GIVEAWAY! Eat Boutique Cocktail Gift Box

I feel very lucky to love what I do. It helps, of course, that my job involves some of my absolute things, like history, cocktails, bars, and the city of Boston. As I’ve mentioned here before, we have been working on publishing a book on the history of drinking in Boston, and I have totally fallen in love with the subject.  Working on this book has meant a lot of research into the history of cocktail making in general – here in Boston and elsewhere – and it has made me much more interested in making my own cocktails at home. But with this new passion comes the need for a more sophisticated approach to my home bar. I needed tools like a shaker and a jigger, quality spirits and game-changing extras, like bitters and cordials (and adorable cocktail napkins and letterpressed coasters). 

Thankfully, I have had plenty of help in my quest to better my bar. Enter my cocktail mentor, Maggie Battista of Eat Boutique, who is always ready to serve me her favorite homemade drinks when I visit, and inspires me even more by sharing her latest concoctions on Eat Boutique (check out this video on Apartment Therapy, where Maggie shows us one how to make a quick and easy jam sparkler!) That’s why I was especially excited when she decided to dedicate one of her popular gift boxes to the world of homemade cocktails. 

And now, I get to share that box of awesomeness with one of you! I’ll let Maggie tell you a bit more about this amazing gift box:

It’s always cocktail hour when you send this gift box, and it’s always made from scratch. A single bottle of Scrappy’s Bitters is at the ready for any mixed drink. Morris Kitchen’s Ginger, Preserved Lemon or Apple Syrup (our choice) will brighten every cocktail or soda concoction. Dave’s Coffee Syrup is perfect for White Russians (and all sorts of baked goods). Quince & Apple Grenadine is ready for your Shirley Temple. Rim each drink with Didi Davis Foods Citrus Sugar Collection and nibble on Treat Bake Shop Pecans. We even included Haute Papier letter-pressed coasters and a little whisk to make serving and mixing easy. 

To sweeten the deal, Union Park Press is throwing in a copy of Drinking Boston: A History of the City and Its Spirits to inspire all sorts of historic cocktailing.  (Don’t worry, even if you don’t live in New England, this book will delight: it’s really the history of America’s first drinking town, and is filled with fascinating stories and great historic cocktail recipes. I promise you will love it!) Enter to win for yourself or for a very fun gift to give the booze-loving special someone in your life. 

For those of you who don’t feel like testing your luck - order your own Cocktail Gift Box today, or check them out first-hand at the Eat Boutique Holiday Market on December 9 in Boston. I’ll be fully ensconced at the Eat Boutique Book Shop that day, hanging out with some of my cookbook author heroes, like Joy Wilson of Joy the Baker, Bea Peltre of the Tartine Gourmande, Marisa McClellan of Food in Jars and so many more. This is our biggest and best market to date – you do NOT want to miss out! Did I mention there are going to be Island Creek Oysters, a cool coffee trike, and a pop-up shop from the Urban Grape? Seriously – get more details and your tickets NOW.  

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

The gift box will be shipped directly from Eat Boutique.  This giveaway is only open to residents of the continental USA.  

Dates: November 30 to December 8, 2012 (contest ends 12am EST on the 8th). Hurry! 

How to Enter: Just write a comment on this post telling us what fun cocktail you would make if you were to win the Cocktail Gift Box from Eat Boutique. We’re thirsty and want to steal your genius cocktail ideas!

Want to raise the odds of winning? Here are more chances to enter!

In addition to the main comment, leave a separate comment for each bonus entry:

• Follow @unionparkpress and tweet the following:  I just entered to win a Homemade Cocktail Gift Box from @eatboutique and @unionparkpress! Enter here: http://bit.ly/QvOHgp   **Be sure to tell us in the comments that you tweeted! **
• Like Union Park Press on facebook!  Then, come back here and tell us that you did so.
• Like Eat Boutique on facebook!  Then, come back here and tell us that you did so.
• Like Lady Gouda on facebook! Then, come back here and tell us that you did so.

Selecting a Winner:  Winner will be selected using a random generator. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner doesn’t respond to the winning notification email, another winner will be chosen.

Note: we are also posting this giveaway on the Union Park Press blog – all entries on both sites will be counted while determining the winner of the giveaway.  

Photographs of the Cocktail Gift Box were taken by Maggie Battista and Michelle Martin.