Help! Coffee Christmas gifts

[Tree Frog]

Each year, I try to give gifts that are locally produced. We have delicious coffee that's roasted by a nearby bakery. On the Costco FB page, I saw a Bailey's Irish Cream Sampler that I thought I could use for 2-3 gifts, each with different flavors of Baileys. However, I haven't been able to find any locally or online to purchase from liquor stores and our Costcos in our state can't sell liquor. I'll add a picture of what I was hoping to find. Do you have any suggestions for small size flavorings or other items I could use to create a gift basket? Thank you for your help!

 

[MEmama]

Our big liquor store often has a large assortment of small, fancy liquors, especially this time of year. Do you have to order online? Many states can’t ship liquor.

I haven’t tried it yet, but DS recently reported that this  https://www.baileys.com/en/products/baileys-chocolat-luxe/ is “the best drink ever”. I’m planning to look for a small bottle for his stocking. 🙂 

[MEmama]

Oh, maybe I misunderstood. Are you looking for non alcoholic? Last year I gave DH a couple bottles of locally produced bitters. They can be used with gin or vodka, but also to spice up plain sparkling water for non-drinkers. 
 

eta I’m clearly having reading comprehension issues today. Lol

How about small bottles of Torani  (or similar) syrups? 

Edited November 20, 2021 by MEmama

[kristin0713]

I would try Home Goods. 

[Bambam]

I got my kids a variety of Torani syrups for Christmas last year. They used them in their coffee. They aren't small bottles, but they are relatively inexpensive.

https://shop.torani.com/

 

[Kareni]

Small bottles of Kahlua, Grand Marnier, or other liqueurs.

I like these teaspoons from Bed, Bath, and Beyond ($2.00 each).

Many stores have decorative tea towels; I've seen some that are coffee themed.

Regards,

Kareni

[Tree Frog]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Our big liquor store often has a large assortment of small, fancy liquors, especially this time of year. Do you have to order online? Many states can’t ship liquor.

I haven’t tried it yet, but DS recently reported that this  https://www.baileys.com/en/products/baileys-chocolat-luxe/ is “the best drink ever”. I’m planning to look for a small bottle for his stocking. 🙂 

 

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Oh, maybe I misunderstood. Are you looking for non alcoholic? Last year I gave DH a couple bottles of locally produced bitters. They can be used with gin or vodka, but also to spice up plain sparkling water for non-drinkers. 
 

eta I’m clearly having reading comprehension issues today. Lol

How about small bottles of Torani  (or similar) syrups? 

Your link sounds good! I'll go in our local liquor store and see if I can find small bottles of fancy liqueur.

I'm looking for flavoring, alcohol or otherwise specifically to go in coffee. The Torani flavoring would work, too. That's what I use in my coffee. 🙂

Edited November 20, 2021 by wilrunner

[Tree Frog]

1 hour ago, Bambam said:

I got my kids a variety of Torani syrups for Christmas last year. They used them in their coffee. They aren't small bottles, but they are relatively inexpensive.

https://shop.torani.com/

 

The hazelnut flavor is what I use in my coffee. I hadn't considered looking at Torani. I was so disappointed not to find the Bailey's flavors in small bottles. 

[Tree Frog]

1 hour ago, kristin0713 said:

I would try Home Goods. 

 

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Small bottles of Kahlua, Grand Marnier, or other liqueurs.

I like these teaspoons from Bed, Bath, and Beyond ($2.00 each).

Many stores have decorative tea towels; I've seen some that are coffee themed.

Regards,

Kareni

Thank you both for your suggestions! @Kareni, what other liqueurs go with coffee? We drink very little alcohol in our family, so I'm not familiar with of it (except Bailey's, which is delicious!)

[happi duck]

I like Kahlua or amaretto!  I think frangelico is also common.

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, wilrunner said:

@Kareni, what other liqueurs go with coffee?

A chocolate liqueur could be good (says this total non-drinker!).

Here is an article that might give you some ideas:

16 Best Alcohol Pairings For Your Coffee

ETA: another article

Regards,

Kareni

[marbel]

If you have a World Market  near you, they have small torani and another brand syrup in little bottles in a pack. 

Like this https://www.worldmarket.com/product/torani-syrup-trial-size-sampler-3-pack.do

Hella Bitters has a variety pack:  https://hellacocktail.co/pages/cocktail-bitters#shop-bitters-sets

I love Fee Brothers Aztec cocoa bitters in my coffee!  But I do not know if they come in a small bottle.  https://www.feebrothers.com/bitters

 

We LOVE adding stuff to coffee here. Alcoholic and non- ! 

 

[Spryte]

We make kahlua every year, and bottle it for friends and family. It’s not too late to give it a shot! (Bad pun, oops) There are lots of recipes out there, just pick one that looks yummy.

It’s nice paired with coffee cups and packaged with a bag of coffee beans and some treats 

 

[Tree Frog]

1 hour ago, Spryte said:

We make kahlua every year, and bottle it for friends and family. It’s not too late to give it a shot! (Bad pun, oops) There are lots of recipes out there, just pick one that looks yummy.

It’s nice paired with coffee cups and packaged with a bag of coffee beans and some treats 

 

I think my son and I may make some tomorrow. Do you have bottles you'd recommend? Do you prefer making it with rum or vodka? 

Thanks for the idea! 

[Tree Frog]

2 hours ago, marbel said:

If you have a World Market  near you, they have small torani and another brand syrup in little bottles in a pack. 

Like this https://www.worldmarket.com/product/torani-syrup-trial-size-sampler-3-pack.do

Hella Bitters has a variety pack:  https://hellacocktail.co/pages/cocktail-bitters#shop-bitters-sets

I love Fee Brothers Aztec cocoa bitters in my coffee!  But I do not know if they come in a small bottle.  https://www.feebrothers.com/bitters

 

We LOVE adding stuff to coffee here. Alcoholic and non- ! 

We do have a World Market. I'll have to go look for the syrups! Thank you!

I'll check out the bitters. Do you use additional sweetener when you add the bitters to your coffee?

[Tree Frog]

2 hours ago, Kareni said:

A chocolate liqueur could be good (says this total non-drinker!).

Here is an article that might give you some ideas:

16 Best Alcohol Pairings For Your Coffee

ETA: another article

Regards,

Kareni

Thank you for the articles. Somehow I forget I can Google questions like this. We're not drinkers in our house, either, so I'm learning as I go.

[Tree Frog]

3 hours ago, happi duck said:

I like Kahlua or amaretto!  I think frangelico is also common.

Yum! Frangelico sounds delicious! I'm going to make some Kailua tomorrow.

[Arcadia]

2 hours ago, wilrunner said:

We do have a World Market. I'll have to go look for the syrups! 

Cost Plus World Market has miniature bottles of alcohol near the cashier counters. I am into miniature wine and parfumerie bottles so I would browse there.

Another idea might be to buy liquor filled chocolates and drop them into your coffee. 
https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/anthon-berg-dark-chocolate-liqueur-bottles/product/43096

My alcohol goes into cooking and baking so I can’t tell you what goes with coffee. Besides I drink my coffee black (no sugar, no milk/creamer).

[Spryte]

2 hours ago, wilrunner said:

I think my son and I may make some tomorrow. Do you have bottles you'd recommend? Do you prefer making it with rum or vodka? 

Thanks for the idea! 

I like the swing top style bottles. This year we found a different style on Amazon—they have corks with wooden tops. I still think I lean to the swing tops, though.

I like dark rum, if we are only using one alcohol. This recipe on pop sugar is pretty good, and uses vodka, dark and light rum—https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.popsugar.com/food/Kahlua-Recipe-30970567/amp but we are doing a different recipe this year, for a change. I’ll try to link the recipe tomorrow. It’s simpler.

We have friends who make coquito every year. That’s not really a coffee drink, but holy cannoli, is it special. Yum.

Let us know if you make it!

[Tree Frog]

8 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Cost Plus World Market has miniature bottles of alcohol near the cashier counters. I am into miniature wine and parfumerie bottles so I would browse there.

Another idea might be to buy liquor filled chocolates and drop them into your coffee. 
https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/anthon-berg-dark-chocolate-liqueur-bottles/product/43096

My alcohol goes into cooking and baking so I can’t tell you what goes with coffee. Besides I drink my coffee black (no sugar, no milk/creamer).

I'm going to World Market in about an hour, so I'll look for the liqueurs by the register. Thanks for the heads up!

Those chocolate covered liqueur bottles look like a good possibility, too. It would be fun if I could find some locally made. I'm going to look.

8 hours ago, Spryte said:

I like the swing top style bottles. This year we found a different style on Amazon—they have corks with wooden tops. I still think I lean to the swing tops, though.

I like dark rum, if we are only using one alcohol. This recipe on pop sugar is pretty good, and uses vodka, dark and light rum—https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.popsugar.com/food/Kahlua-Recipe-30970567/amp but we are doing a different recipe this year, for a change. I’ll try to link the recipe tomorrow. It’s simpler.

We have friends who make coquito every year. That’s not really a coffee drink, but holy cannoli, is it special. Yum.

Let us know if you make it!

I wanted to start the Kahlua today, but out stores aren't open on Sundays, so I'll pick up the rum tomorrow. I have vodka, but think I prefer the flavor of rum better. (It's been a long time since I used the vodka for a recipe and I don't remember when I lost tasted rum, so I might not be remembering correctly.) I like your linked recipe, that you just put all the ingredients in a jar, shake it every so often, then strain it in 4 weeks. With the recipe I was going to use, I needed to make a strong coffee. Not a problem, but I use an aeropress and would have to make it several times to get to the requisite quantity of coffee.

The coquito sounds like a good drink, something I would like to try before I make it. I'm not a big fan of coconut, but I like to taste those things I don't like just in case my tastes have changed. Coconut is one taste I've found that seems to be changing. 

Thank you for all the great ideas!

[marbel]

12 hours ago, wilrunner said:

We do have a World Market. I'll have to go look for the syrups! Thank you!

I'll check out the bitters. Do you use additional sweetener when you add the bitters to your coffee?

WM also carries Monin brand coffee syrups:  https://www.worldmarket.com/product/monin-coffee-collection-syrups-5-pack.do

That is such a fun store anyway at Christmastime, you may find other fun ideas.  In my state, liquor is tightly controlled, so our WMs don't sell it.  😢 But last year I had fun at the large liquor store buying some mini bottles as stocking stuffers for my family member (and myself).

I do not add sugar but I don't generally like sweet coffee. My favorite luxurious morning cup of coffee at home includes some unsweetened dutch process cocoa, a few drops of chocolate bitters, and cream.  In the evening I like to add some whiskey, amaretto or other liqueur, but I still don't make it very sweet.  My daughter plays around with syrups and flavors a lot.

Edited November 21, 2021 by marbel

[Tree Frog]

2 hours ago, marbel said:

WM also carries Monin brand coffee syrups:  https://www.worldmarket.com/product/monin-coffee-collection-syrups-5-pack.do

That is such a fun store anyway at Christmastime, you may find other fun ideas.  In my state, liquor is tightly controlled, so our WMs don't sell it.  😢 But last year I had fun at the large liquor store buying some mini bottles as stocking stuffers for my family member (and myself).

I do not add sugar but I don't generally like sweet coffee. My favorite luxurious morning cup of coffee at home includes some unsweetened dutch process cocoa, a few drops of chocolate bitters, and cream.  In the evening I like to add some whiskey, amaretto or other liqueur, but I still don't make it very sweet.  My daughter plays around with syrups and flavors a lot.

Just got back from World Market. I forgot what a fun store it is!

Does your dd like the Monin flavors? I saw them, but they were about twice what the Torino bottles cost. I liked the different flavor selections, though.

I'm curious. How do you incorporate the Dutch process cocoa? When I've tried to use it, it just sat on top of the coffee and didn't mix in. I now put some in with my coffee beans when I grind them, but I think I lose a lot of the chocolate doing it that way.

[Tap]

2 hours ago, marbel said:

WM also carries Monin brand coffee syrups:  https://www.worldmarket.com/product/monin-coffee-collection-syrups-5-pack.do

[Snip}

If you have a Cash and Carry or ChefStore in your area, they sell Monin and Torani for about $5-7 a bottle in store. Huge selection and the best price I have seen anywhere.

[Tree Frog]

Good to know. Thank you! I don't recognize either name, but it's worth a Google search.

[Kareni]

If the baskets are for family and good friends, another possibility, @wilrunner, might be to locate small glass bottles and divide larger bottles of syrup and liqueur.

Regards,

Kareni

[marbel]

2 hours ago, wilrunner said:

Just got back from World Market. I forgot what a fun store it is!

Does your dd like the Monin flavors? I saw them, but they were about twice what the Torino bottles cost. I liked the different flavor selections, though.

I'm curious. How do you incorporate the Dutch process cocoa? When I've tried to use it, it just sat on top of the coffee and didn't mix in. I now put some in with my coffee beans when I grind them, but I think I lose a lot of the chocolate doing it that way.

She does like the Monin flavors. I had said I don't like sweet coffee but that is not always true; I have used a few (sparingly) and I like them too. I think she had a coupon or something when she bought them so we might have been feeling a little more free to experiment.

Re: cocoa - this is a bit complicated. I put a small amount of coffee in a cup, then the cocoa, then some half & half or cream, then I use a milk frother to combine it all. Then I pour in the rest of the coffee. I do have to stir it again if I let the coffee sit for any amount of time, because the cocoa will become sludge at the bottom. I have been meaning to try to find out how hot cocoa mixes (like Swiss Miss) don't form sludge. There must be some emulsifier (? or something?) to make it incorporate more fully.  

I have determined that I don't actually like coffee itself; it's more of a vehicle for other flavors, most specifically unsweet or barely sweet chocolate.

I love World Market. I have fond memories of the (I believe) flagship Cost Plus store in San Francisco a long time ago. It was more of a funky hippy import store at the time. When we moved to PA, there wasn't one here and I missed it so bad! Then about 3 years ago one came into our area and I was so happy. It's a little more upscale now than I remember from my youth but still a fun place. Too bad for me about the wine though because they had great deals on it. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by marbel

[Corraleno]

Amazon also sells mixed flavor packs of half-size (~12.5 oz) bottles of syrups:

Torani 3-pack: Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnut  ($0.49/oz)

Starbucks 4-pack: Caramel, Hazelnut, Vanilla x2 ($0.41/oz)

They also have several different packs of miniatures (less than 2 oz) of Torani and Monin syrups, but the cost per ounce is like 5 times as much as the 12 oz bottles. E.g. this cute holiday gift pack of five 1.7 oz bottles of Monin syrup includes Dark Chocolate, Peppermint, Gingerbread, Macademia, and Toasted Marshmallow, but it costs as much or more than the Torani and Starbucks packs of 12 oz bottles.

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Corraleno

[Tree Frog]

5 hours ago, marbel said:

She does like the Monin flavors. I had said I don't like sweet coffee but that is not always true; I have used a few (sparingly) and I like them too. I think she had a coupon or something when she bought them so we might have been feeling a little more free to experiment.

Re: cocoa - this is a bit complicated. I put a small amount of coffee in a cup, then the cocoa, then some half & half or cream, then I use a milk frother to combine it all. Then I pour in the rest of the coffee. I do have to stir it again if I let the coffee sit for any amount of time, because the cocoa will become sludge at the bottom. I have been meaning to try to find out how hot cocoa mixes (like Swiss Miss) don't form sludge. There must be some emulsifier (? or something?) to make it incorporate more fully.  

I have determined that I don't actually like coffee itself; it's more of a vehicle for other flavors, most specifically unsweet or barely sweet chocolate.

I love World Market. I have fond memories of the (I believe) flagship Cost Plus store in San Francisco a long time ago. It was more of a funky hippy import store at the time. When we moved to PA, there wasn't one here and I missed it so bad! Then about 3 years ago one came into our area and I was so happy. It's a little more upscale now than I remember from my youth but still a fun place. Too bad for me about the wine though because they had great deals on it. 

Thanks for explaining the cocoa. I've started enjoying coffee more when it's a good bean. I'm trying hard not to need it every morning. I've seen caffeine withdrawal and don't want to have to have it every day. It also makes it more special when it's something I really like.

Fun trip down memory lane. The flagship store would've been fun to wander through!

5 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Amazon also sells mixed flavor packs of half-size (~12.5 oz) bottles of syrups:

Torani 3-pack: Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnut  ($0.49/oz)

Starbucks 4-pack: Caramel, Hazelnut, Vanilla x2 ($0.41/oz)

They also have several different packs of miniatures (less than 2 oz) of Torani and Monin syrups, but the cost per ounce is like 5 times as much as the 12 oz bottles. E.g. this cute holiday gift pack of five 1.7 oz bottles of Monin syrup includes Dark Chocolate, Peppermint, Gingerbread, Macademia, and Toasted Marshmallow, but it costs as much or more than the Torani and Starbucks packs of 12 oz bottles.

 

The Amazon prices are expensive! The Torani is what I bought, but I paid about $5. The Monin set intrigued me because of the different flavors. I might go back and get it. World market had it today for $10.

[Arcadia]

6 hours ago, marbel said:

 I have fond memories of the (I believe) flagship Cost Plus store in San Francisco a long time ago. It was more of a funky hippy import store at the time.. 

That store is closed last year according to wiki. I love going to Cost Plus for their german St Nicholas Day items.

“Cost Plus opened its first store at 2552 Taylor Street on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California, in 1958. This location permanently closed in 2020”