Stock this Stuff

TIS’ THE SEASON for holiday shopping! Every year it seems to get busier and busier – meaning time is of the essence as customers dash through your aisles pre-holiday fête. Behold our carefully curated list of items to stock this season, sure to spark a twinkle in the eye as your patrons pass through seeking the perfect gift for their coworker, nanny, significant other, personal trainer . . . the list may go on and on, but the shopping trips won’t have to!

BEER and WINE JELLIES by POTLICKER KITCHEN $7
What to buy for the beer aficionado, like the really serious beer aficionado, who’s hip to homebrew, current on craft beer, and flips for all things hops?  Potlicker Kitchen makes a range of jellies that allow beer (and wine) lovers to enjoy their favorite tipple like never before.  Created by forager and archaeologist-turned-marmateer Nancy Warner in Stowe, Vermont, Potlicker Kitchen sources brews from Vermont’s craft breweries to create unique offerings.  Their The Heady Jelly, for example, is made from Alchemist Brewery’s “Heady Topper” and is a limited edition.  “Wine & Dine”, “There’s Fruit in It”, and “What Ales Ya’” are 3-packs of different varieties [$21] to offer a range of tastes for the lucky recipient to sample on toast, fine cheese, or as an ingredient in fish or meat dishes, and are perfect if you can’t make up your mind.  Contact Potlickerkitchen@gmail.com for wholesale orders, or via the website potlickerkitchen.com/wholesale-inquiry.

ELEMENTS SHRUBS $18.99
Long before there was Coca-Cola, colonial New Englander’s sipped on soft drinks made with shrubs and water of the still or carbonated variety.  A type of drinking vinegar, shrubs were a way to preserve fruit by combining the seasonal bounty with vinegar and sugar.  As the cocktail renaissance has evolved so has interest in such vintage potations.  These modern interpretations from Element [Shrub] came to fruition while Charlie Berkinshaw and his wife, who was then pregnant, were living in Cambridge and part of a local food foraging group.  Made in Hardwick, Vermont, these are an outstanding example of how yummy a shrub can be and work in a variety of beverages: hot or cold, boozy or virgin.  They come in five flavors including Honeydew Jalapeño, which tastes great with tequila, and the brilliantly-hued Pineapple Tumeric, which is a delight with rum, on the rocks with fresh nutmeg, or as a glaze for chicken or pork.  For wholesale inquiries contact info@elementshrub.com.

ROYAL ROSE SIMPLE SYRUP $11.5O
There’s nothing simple about these deliciously-flavored syrups from Royal Rose.  Made by Emily and Forrest Butler in Brunswick, Maine, these organic syrups come in flavors that will appeal to the spice-seeking mixologist such as Fenugreek, Lavender Lemon, Saffron and Rose.  Their “Naughty or Nice” Moscow Mule Kit features both plain and Spicy Ginger-Lime Syrup, allowing for cocktails to suit either mood.  The “Champagne Cocktail Kit” contains Raspberry and Anise Syrups to make sparkling cocktails even fancier.  Available through Horizon Beverage featured in the Origins Beverage Portfolio.  Royalrosesyrups.com

FIRE CIDER $12 to $22
The holidays can be an endless procession of soirées, parties, celebratory cocktails, more parties and yes, more cocktails.  Balance your bibulous pursuits this season with Fire Cider, a classic New England health tonic.  This folk remedy has been prescribed by generations to help support the immune system, aid digestion, ward off colds, and keep hardy New Englanders healthy.  It’s also a great way to put the spring back in your step after a long night out.  The Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based team at Fire Cider spent years perfecting their formula, adding whole, raw, certified organic oranges, lemons, onions, ginger, horseradish, habanero pepper, garlic and turmeric to apple cider vinegar and raw wildflower honey for a potation that packs a punch.  They also have shot glasses complete with recommended fill levels – “daily dose”, “winter daily dose”, and “hangover cure” – to make things simpler the morning after.  Contact Sales@firecider.com for wholesale orders.

URBAN MOONSHINE BITTERS $7.99 to $42.99
We hear so much about bitters as an indispensable flavoring agent in cocktails that one could almost forget that they were originally created for health.  Burlington, Vermont-based Urban Moonshine has been leading the charge on bringing back the traditional use of herbal bitters and tonics as a way to support health and wellness in everyday life.  These bitters support healthy liver function and soothe an upset stomach, making them a remarkably effective tool to have in your back pocket during a busy eating and drinking season.  We mean that literally: carry their handy travel-sized mouth spray bottles with you as you work the party circuit.  A few spritzes with each cocktail will make the next morning more pleasant.  Available in original, orange, maple, and chamomile.  For wholesale inquiries email wholesale@urbanmoonshine.com or call 8O2.428.47O7.

1224 BAR BAGS $49 to $325
Hitting the road with bar tools, hard-to-find liqueurs and a bag full of bitters can be rife with headaches for the traveling mixologist.  1224 to the rescue!  Their Traveler collection features top-of-the-line bags that can store so much more than jiggers and bar spoons.  The “Traveler 2.O” has space for bitters, liquor bottles, a laptop and even has a flat space where you can rest a camera.  The smaller format “Night Shift” is lighter and designed to hold your tools with lots of pocket space so you can keep track of your favorite spoons, fancy channel knife, cutting boards, and can still fit the laptop.  The “X-Treme Pelican Roller Bag” is perfect for plane travel: it’s on wheels, waterproof, crush proof, and can be padlocked and checked, for the jet-setting mixologist.  For wholesale inquiries email troy@1224cocktails.com or twelvetwentyfour-cocktails.myshopify.com/collections/travel-bags.

JULEP JIGGER WOODBURY PEWTER $24
The Mint Julep is one of the classiest classic cocktails, in part thanks to the cool vessel it’s served in, the Julep Cup.  What’s not to love about a teeny version? Woodbury Pewter hand-crafts these pieces in several traditional sizes but we’re particularly fond of the 2-ounce “Julep Jigger”.  These fine pieces are made in Woodbury, Connecticut using many of the same methods and tools that were used in the 18th and 19th centuries, which further adds to the charm.  For wholesale inquiries contact Boston Pewter Company, 1 South Market Street, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, 617.523.1776.

CRAFTY BASTARDS by LAUREN CLARK
Did you know that the Pilgrims dropped anchor in Plymouth because their supply of beer was running low? And if you had known of this relatable quandary while studying colonial history, would you perhaps have paid closer attention? Look no further than Craft Bastards for an enlightening and entertaining introduction to the legacy of brewing in New England, a craft that stretches back 4OO years and continues to thrive today.  Penned by local author Lauren Clark, this book will delight beer and history nerds alike.  After all, how can you know where you’re going without a sense of where you’ve been?  Cheers to centuries of suds in New England.  For wholesale order inquiries, contact caitlin@unionparkpress.com.