Last-minute gift shopping: booze

Let me guess--you still have some holiday shopping to do, right? And maybe you need a few ideas to help you get through the worst of it. Well, we aim to please, and one thing that pleases (almost) everyone is: booze! Here are some great gifts that are sure to be a hit.

Lillet is a delicately sweet, fruity aperitif wine from France (warning: sucky web page). Aperitif wines are wines, usually white ones, that have been been flavored, sweetened and fortified (alcohol added, or concentrated, to result in a stronger drink). It comes in rouge and blanc (red and white, duh) varieties, and I prefer blanc. It's usually drunk before dinner, chilled, over ice, with or without soda water, and is particularly good with a slice of orange and/or a twist of orange peel. Also, they have some fantastic old posters. You can buy this at European import stores (like Martinotti's downtown, or Pastaworks on Hawthorne or in NW), or at Whole Foods. Nicer liquor stores might carry it too.

Japanese plum wine is a longtime favorite of mine as well. It's slightly thicker and sweeter than Lillet, but it's not at all syrupy or cloying. Instead, it has a bright plum taste (there are actually fruits in the bottle). Choya is the most common brand, and it comes in a handsome cylindrical green bottle. You can buy this at Japanese grocery stores like Anzen on MLK. If it's good enough for NYC, it's good enough for me. I like this over ice, or heated, or even just plain.

I discovered Vin Santo during our last trip to Italy. I thought I didn't like dessert wines, because I'd only had sickly-sweet concotions. Vin Santo is a dessert wine, made with white Chianti Classico, but it's subtle and charming, and tastes both like apples and caramel. It's traditionally served after the meal with biscotti, for dipping, and I think it's quite elegant in place of dessert. Again, Martinotti's or Pastaworks are the best place to purchase these.

If you want to stick to local, you could do worse than going to Elephants or the aforementioned Pastaworks and picking out a Willamette Valley dessert wine, or better yet get a recommendation. As for stronger stuff, I haven't yet had anything made by our (very) local Clear Creek Distillery that I didn't adore. They specialize in traditional European-style eau-de-vie, or aged fruit brandies. They make their own framboise, kirschwasser, poire william, grappa and more, and my particular favorite is their oak-aged apple brandy. Their packaging is particularly lovely too, I think.

Any of these would make a classy gift, and none are particularly expensive (OK, you can buy expensive Vin Santo, but you don't have to; I haven't yet met one that doesn't taste great). If you want to dress it up, present it with two pretty small wine or cordial glasses.