Whiskey Stones and Glasses
You’ve heard about whiskey on the rocks, but what about whiskey on the stones? These are stones you add to your glass of whiskey to keep it at its ideal temperature without watering down your dram. This set also comes with some pretty nice glasses if I do say so myself.
The Ultimate Bar Book
Another great choice of bartender books is the “ultimate bar book” which includes a comprehensive guide to over 1,000 cocktails. If there’s nothing in this book you don’t like, you probably just don’t like cocktails.
Cocktail Mixing Glass
Just as important as a good cocktail shaker is a good cocktail mixing glass. This one always gets forgotten about, but the majority of traditionally classic cocktails are actually stirred, not shaken. For that, you need a quality mixing glass.
The Ultimate Online Cocktail Course
Buy on Now You Know (75% Discount)
This online course can be taken from anywhere in the world and at anytime. It’s a high quality online bartender course that teaches you everything about how to create cocktails from scratch at home or professionally. It’s not just remaking recipes, but actually teaching you to come up with original cocktails from scratch. Check it out on Now you Know or check out this page for more info about this course. It’s the ultimate gift for any cocktail lover.
Cocktail Earrings
If you thought the last one was cute, how about these cocktail earrings!
Mini Pegs
Now you might be wondering what the hell mini pegs are doing on this list. Hear me out, for cocktail lovers, these mini pegs come in super handy for clipping garnishes on to the rim of glasses. Its definitely more of a niche gift and I wouldn’t recommend buying anyone mini pegs as a main present. But for a little quirky stocking filler, absolutely!
Profession Koi Paring Knife
For any chef, a good knife set is essential. Different knives with different purposes. For a bartender, there’s really only one type of knife that’s important. And that’s a paring knife. One that’s able to finely slice fruit and trim citrus peels. For under £30, the best one you can get your hands on is this here Koi knife. If you know any chefs just ask them what they think about Koi. They’re highly rated for their amazing quality.
RELATED ARTICLE: Zwilling 7-piece knife review
Cool Ice cube tray set
An absolute must have for any bartender is a good set of ice cube trays. Every cocktail needs chilling, why not do that chilling in style? Ice is one of those things that really separates professional cocktail making from home cocktail making. In bars you use lots of ice and lots of good ice. Home bartenders are usually stuck with small bags of cloudy ice. Having these trays means you have all these cool pieces of ice to really up your game. I mean come on! Honeycomb shaped ice for your home Negroni? Yes please!
Clear ice maker
Speaking of the importance of ice… The above recommendation is for lots of cool, perfectly shaped ice. This one is just for 2 cubes. But 2 extremely clear cubes. Clear ice is really becoming popular in modern day mixology and for good reason. Technical reasons aside, its just super cool looking. Usually you need big bulky coolers and a large freezer to achieve super clear ice. Glacio have managed to make a smaller more accessible way to achieve clear ice. Sure, you only get 2 cubes. But for less then £30, totally worth it and those will be the most perfect 2 cubes of ice you have ever seen.
Self recipe book
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made amazing cocktails and forgot how I made them seconds later. More so, how many times I’ve just written them down on random pieces of paper. I swear there are just hundreds of pieces of paper hidden around every pocket I own with cocktail recipes on. Sure, you could just buy a notepad and use that. You don’t need to get one specifically made for recipes, but it sure does add that extra touch, especially from a gifting point of view. Also great for anyone who likes to cook!
Kilner Jars
Honestly, I think Kilner is missing a trick not marketing towards bartenders. Jars and bartenders go hand in hand. Especially Kilner because they’re so damn air tight. Holding dried fruit and various other garnishes, infusing spirits and creating liqueurs. The list and uses for jars and bartenders go on and on. We can never get enough.
12x Empty 250ml Bottles
Similar to the above, bartenders can not get enough of empty bottles. We’re the kings/queens of bottle recycling because we just can’t throw anything away. All these homemade syrups, liqueurs and infusions needs somewhere to live. But at the same time, taking labels of bottles is annoying to say the least and mismatched bottles don’t look great. These pharmacy swing top bottles look amazing and are the perfect size.
Cocktail Coupes
Continuing our subject of glass, lets talk about glassware. I can’t get enough of glassware. Tall glasses, short glasses, round glasses, square glasses. I love them all and a staple of all that glassware is the classic coupe. Hundreds to choose from but as this is specifically about gifting I’ve gone with the Diamante coupes for obvious reasons. They are stunning.
Women’s body glassware
In total contrast to the last glasses which are elegant, traditional and sophisticated. We have these body shaped somewhat quirky cocktail glasses. I actually received these glasses myself as a gift and I really do love them. Even though its legit a women’s body, they still kind of look pretty damn sophisticated and the packaging was surprisingly really good. I expected them to turn up bagged in bubble wrap but they come in these elegant boxes in foam cut outs. I highly recommend. Perfect for quirky cocktails.
RELATED ARTICLE: 19 Most Creative, Unusual and Unique Glassware for Cocktails
Running Trainers
Lets address the need for a good pair of trainers for bartenders. We’re on our feet all day. Our feet get achy, our legs ache, our backs ache. Its difficult. Running trainers are designed for that exact thing. They’re also designed to “breath” so you don’t get feet that have been bathing in their own sweat for 10 hours a day.
Soda Siphon
Another essential to my own home bar is a good soda siphon. Now I’ve got to be honest. I much prefer and use sodastreams but long before I made that purchase, I had one of these exact soda siphons. They tend to be half the price and still work great. Even to this day I still use this when I’m on the move or looking to batch carbonate cocktails.
RELATED ARTICLE: UK Sodastream review
Cocktails scratch off bucket list
For the person who loves a cocktail. This poster has 100 classic cocktails that you can scratch of when you’ve made or had one. What’s not to love, its a cocktail bucket list! It’s also good to see just how long it takes them to complete it. If you gift this to someone and 1 month later they’ve scratched everything off then you know they have a problem…
Tiki mug set
Tiki mugs are always going to be a classic. I’ve got these exact ones. I barely actually use them for drinks but they sure do make a pretty addition to my home back bar.
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Hi guys and gals. I’m Cameron, professional bartender and guv’nor of Smartblend. I’ve compiled this list of basically everything I own and use/what I want and will be owning, so I do hope this helps you find the perfect gift for the bartender or drink lover in your life. Feel free to check out similar articles on this blog below. Thank you.