A gift for those who enjoy a beer or a glass of wine: openers, glasses, and ice
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
For those who enjoy a drink, a gift is quickly bought and just as quickly set aside. This guide looks at what truly stays in use: openers, glasses, ice molds, and cooling — complete with prices and three calculated sets.
Everyone knows the drawer: the one with three bottle openers, a corkscrew that jams, and a set of glasses that has never been out of the box. For those who enjoy a beer or a glass of wine, a gift is easily bought, but it's also one of those categories where gifts often disappear after one use. Now that the indoor 'borrel' season is starting again – from the end of September everyone is indoors on Friday afternoons instead of in the garden – this is a good time to see what actually stays on the counter.
What stays in use, and what doesn't
Roughly speaking, a gift in this category survives if it meets one of three conditions:
It's always within reach. An opener on a keychain or on the fridge gets used; an opener at the back of a drawer does not.
It replaces something that is broken or annoying. A corkscrew that actually works, an ice mold from which cubes release easily.
It's consumable or a replenishment. Straws, small glasses, ice molds: things you can never have enough of when guests are over.
What rarely makes it: something that is only fun to unwrap, something that requires a dedicated cabinet, or the fifth glass in an incomplete set.
Under €5: small, but immediately useful
The cheapest gifts here are often the most useful, precisely because they can be carried in a bag or on a keychain.
Set of 6 shot glasses, 60 ml — €3.00. Six glasses are just enough for a table, and they are stackable for storage.
Ice ball maker for round ice balls — €1.95. A round ice ball has less surface area per volume than loose cubes and therefore melts slower, so your drink becomes less watery.
Between €5 and €15: the gift that stays on the table
In this price range, choose something with a function that the recipient currently solves with something else.
Muscle Man Corkscrew — €14.95. A gift with a wink, but still a corkscrew you can use daily.
Wine bottle as a glass, 750 ml — €9.95. A drinking glass in the shape of a bottle; good for laughs and then simply usable.
Bottle opener with magnet — €12.95. Thanks to the magnet, it hangs on the fridge instead of disappearing into a drawer.
A significant portion of the opener and glassware assortment in this store is distinctly naughty in shape. This works excellent for a bachelor party or a birthday among friends, but not for a gift from the team to a colleague or for the in-laws. So, before ordering, ask yourself one question: will this gift be opened in the presence of others, and who are they? If in doubt, choose the neutral model — the collection of corkscrews and bottle openers has both variants side by side.
Three complete gifts calculated
Occasion
What you order
Total
Small thank you or Secret Santa
Multitool keychain + set of 6 shot glasses
€ 7.95
Birthday among friends
Corkscrew + ice ball mold + bamboo straws
€ 19.89
Larger gift or group gift
Cooler bag + bottle-shaped glass + ice mold with lid + metal opener
€ 32.80
Wrapping and shipping
If you're giving the gift along with a bottle, the bottle is the fragile part, not the gift. A ready-made wine bottle packaging costs €3.95 and saves fumbling with paper. If the package is going by mail, keep in mind that glass on glass will clink: package glasses separately, fill the surrounding space, and place the package so that the heaviest parts are at the bottom. In packaging and shipping you'll find the boxes, filling, and tape for this.
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