Holiday gift guide from dining critic Susie Davison Powell

From host gifts to perfect holiday wish list gifts, many of us are complicit in fueling the seasonal gift-giving frenzy. Add in the global supply chain woes and lack of drivers for fast shipping, and the warnings from the past few weeks feel very real.

But help is within reach. And it is local. And small.

There are manufacturers’ fairs and farmers markets, coffee shops with select shelves, distilleries that sell vinegars, online bakeries, and small boutiques with strict mask requirements but festive decor. There are also online ordering, with delivery still fast if you stay within the Empire State Building.

Like I did last year, I suggest we support restaurants by buying gift cards and branded merchandise, from sweatshirts to bags. When you show off your gear, your support multiplies like a walking billboard. Oscar Wilde wrote: “One can forgive a man for doing something useful as long as he does not admire him. The only excuse for doing something useless is that you admire it intensely ”, but since gifts should delight, why not make them useless but beautiful or practical, if only because they can be eaten, drunk or admired?

Let’s support local black-owned or BIPOC businesses (indicated with * below) and those with socially enlightened practices that help improve throughout the supply chain. (This instead of feeding Amazon’s insatiable machine.)

I have no advice for the Xbox Series X that is not available, which is not only out of stock but cannot be manufactured due to lack of materials, but if you want to make someone smile, try some of my favorite things.

TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK

Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery

Kombucha Vinegar from Yesfolks Tonics in Troy.

Susie Davidson Powell / For the Times Union

A sample of Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery could be the best gift for the drinker in your life. The six-pack from the Valatie-based distillery costs $ 30 and includes miniatures of Core Vodka, Core Gin, John Henry Whiskey, Cornelius Applejack, Cherry Applejack, and Rare Pear Brandy. Perfect for those who love cocktails or to drink by the fire. I love a splash of apple schnapps in an Old Fashioned instead of sugar.

If alcohol isn’t your thing, Harvest offers an excellent selection of Hudson Valley vinegars. (One of my favorites is Pure Maple.) And while we’re talking vinegar, the good folks at Yesfolk Kombucha are selling their own Yesfolk vinegars and also getting a ton of national press. Harvestspirits.com or local farmers markets.

Proteau

On the nonalcoholic side, you’ll want to gift Proteau, a Brooklyn-made botanical appetizer, from celebrity chef David Chang’s former Momofuku chain beverage director, which can be chilled and served as wine or paired into a cocktail.

Ludlow is smooth and ruby red, with ingredients like blackberry, fig vinegar, chrysanthemum, and black pepper. Botanical and subtly bitter, it is more Italian amaro than soft drink and can be drunk cold, made with soda as a spritzer, or heated as a hot punch. drinkproteau.com.

Sorel liquor *

In the low-alcohol market, you’ll find Sorel Liqueur * by Jackie Summers. whose family moved from Barbados to Harlem in the 1920s. Their 2012 launch of the JackFromBrooklyn micro-distillery was the first black-owned distillery licensed in the post-Prohibition United States.

It’s a low-alcohol twist of Caribbean sorrel with its ruby hibiscus petal color, spicy flavor of Brazilian cloves, Indonesian cassia, and Nigerian ginger, and distilled from organic New York-grown wheat grain. 15% ABV. Enjoy it with ice or in a cocktail. $ 40. Sorelofficial.com.

FEEL HYGGE-Y

Nine Pin Ciderworks and Neck City Sails

Flavored Scented Candles from Nine Pin Ciderworks in Albany.

Susie Davidson Powell / For the Times Union

You honestly can’t go wrong with candle gifts, but not just any random old wax. Keep it local by choosing fresh Nine Pin Cider candles from Nine Pin Ciderworks (in the Albany Warehouse District) and Collar City Candles (Troy).

Available in three scents: Signature Cider (made with champagne yeast), Cidre Rosé or Earl Gray. Pick up at the Fort Orange Cider Store or General Store in Albany. $ 18. ninepincider.com.

First botany

Oliver Holecek founded the Troy-based chocolate company Primo Botanica and often models their brand clothing.

Provided by Primo Botanica

Take a look at all the online merchandise your favorite bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and small businesses are offering because it’s a huge boost this year. Troy Chocolatier Primo Botanica leads the feel-good fashion charge in maroon or mango toned hoodies embellished with the Phoenix sun logo and “Be Good Feel Good” tagline.

Whether you pair it with award-winning, sustainably sourced chocolate (let me recommend CBD-infused Mango, Turmeric, Lime White Chocolate) or pre-order a plant-based Christmas table with tomato-date-based cold cuts and vegan cheese, you’ll want one to give away and one to use. Sales benefit small business owners in Oaxaca, Mexico. $ 55. primobotanicachocolate.com.

Compas Life, Marcus Blacque * / Britches of Troy * and Head of State *

Upstate of Mind is a trademark of the Compas Life brand.

Susie Davidson Powell / For the Times Union

You can’t eat it, but you can show off your own Upstate style guide by shopping for Compas Life Upstate of Mind hats, sweatshirts and t-shirts, Marcus Blacque * / Britches of Troy * tailored men’s and women’s clothing, and luxury ecological. Head of State * streetwear, handbags and purses by Albany High School graduate Taofeek Abijako.

Head of State Fashion, founded by Albany High School graduate Taofeek Abijako.

Provided by the Head of State

Abijako is the youngest designer to show up at New York Fashion Week for Men (2018) and the 2021 winner of a $ 100,000 Instagram #blackdesignvisionaries award.

Find them here: compaslife.com, marcusblacque.com, britchesoftroy.com, headofstateny.com.

KEEP IT SPICY

Poor Devil Pepper Co.

Fermented chili flakes are a by-product of the hot sauces made by the Poor Devil Co. in Hudson.

Provided by Poor Devil Co.

Straight from Hudson, Poor Devil Pepper Co.’s hot sauces always bring the heat. The company’s umami sandblasted fermented chili flakes are a by-product of hot sauce production and part of a zero waste effort. At just $ 6 a bag, you’ll want to sprinkle this on everything from eggs to ice cream. Order online or shop Superior Merchandise in Troy. poordevilpepperco.com.

Irie Vybez * and great exchanges *

Jerk sauce from the Irie Vybez restaurant in Albany.

Provided by Irie Vybez

You already know that the Irie Vybez * Jamaican restaurant on Central Avenue in Albany has a bold flavor in its culinary DNA, but now you can take home bottles of their Signature Jerk Sauce ($ 4) to spread on your holiday turkey. This season, the restaurant collaborates with Great Exbaketations * on a rum cake made with its own hibiscus sorrel drink. TBA price. Irievybez.com.

Rockerbox Spice Co.

The holidays and mulled wine go hand in hand like Mariah Carey and a Christmas fire. You can mix your own combination of cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and orange peel, but why bother when you can buy Rockerbox Mulling Spice made in the Hudson Valley in a unique hexagonal glass jar? Give someone a bottle of red with this cutie tied around the neck. Small, $ 4; large, $ 8. Available at the Fort Orange General Store in Albany or rockerboxgarlic.com.

YOU’RE SO SWEET

V Smiley Preserves

V Smiley Preserves are jams made with honey and lots of love. V. Smiley calls their jams “fruit food,” and their gift packs are the perfect match to pair with cheese boards, toast, or to mix into your cocktails instead of just plain syrup. Design a personalized gift set on your website, adding Vermont cheese, upstate handmade pottery, or a seven-month subscription. My favorite is the cheese pairing gift box representing the three seasons of fruit work at V Smiley Preserves. Includes Navel Orange Mission Fig to serve with cheddar cheese, Strawberry Italian plum rosewater marmalade to accompany Camembert or Brie, and cherry, fennel and sherry marmalade to accompany cold cuts or ham baguettes. $ 29. Fort Orange General Store at Albany and Vsmileypreserves.com.

Golde *

Golde * is another upstate super story with superfood mixes from Trinity Mouzon Wofford and her partner Issey Koboria of Saratoga Springs. The couple, who made the Forbes “30 Under 30” list, launched their original Golde (golden milk) turmeric latte in Brooklyn in 2017, but their growing Golde Wellness and Beauty range is now at Target. Give the gift of comfort with a sample of Superfood Latte that includes Original Golde Turmeric, Cocoa Turmeric, and Matcha Turmeric. 12 single servings, $ 22. Some Golde mixes at Superior Merchandise at Troy and golde.co.

Touchy Coffee, Motor Oil Coffee *, Gipfel Coffee and Hudson Roastery

Why not deliver the world’s coffees, especially when the beans are roasted locally?

Pick your nearest coffee shop / roaster, add a cup or dropper for a more thoughtful gift, but try these organic, fair trade, small batch, full flavor craft coffees: Touchy Coffee in Troy, Motor Oil Coffee * in Albany , Gipfel Coffee in Averill Park and Hudson Roastery and Hudson. Around $ 16 to $ 20. touchycoffee.com, motoroilcoffee.com, gipfelcoffee.com, and hudsonroastery.com.