The Social Drinker at Christmas

Perfect boozy presents

If you fancy giving something to the tipplers in your life, look no further than the Social Drinker annual Christmas list. While a bottle of something is always popular, there are plenty of other presents that also go down well. Here is a list comprising five books and five objects, from bottle openers to cocktail shakers — all of which will bring a smile to the face of your favourite drinker.

Let’s start with books. There seems to be more good books about drink than ever before, but the following are among the best. First up is A Glass Apart: Irish Single Pot

Still Whiskey by Fionnan O’Connor, which is a lovely coffee-table book that looks at the history of Irish single pot still whiskey. If that sounds a bit arcane, it is, but it is also a fascinating story of how we stopped producing this kind of whiskey due to misguided government policies in the post-War years, which came close to destroying the entire whiskey industry. There is a bit of anger and nostalgia here, but the book is also certain to encourage any reader to explore the joys of whiskies being produced in Ireland at present by the eccentric band of distillers around the country, who are taking on the industry giants.

Whiskey books are rare, but wine lovers are always well served, although we could do with more books aimed at the Irish market rather than the UK, where things can be rather different. Two of the best books published this year are perennials; the well-illustrated Oz Clarke’s World of Wine: Wines Grapes Vineyards, and the cheap and cheerful Hugh Johnson’s

Pocket Wine Book 2018. Published every year for more than four decades, Johnson’s guide is an ideal stocking filler, and a handy reference book for anyone who has a bit of money to spend on wine. Johnson is interested in which vintages to buy, which to drink and which to cellar. Oz Clarke, another British wine lover, is more flowery, but also more entertaining and opinionated than Johnson. He is at his best when extolling the virtues of unusual wines, and you would want to have a heart of stone not to try at least two or three of his more exotic recommendations.

Observant readers will know that this column is fond of cocktails, and rarely misses a chance to try something new or revisit a classic. The

Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff is a great book if you want to encourage somebody to start shaking. There are plenty of recipes with instructions, but also plenty of history — some of it is, no doubt, baloney, but then cocktails always attract chancers.

There is probably a really good and up-todate guide to Irish beer somewhere, but I have never come across one, which is a shame, because the legions of small brewers on this island deserve a chronicler like Johnson or Clarke. In the absence of such a book, you might want to give a copy of The Little Book of

Craft Beer by Melissa Cole, which came out in the autumn. In this handsome tome, Cole reviews over 100 of the world’s tastiest beers, IPAs and stouts, as well as recommending food pairings and giving plenty of hints and tips. A really nice book for beer lovers interested in exploring the rest of the world.

Not everybody enjoys the theory, of course. Some just want to get down to business. To my mind, the single best present for such a drinker is a set of glasses picked up at auction. Waterford Crystal has become so unfashionable these days that you can often buy beautiful sets of glasses for Ikea prices. The 2017 auction season is coming to an end, so you’d need to hurry, but good glasses make a wonderful gift.

Another great present is a really good corkscrew. There’s no point in recommending one corkscrew over another — everybody has their own style, but if you spot a friend or relative struggling to open a bottle with their existing corkscrew, it is time to get them a decent alternative. If in doubt, buy the type known as the waiter’s friend, and stay away from the electric varieties — unless you want to help somebody with arthritis. There are some things that really are best done by hand.

Opening a bottle is easy, but protecting wine from the damage that air causes is much more difficult. The US-made Vacu Vin Wine Saver is a cheap method that works well for overnight preservation of wine, as well as being easy to use. The system involves placing a special rubber stopper into the bottle’s mouth, and then using a small hand pump suck the air out of the bottle to create a vacuum. While the pump can be used again and again, the rubber stoppers have to be bought in packs.

Another great present, and one I got from my wife last year, is a return flight to a city or region with a great drinking culture. We went to Porto with Ryanair and had a fantastic time visiting some of the great port houses, as well as museums and restaurants. It is cheap to fly to many parts of France, Germany, Spain or Italy if you book months ahead. This year, I’m hoping for tickets to Baden, to try some of the wines from the vineyards nestled between the hills of the Black Forest and the Rhine.

Finally, a cocktail shaker is always a good present if you know somebody who likes spirits. They are available in all the main department stores, with an especially good choice in Debenhams. While a stainlesssteel shaker looks the best, the glass varieties with measures along the sides for classics such as Martinis and Manhattans are great if somebody is new to making their own drinks. That’s because they won’t need a measuring cup, recipe book or strainer to get to know one of life’s great pleasures. Whatever you do, have a happy Christmas!