We are the kind of people who love having friends over for drinks. Not in a formal, everything-has-to-be-perfect way — more like, someone suggests a French 75 and suddenly everyone is crowded around the kitchen counter trying to remember if it's champagne or prosecco and whether lemon juice goes in before or after the gin.
We made the Illustrated Mixology Cocktail Cards because we needed them ourselves. We had been illustrating cocktail prints for our home bar for years, and at some point it clicked — what if we put all of those illustrations together into something people could actually hold, flip through, and use while they're making drinks? Something small enough to sit on a bar cart but beautiful enough to leave out as decor.
That became Illustrated Mixology. And it turns out we're not the only ones who needed it.
If you're shopping for someone who loves cocktails — or honestly, for yourself — here's what we'd actually recommend.
Illustrated Mixology Cocktail Cards — $15.95
This is our own product and we'll own that upfront. It's also genuinely the gift we give most often, so we're not being modest when we say it works.
The set includes 18 classic cocktail recipes — Old Fashioned, Margarita, Mojito, Espresso Martini, Moscow Mule, Negroni, Aperol Spritz, Pina Colada, Paloma, Dirty Martini, Manhattan, French 75, Whisky Sour, Gin and Tonic, Tom Collins, Bloody Mary, Cosmopolitan, and Carajillo. Each card has a hand-drawn illustration on the front and the full recipe on the back, all bound with a metal ring so you can flip to whatever you're making.
They're printed on coated gloss cardstock — sturdy enough for bar cart life, resistant to the occasional splash. And because the illustrations are the same ones you'll find in our cocktail wall art prints, the cards double as bar cart decor when you're not using them.
One more thing worth mentioning: the Illustrated Mixology Series is a registered U.S. copyright work. Every illustration was drawn by hand in our Fort Worth studio. There's nothing else quite like it.
Watch how we make the artwork →
Shop Illustrated Mixology Cards →
A Bar Cart Gift Set Under $50
If you want to give something that really looks like a gift, pair the cocktail cards with one or two of our cocktail art prints. The cards and a single print come in well under $50, and together they're a complete bar cart setup — something to look at and something to use.
Pick their drink and pair the card with the matching print. Espresso Martini person? The Espresso Martini print alongside the full card set. Aperol Spritz lover? Same idea. It's a more personal gift than just handing someone a deck of cards.
What Makes a Good Cocktail Gift
The best cocktail gifts are either beautiful or useful — the great ones are both. Avoid anything that requires a lot of setup or specialty ingredients the recipient probably doesn't have. Classic recipes are more useful than trendy ones because they get used more.
The other thing to think about: is this person just starting their home bar, or do they already have the basics covered? If they're just starting out, a recipe reference like the Illustrated Mixology cards is genuinely useful. If they're already set up, a piece of art for their bar wall might be the better fit.
Cocktail Gifts by Occasion
Housewarming: The cocktail cards are a go-to. Easy to wrap, immediately useful, and they look great on a new bar cart.
Groomsmen gift: The cards plus a cocktail print makes a memorable and useful set. Add a personalized note and it's done.
Father's Day: If he has a home bar, he needs these. If he doesn't have one yet, this is a good reason to start.
Stocking stuffer: At $15.95, the cards are one of the few gifts in this category that doesn't feel like an afterthought.
Birthday: Pair with a bottle of their favorite spirit and you have a complete gift.
