The Holiday Season is fast-approaching and shopping is limited, so what can you get for the committed gastronome or drinks connoisseur? This round-up of things to buy from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Bars will not only impress any discerning drinker and eater, but will also help support venues as they make their way through this difficult period
All prices quoted are USD
PRESENTS FOR THE HOUSEBOUND RESTAURANT ADDICT
Lyle’s, London, UK
Mince pie kit, $60.48
As anyone who has ever been disappointed by a grocery store version of the ultimate festive season pastry can attest, not all pies are created equal – but Lyle’s incarnations are a true taste of Christmas. The kits contain ingredients for 12 pies (including suet from retired Jersey cows and mincemeat aged for 12 months), baking sleeves, and a thorough instruction booklet.
De Librije, Zwolle, The Netherlands
Dutch oven, $165.24
A must-have for preparing winter stews, this limited-edition Dutch oven is a collaboration between cooking brand Combekk and Jonnie Boer, a stalwart of modern Dutch cuisine who runs the restaurant currently ranked at No.46 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. It comes with a lifetime guarantee, although with a product of this quality, the chances of needing to call on it are slim.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, US
Blue Hill pantry collection, $145
Presented in a straw-filled box that nods to the rustic-chic feel of Dan Barber’s legendary farmstead restaurant, this assortment will instantly up your loved ones’ breakfast game. Highlights include wholewheat pancake mix, a jar of granola and wildflower honey from bees that populate the Hudson Valley.
Mirazur, Menton, France
Mandarin olive oil, $33.96
This zesty olive oil is a collaborative effort between the current World’s Best Restaurant and its long-time partner, St. Michel Oil Mill, a centuries-old family affair that overlooks the Mediterranean. Dip salted raw fennel in for a quick canape that will whisk guests away to the Riviera.
Atomix, New York, US
Oddme x ato plates, $60
Add extra personality to a dinner table with these quirky ceramics by Youme Oh, a multimedia artist working and living in Seoul, South Korea, who supplies the crockery used at New York’s premier Korean restaurant Atomix, which placed No.119 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019. All the plates are one-of-a-kind, with deliberately mismatched proportions and slightly varying expressions – so they’re as unique as your lucky recipient.
Brae, Birregurra, Australia
Small Brae gift hamper, $85.69
Chef Dan Hunter’s obsession with capturing a sense of place in his food is demonstrated in style through this collection of goodies from Brae’s own farm (which is tended by the kitchen team). Think wheat beer, Tahitian limes transformed into zingy cordial and organic jam.
Zén, Singapore
Zén’s signature knife, $228.78
These handmade steak knives are a celebration of Zén owner Björn Frantzén’s Swedish heritage. They are made with skilled craftsmanship by heritage knife manufacturer Morakniv and the handles are painted in traditional Kurbits style by artist Pernilla Nordman.
Arpège, Paris, France
Trikalinos bottarga, $63
Briny, umami-rich grey mullet bottarga is a regular feature of Alain Passard’s menus at Arpège – ranked No.8 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 – where it appears with pasta and grated over vegetables. This particular version is preserved in natural beeswax and produced by a Greek family who have more than a century of experience.
Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
Pand’oro, $42.43
Croissant-light, buttery panettone with a striking design that’s well worthy of centre stage on a festive table, this pand’oro is the sort of gift that is sure to be well received by any gourmand. Third-generation family restaurant Le Calandre has been on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for more than a decade and its version is up there with the best.
SingleThread, Healdsburg, US
SingleThread Dry Riesling Cole Ranch Vineyard 2019, $29.99
The smallest wine appellation in the US, Cole Ranch, is famed for its dry, aromatic Rieslings. This particular bottle is as subtle and elegant as the Japanese-inspired dishes that flow from SingleThread’s kitchen.
Elystan Street, London, UK
Christmas hamper, $198.38
This classically British restaurant in the 50 Best Discovery collection specialises in local ingredients cooked with elegant simplicity, and this hamper gives home cooks the tools to do the same. It’s a mix of fresh goods from Chef Phil Howard’s favourite producers, house-made delicacies such as sausage-roll meat and top-drawer chefs’ staples, such as musky truffle butter.
GIFTS FOR THE LIVING ROOM BARTENDER
Connaught Bar, London, UK
Connaught Bar iconic Martini glasses (set of six), $320
Watching Agostino Perrone stir a Dry Martini from Connaught Bar’s custom-built trolley is one of the world’s greatest moments of cocktail theatre and now you can experience a shade of that fabulousness at home with these cut-crystal glasses, with detailing inspired by the current World’s Best Bar’s cubist interiors. 
Tayēr + Elementary, London, UK
Tayēr gift box (3 x 10cl), $40
The design of this collection of three festive cocktails captures something of Tayēr + Elementary’s restrained luxury. Their appropriate seasonal flavours (Gingerbread Old Fashioned, Mince Pie Negroni, Pine Martini) are a homage to owner-bartenders Monica Berg and Alex Kratena’s boundless creativity, which saw them pick up the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars this year.
Coa, Hong Kong, China
Del Maguey Vida Single Village Mezcal, $80
This exceptional mezcal is twice-distilled in wood-fired copper stills on the banks of the river that flows through the tiny pueblo of San Luis del Rio, Mexico. It has a nose of fruity aromatics with a hint of honey, while the palate offers ginger, cinnamon and burnt sandalwood with a long, lingering finish. The bottle is hand-selected by Coa’s co-founder Jay Khan, whose venue took home the Nikka Highest Climber Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020.
Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain
Gift box with whisky glass, smoker and chips, $92
Although first and foremost a brilliant progressive restaurant in the heart of Barcelona, the team turns their knowledge to post-prandial drinking with this festive offering. A sip of whisky in front of a fire is one of life’s simple pleasures but sipping it from a smoked glass thrusts the experience into another dimension. The kit contains two single malt glasses, Mediterranean oak woodchips, a smoking device and thorough instructions to learn how to elevate the smoky notes in your favourite dram.
Three Sheets, London, UK
Mulled wine, $22.83
A delicate combination of young Rioja, Sicilian white wine, spices, frankincense, honey, orange and lemon peel infused slowly so the wine retains its freshness is Three Sheets’ recipe for Christmas cheer. We also love the cool linocut label designed by UK artist Sophy Hollington.
Atlas, Singapore
The Atlas curated gin subsription (one year), $400
With an encyclopaedic 1,300-bottle collection of global gins, there’s no better purveyor of gin knowledge than Atlas in central Singapore. Ensure your friends and family know you’re thinking about them all year with the bar’s gin subscription box. Every four months they’ll receive a bottle of craft gin, four mini tonics, recipe cards and dehydrated fruit to garnish. The Atlas Martini set (pictured below) is also available. 
St John, London, UK
Eccles stout (pack of 6), $24.11
Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese is one of few constants on St John’s daily-changing menu and you can now savour it in liquid form. The team has partnered with local craft brewery 40FT to produce a complex stout that combines seven speciality malts with a dash of Eccles cake mixture added at the whirlpool stage of the brew.
Jigger & Pony, Singapore
Sakura Martini 200ml, $25.49
This Martini from the current No.1 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars list aims to capture something of the elegance of geishas lounging in a cherry blossom orchard. Roku gin is infused with flower petals, blossom leaf essence, sake vermouth and peach liqueur for a delicate drink best served straight from the freezer.
Dante New York, US
Dante’s holiday cocktail gift box, $210
The festive cheer will be flowing freely with Dante’s holiday gift box in the house. Inside, you’ll find no fewer than five warming winter cocktails (including their famous Alpine Negroni, made with spruce tip-infused gin and pine liqueur) alongside a crystal glass rocks tumbler and Dante giant ice cube tray.
Lyaness, London, UK
Better half box, $93.64
Ryan Chetiyawardana is a leader in London’s experimental cocktail scene and this new hamper contains a mixture of ready-bottled brews and raw ingredients so you can create your own signature serves for two. Also included is a bottle of essential oils from Aqua Spa to help set the ambience.
Kwānt, London, UK
Erik Lorincz Birdy strainer and mixing tin, $220.85
The lightweight design of this cocktail strainer makes it easy to handle, while its concave shape also lends itself to be well used as an absinthe spoon, for separating egg whites and in place of a julep strainer for rolling drinks. It fits snugly into the matching 540ml tin, which has been hand polished to create a horizontal grain for smoother stirring.
Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia
The Rat Pack bottles (3 x 500ml), $120.54
Release the spirit of the Rat Pack into your home and let Frank, Sammy and Dean inspire your party. This collection of three bottled cocktails from Maybe Sammy, winner of The Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020, is guaranteed to get the good times flowing.
Native, Singapore
Kampot Pepper Gin, $65.98
This gin’s rich, zesty finish comes from Himalayan juniper berries and fennel seeds while Kampot peppercorns add a sophisticated kick. It’s macerated in Native’s own experimental drinks lab and shines when served neat over plenty of ice.
FOR THE GASTRONOME WHO HAS EVERYTHING
Baba au Rum, Athens, Greece
Cocktail culture posters, $35.12
Illustrator Costas Theocharis drew inspiration from the Futurism movement and Greek booze adverts of the 1960s to create this collection of colourful posters – sure to add a splash of rum-soaked good times to any space.
Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy
Niko Romito organic Christmas box, $72.54
This pioneering Italian restaurant is located in a 16th-century monastery that used to be the family bakery, so it follows that their organic Christmas box is largely based around preserves and spreads. Peach and strawberry jams and smooth chocolate hazelnut cream will add a touch of Romito refinement to festive breakfasts.
The French Laundry, Yountville, US
The French Laundry, Per Se cookbook, $75
Thomas Keller, the chef behind one of the Best of the Best hall of fame restaurants that have reached the No.1 spot in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, recently released his first new book in nearly a decade. It is a six-pound tome filled with secret techniques, 70 recipes, creative strategies and anecdotes that reveal what is really required to make it to the top of the world.
Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland
Caminada cutting board, $392.16
This slab of walnut wood cut from trees in the Swiss Prättigau valley is as sturdy as the doors of the enchanting castle this restaurant calls home. It’s tough enough for heavy duty chopping but its glossy grain also lends itself to beautifully presented charcuterie spreads.
Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain
Nosé T-shirt, $30.31
Chef-owner Andoni Luis Aduriz believes creativity thrives when cracks appear in our understanding of what’s certain, which is why this 100% organic cotton t-shirt simply says Nosé (‘I don’t know’). A mantra for 2020 if there ever was one…
Swift, London, UK
Irish coffee kit, $33.60
Swift’s Irish Coffee has been its bestseller for four years and now you can enjoy it as fuel on winter walks. The kit includes enough Irish whiskey, quality Send coffee, glasses and fragrant nutmeg to thoroughly warm the cockles of four people.
Cantina OK!, Sydney, Australia
Notas de Mezcal Tote, $14.84
Whether loaded with bottles of craft tequila from Sydney’s leading agave spirits specialist, favourite records or beach towels, this graphic tote’s reinforced shoulder strap makes it a reliable option for a day out. On the back, you’ll find a list of flavour kernels that inform this buzzy Sydney spot’s drinks list.
Drink Kong, Rome, Italy
Facemask, $6.06
Keep them cool and COVID-19 secure with this 100% cotton mask, screen printed with the Drink Kong ape logo. Crucial packing for when holidays are back on the agenda.
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco, US
Red wine blind tasting experience, $75
This blind tasting kit is the grown ups’ drinking game for a festive night in. Each contains three half bottles of red wine, a guide with instructions on blind tasting, an overview of varietals and a tasting grid. There is also a sealed envelope with the Crenn sommeliers’ answers, so there can be no arguments about whose palate is the sharpest.
Le Gavroche, London, UK
Deluxe full-length leather apron, $226.11
Protect clothes from unwanted splashes with this full-length leather apron, designed in conjunction with Michel Roux Jr, the chef behind this legendary London restaurant that sits on the 50 Best Discovery collection of restaurants and bars. Adjustable waist and neck straps ensure a comfortable fit.
The Spare Room, Los Angeles, US
The Spare Room Mad Libs, $10
A fun add-on to a main gift and one that could easily be slipped inside a Christmas card is The Spare Room’s custom version of Mad Libs. The classic fill-in-the-blank word game has been given an LA and cocktail-themed twist by this playful bar – and 100% of proceeds go to staff impacted by Covid-19.
Core by Clare Smyth, London, England
Lunch voucher, $99.48 (per person)
Winner of The World’s Best Female Chef 2018 title and the first female chef to hold and retain three Michelin stars in the UK, Clare Smyth is sure to deliver a sublime taste of Britain. The voucher is valid for 12 months, leaving plenty of leeway in case travel plans have to change (again).
The Clumsies, Athens, Greece
Hustler angry face socks, $10.90
Is it even Christmas without the gift of socks? Visionary bartenders Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis, the men behind the bar ranked No.3 in The World's 50 Best Bars, have channelled their irreverent energy into a new capsule collection with its roots in street culture. These buttercup-coloured socks will add a splash of Athenian sunshine to any outfit.
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