Wine, liquor, and beer have long been popular gifts in the business world. After all, drinking together is a long-standing business tradition when closing deals. A quality bottle of the good stuff can serve as a great reminder of your working relationships. Corporate alcohol gifts, when done right, can help your company cement a name for itself and celebrate lucrative and long-lasting business relationships.
The first tip every company should know is so important; we’re keeping it above the fold. Make sure you check with HR! Every company has different policies on the kinds of gifts employees can accept in the office. Checking beforehand can save you both embarrassment, not to mention your gifting budget. If you’re interested in exploring how you level up your corporate alcohol gifts, keep on reading.
Gifts Per Title
When sending a corporate alcohol gift, you’ll want to be mindful who you’re sending a gift to. A general rule of thumb is that the more they mean to your business, the more you should spend. You want to be sure that the alcohol gift you send reflects how much you value your working relationship while avoiding being overly lavish. It’s a tricky thing to balance, and to dive deeper into the issue, we’ve broken it up into the kinds of people your company is likely surprise with gifts.
Alcohol Gifts for Bosses, Coworkers, Direct Reports, and Employees
When sending a corporate alcohol gift inside of your own company, you’re free to be the most playful. If you don’t know the person well directly, chances are you can get some tips from an office friend. We’ve broken this up by general roles in the company to get you started.
Bosses – When sending an alcohol gift to the head of a team, or even the company, you’ll want to aim for a quality bottle. A mid-tier champagne gift, such as Moet & Chandon, is always appropriate for showing your appreciation to higher-ups inside and outside your business.
Coworkers – Surprising a coworker with an alcohol gift is simpler. If you know them well enough to know their preferred beer or beer style, send them a gift basket bursting with just that. If you don’t, surprise them with a mid-tier spirit they can use for crafting cocktails at home. Bonus points if you can suggest a few cocktail recipes for them to try with it.
Direct Reports – As a boss or manager sending a corporate alcohol gift to someone directly reporting to you, you want to get it right. These are the people that you most trust to hold up your projects and get the job done. Send them a gift that shows you appreciate them and want them to enjoy their well-earned time off. Sending a cocktail gift basket is just the thing to reward a job well done, or celebrate their birthday.
Employees – Rewarding every employee in your business is essential for team morale. But the bigger your company is, the more difficult this can be to do. Never fear; this is the time to put your employees in charge of choosing their perfect bottle of alcohol by sending an e-gift card!
Alcohol Gifts for VIP Clients
VIP clients get trickier. While they have likely been with your company for a while, you may not have as much access to personal information. Here, variety reigns supreme. When you send an alcohol gift to your VIP clients, aim for something with two different bottles of wine or liquor. Even better if you go for an alcohol basket that offers gourmet snacks. This will show off your thoughtfulness and give them a full-blown experience in trying new things.
Alcohol Gifts for Business Associates and Partners
When it comes to sending corporate alcohol gifts to business associates and partners, generally speaking, you want to spend a bit more money. However, you don’t want the gift to be overly elaborate. Try aiming for a gift with 2 to 3 different bottles of wine, or a bottle of high-quality liquor. If you happen to know their favorite drink is something cheaper, like a beer or more common wine, always go with their preference. You can make the basket more impressive by including some gourmet goodies that pair well with their beverage of choice.
Occasions for Corporate Alcohol Gifts and What is Appropriate
If you want to ensure your business relationships continue to grow and prosper, a year-round gifting approach is critical. It’s obvious that you’d want to send a gift to your VIPs on their birthday. And surely, you won’t want to miss their anniversary with your company. However, you’ll want to go above and beyond that to truly stand out. Below are the most common holidays for sending corporate alcohol gifts and what we suggest you send.
New Year/Chinese New Year/ Lunar New Year
No matter how they ring in the New Year, champagne is the most iconic gift to send. But if you’re looking for a few other ideas, we have New Year gift catalogs for every country, filled with regional favorites that are sure to impress.
International Women’s Day
When it comes to celebrating International Women’s Day, most people think flowers. But if you want to celebrate a powerhouse woman in the corporate world, we suggest wine instead. Go the extra mile and put together a custom gift of a variety of wines for her to try if you truly want to impress.
Mother and Father’s Day
Mother’s and Father’s Day may not seem like obvious corporate gifting opportunities, however, it’s for just that reason your gift will stand out. If you’re lucky enough to know your VIP has children, then you likely have an idea of their taste in alcohol. Make your gift extra personal by making it a custom selection of the beer, wine, or alcohol they prefer. Don’t be afraid to mix and match with a few extra sweets and snacks they can share with their children.
Christmas and Orthodox Christmas
Christmas and Orthodox Christmas are the time to go wild with generosity. Since you’re likely to send gifts to nearly everyone on your VIP list around this time of year, keep in mind the tips about who you’re sending to. It would benefit you to work with a corporate gift specialist to help you plan each and every gift around your budget and your recipients’ gift preferences.
Fun International Liquor Holidays
Now, if you really want your corporate alcohol gift to stand out, you might try aiming for holidays that are more off the beaten path. If you look hard enough, there’s an international day for nearly every alcohol. Don’t worry, we’ve done the looking for you and put together a list below:
- Drink Wine Day -February 18th
- International Irish Whiskey Day – March 3rd
- Vermouth Day – March 21st
- International Whiskey Day – March 27th
- World Cocktail Day – May 13th
- World Wine Day – May 25th
- International Beer Day – August 4th
- World Sake Day – October 1st
If you’re wondering what to send for these holidays, it’s in the name. But trust us, the beauty of sending corporate alcohol gifts is how appreciated they are, and how long they keep. An alcohol gift is something your recipient can enjoy in their liquor cabinet until they find the perfect time to crack it open, and think of your generosity all over again.
You’ve learned about what corporate alcohol gifts to send; now what?
- Surprise your VIPs with corporate gifts.
- Learn more about International Business Drinking Etiquette
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A foodie, nerd, book lover, and eager taste tester. I’m a night owl with a need to expand my knowledge of other cultures and places to give myself a better perspective.