VIP gifts

February 10, 2016

Cocktail Courier offers cocktail kits stocked with all the ingredients necessary to prepare mixologist-designed drink recipes. Optional add-ons include mint julep silver cups or champagne flutes. Each box—which can be delivered to hotels or offices—makes several cocktails, and prices typically range from $5.99 to $7.99 per drink. The packages are available in New York and Chicago and in other states through interstate delivery.

Photo: Jeff Schear

Suited for events held at tropical destinations, towels from Australian brand Ziporah present a design-forward take on typical beach accessories. The items, $99 each, come in four colors, have metallic accents, and are designed with patterns inspired by mosaics. The company ships domestically and internationally.

Photo: Courtesy of Ziporah

Mouth, a company that provides gift bags stocked with snacks from independent brands, has thematic gift sets with titles such as “Candy Land” and “Snack Mouth.” The latter, from $38 to $80.75, contains sweet and savory items such as spiced pecans from the Treat Bake Shop and potato chips from the Billy Goat Chip Company. Products can be shipped throughout the United States.

Photo: Courtesy of Mouth.com

Mira is a new Chicago-based line of wearable fitness trackers, $79, designed for women. Available in brushed gold or midnight purple, the sleek accessories are activated through an iOS app and track factors such as steps, distance, and elevation. It also provides personalized fitness-boosting tips. The product is available in the United States.

Photo: Courtesy of Mira

Help a road warrior pass time with travel checkers, $160, from New York’s Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Designed by art and design company Fredericks & Mae, the set measures 13 by 13 inches and has a silk-screened playing surface and a storage compartment for game pieces.

Photo: Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum

SugarWish lets guests fill their own gift boxes with their favorite candies. Here’s how it works: The sender picks a SugarWish gift and e-card (the e-cards can be customized with corporate logos), and the recipient picks four candies—from options that include sugar-free gummy peaches and regular M&M’s. The boxes, from $25 to $70, are then immediately shipped out and can be sent throughout the United States and Canada.

Photo: Courtesy of Sugarwish

Chicago-based brand Heritage Bicycles specializes in high-end, handcrafted bikes, as well as gift-worthy biking tools and accessories. The EH Works tool roll, $48, fits under a bike seat and contains 10 pockets and is handy for bike-to-work commuters. Products ship throughout the United States and Canada.

Photo: Courtesy of Heritage Bicycles

Home decor and accessories company Coral & Tusk makes passport holders, $60, embroidered with whimsical designs that represent travel destinations or animals. The products can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.

Photo: Kate Lacey

Cocktail mixer brand Bittermilk offers a gift set called the Overnighter, $125. The handcrafted denim cocktail tote is stocked with a Mason jar shaker, a muddler, a jigger, and a hand-made cocktail mixer in a flavor of choice. Options include “Smoked Honey Whiskey Sour” and “Charred Grapefruit Tonic with Bulls Bay Sea Salt.” Products ship throughout the United States and Canada.

Photo: Courtesy of Bittermilk

The portable Lumio Book Lamp, $190, provides quick and easy access to a reading light while on the go. Available through New York’s Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the light unfolds from a book of laser-cut wood and measures 6.5 by 8.5 inches. All of the museum’s gifts can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.

Photo: Courtesy of Lumio

GCI's Gift Cards

GCI is a digital gifting company that has a dedicated "Gift Card Shop." The site allows users to "wrap" gift cards, which are redeemable online, with personalized photos, videos, text, music, and sounds. Cards can be redeemed at retailers such as the Gap and Lowes; they can also be redeemed at spas.

Photo: Courtesy of GCI

The Morning After

Guests can recover from one too many cocktails with the Original HangOver Kit Kup. The 22-ounce reusable cup contains mini packs of brand-name remedies like Pepto-Bismol, Propel drink mix, Drinkwel multivitamins, Alka-Seltzer, Bayer aspirin, Colgate toothpaste and toothbrush, LA Fresh travel wipes, and breath mints. The kits are sold in cases of 6 ($50) or 12 ($90).

Photo: Courtesy of Distinct Impressions

Drinks To-Go

For guests who want a nightcap or need a strong wake-up call, Gifts for the Good Life's Haute Toddy Kit ($35) includes all the necessities to make the warm seasonal cocktail—a lemon, tea bag, liquor, tumbler, and instructions.

Photo: Courtesy of Gifts for the Good Life

Recovery Remedies

Similar to the hangover cup, Gifts for the Good Life's Good Night/Good Morning Kit includes bedtime treats and morning must-haves such as effervescent tablets, eye drops, and mints, plus popcorn for a midnight snack.

Photo: Courtesy of Gifts for the Good Life