Tasty, Local Gifts

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  • No more boring wine

    Going to a party and need a gift for the hosts? Instead of grabbing a random bottle of wine off the supermarket shelves which will likely be opened and forgotten, why not grab something unique, tasty and – above all – local? 

    Following are some of our picks for exciting, tasty and local host gifts.

    (Tell us your favorites in the comments below.)

  • Fresh, Local Beer

    There are now five production breweries open in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties and each sells draft beer to go in growlers. Even better, you can often fill your jug with one-off and other special beers on tap that don’t get out into store, bars and restaurants.

    Most of the breweries also offer shirts, gift certificates and plenty of other swag.

    Big Top Brewing Co.: 6111 Porter Way, Sarasota, 371-2939, bigtopbrewing.com
    Motorworks Brewing: 1014 9th St. W., Bradenton, 567-6218, motorworksbrewing.com
    JDub’s Brewing Co.: 1215 Mango Ave., Sarasota, 955-2739, jdubsbrewing.com
    Darwin Brewing Co.: 803 17th Ave. W., Bradenton, 747-1970, darwinbrewingco.com
    Fat Point Brewing: 611 Charlotte St., Punta Gorda, 800-380-7405 (The tasting room isn’t open yet, but the Punta Gorda brewery usually has beer garden events on Fridays where they fill growlers and sell merchandise.)

    – Alan Shaw

  • Award-Winning Rum

    Sarasota’s Drum Circle Distilling (2212 Industrial Blvd., Sarasota, drumcircledistilling.com) has won yet another award for its already-bemedaled line of Siesta Key Spiced Rum, the “Distillers Reserve” taking top spot for the third year in a row in the spiced category of Caribbean Journal’s 2014 Rum Awards. If you’re used to Captain Morgan, you’ll be amazed by the rich, natural flavor of this local rum. Drum Circle also sells Siesta Key Spiced and Beer Barrel Finish Spiced, as well as Siesta Key Gold and Silver Rums. Garb the last two and start singing Yukon Cornelius’ classic song from “Rudolph.”

    – Brian Ries and Lee Williams

  • A glass of Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery's strawberry wine / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER
    Florida Wine

    Want to be unique? Try a local wine instead of another tired bottle of chardonnay or merlot. At Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery (8905 Bunker Hill Road, Bunker Hill, 941-776-0418, bunkerhillvineyard.com), owners Larry and Lenora Woodham harvest the muscadine grapes they’ve planted on the 3.5 acres of their land and even pick wild grapes to round out their blend. They also produce a stunning range of fruit wines that vary widely with the seasons. But that’s hardly it. Glass jugs of kumquat wines, cherry tomato wines, papaya wines and more are aged inside one of the vineyard's refrigerated buildings. The wines are available at a variety of local retailers.

    – Cooper Levey-Baker

  • Homemade Chocolates

    Chocoholics have been satisfying their most intense cravings at Richey’s (4710 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, 761-1500, richeyschocolates.com) since it opened on Cortez Road in 1948. Still in Bradenton, but over on Manatee Avenue West, Richey’s remains the rare American candy shop offering hand-made chocolates. The shop’s signature assortment collection is filled with creams, nut clusters, toffees, caramels, nougats, fruit pieces and honeycomb chips. Assortment collections are $23 per pound and available in 1, 2, 3 and 5-pound boxes.

    – Wade Tatangelo

  • Local Sauerkraut

    An odd choice for a party, perhaps, but to make an impact on foodies nothing could be better than a jar of organic sauerkraut from Beagle Bay Organics (4501 Manatee Ave. West, #105 Bradenton; beaglebayorganics.com). There are jars of plain, dill and carrots, jalapeño, garlic, and, a personal favorite, caraway seed for building the perfect Reuben sandwich. The best place to purchase Beagle Bay Organics’ various sauerkraut products is in the delightful Chop Shop butcher, market and deli at 5906 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton (794-6328). Prone to procrastinate? Chop Shop will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Christmas Eve.

    – Wade Tatangelo

  • Local Jam

    Made with organic sugar – and not a lot of it – the small glass jars of jam at Southern Basket in the Sarasota Farmers’ Market (35 S. Lemon Ave., Sarasota, 925-7451) do not contain the sickeningly sweet pastes you find on grocery stores. Instead, the fruit reigns supreme, shining brightly whether you slather the jam on freshly toasted bread, eat it straight from the jar or pair it with peanut butter. Flavors like triple berry, strawberry rhubarb or triple citrus marmalade highlight local produce when possible and the $7 price seems low when you consider how much pleasure it will bring your giftee.

    – Brian Ries