Have Bar, Will Travel

Santa Rosa-based Libations Unlimited brings the party to you in a handcrafted wood-and-copper teardrop camper that—voilà!—opens to reveal a full-service bar. Owner Christopher Long brings his years of experience at Healdsburg’s Spoonbar to the portable bartending scene. Hosts can consult with Long on up to three custom cocktails for parties as large as 800 people ($2,500–$18,000). 

Call Me, Maybe

Have your burning bubbly questions answered (what to pair with that cheese plate; how to saber a Champagne bottle without losing a finger) with a quick call to the Sparkling Holiday Hotline run by Domaine Carneros, producer of sparkling wines and pinot noirs in Napa. Wine experts staff the phone lines through New Year’s Eve to help take the stress out of holiday planning. Call 800-716-BRUT seven days a week between 9am and 5pm 

Shake Things Up

Update your bar stock with intriguing new ingredients to spice up your holiday libations. Kick off the party with Jardesca ($30), a Sonoma-produced blended aperitif of sweet and dry white wines, eau de vie, and botanicals. Family-owned and operated Hanson of Sonoma bucks the norm by producing organic vodkas in Wine Country: Infusions of espresso and agave, mandarin, and ginger ($33) make for stirring martinis. Workhorse Rye’s San Francisco–made organic bitters—salted cacao, passionflower, and coffee—add a lively twist to in-house cocktails ($14). And Ficks cocktail fortifiers promise to curb your hangover with lemon, lime, and ginger mixers made with liver saviors such as electrolytes, milk thistle, and amino acids ($13). Hallelujah.

Give a Little Bit

When you RSVP oui to that holiday invite, don’t forget a token of appreciation for the host. For a pleasing twofer, consider boozy chocolates, such as Chocolatier Blue’s alcohol-infused bites—hard apple cider, spiked eggnog, Old Fashioned, white Russian, or mulled wine ($30 for 12 pieces, Berkeley) or Recchiutti’s champagne truffle box ($25 for 6 ounces, Embarcadero). For something more, ahem, to the point, present your party host with a Laguiole Champagne Saber ($300), then run for cover.

This article was published in 7x7's December/ January 2014 issue.