Nevada Gift Guide: Food & Drink
Nevada serves up a veritable feast of culinary delights. If you’re looking to stuff someone’s stocking (and belly) with handmade chocolates, locally made libations, or other made-right-here treats, check out our mouthwatering menu of tasty gift ideas. Just remember: Don’t browse while hungry.
For those with great taste or who simply love a little holiday “spirit”
Craft Spirits, Beer & Wine
Cemetery Gin
Virginia City
Cemetery Gin—the official spirit of Virginia City—is “guaranteed to embalm you…while you’re still breathing.” Laced with Nevada pine nuts and locally distilled, it goes down smooth (and makes for a killer memento).
Black Rabbit Mead Co.
Reno
Made oh so sweetly from Sierra Nevada honey, Black Rabbit Mead Company—the first meadery in Nevada—specializes in cider-style libations. Choose from blends of cucumber and mint, pineapple and jalapeno, strawberry and oak, or pure mead aged in cinnamon cordial-soaked bourbon barrels.
Desert Cane Distillery
Pahrump
Putting the “rum” in Pahrump, Desert Cane Distillery grows their own sugar cane and uses it to craft unique rums entirely in-house. Choose from classics like dark and spiced rum, or opt for specialties such as Jamaican java and citrus jalapeno.
High Desert Botanicals
Carson City
Based in our capital city, High Desert Botanicals offers cocktail and bitters kits for the budding (or pro) mixologist in your family. Up the drink cart ante with rose petal and cucumber infusions, homemade gin, and a “Mad Scientist” bitters laboratory.
Great Basin Brewing Co.
Reno, Sparks, Carson City & Minden
Great Basin Brewing Co. brews seriously good beers: They’re perennial medal winners at the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup, and the New York International Beer Competition, to name a few. Try IPAs, lagers, ales, and stouts at four northern Nevada locations with equally tantalizing food menus.
Ferino Distillery
Reno
Family-owned and operated, Ferino Distillery focuses on innovative spirits with ancient Italian origins. Grab a bottle of cinnamon cordial, fernet, or Ferino Amer—the signature ingredient in Nevada’s state drink—to give to the connoisseur in your life.
Dovetail Distillery
Mound House
Inspired by best-ever oatmeal raisin cookies, Dovetail Distillery crafts premium, oat-forward whiskeys using crisp Carson River water. Cut Throat tastes of raisin, chocolate, caramel, and allspice, while White Dove has a strong peppery taste up front that follows with a buttery caramel finish.
Frey Ranch Farmers + Distillers
Fallon
Grown, distilled, matured, and bottled in “The Oasis of Nevada,” Frey Ranch’s estate distillery pairs 165 years of farming know-how with state-of-the-art distilling methods to create a damn good Nevada-born bourbon. They also produce rye, single barrel, and various other specialty whiskeys.
Stonewise Mead & Cider
Pahrump
Sip Pahrump-made meads and ciders at Stonewise, which offers a dozen crisp and refreshing options that taste extra delightful on the (leashed) dog-friendly patio.
Minden Mill Distilling
Minden
Made from locally sourced and sustainable grains grown in Nevada’s high desert, Minden Mill’s spirits include bourbon, rye, and American single malt whiskeys.
Artesian Cellars
Pahrump
Located in Pahrump, Artesian Cellars is passionate about supporting and expanding Nevada’s wine industry. While growing grapes in the Mojave Desert has unique agricultural challenges, the extreme climate produces rich, full-bodied vintages.
Engine 8 Urban Winery
Sparks
Engine 8 invites you to “come as strangers, leave as friends.” The Sparks locale boosts the vino fun with blending parties, winery tours, and wine club memberships.
Chocolates & Candies
Ethel M Chocolates
Henderson
Build delicious boxes of truffles, caramels, liqueurs, and seasonal chocolates, then bookmark a future trip to Ethel M Chocolates‘ on-site botanical cactus garden (especially magical during Christmas).
Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory
Washoe Valley & Mound House
Homemade chocolates, fudge, taffy, brittles, and more—including still-in-use candy-making equipment dating back to the early 1900s—await at the Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory that’s been in business for three generations.
Sugar Love Candies
Purchase Online
Flavor-packed brittles and buttery caramels are the stars of the Sugar Love show, where all the goods are made with real, fresh ingredients. Made in Sparks, the tempting choices range from bourbon pecan and chipotle cashew brittles to smoked salted caramels.
Dorinda’s Chocolates
Reno
Don’t shop hungry—everything from chocolate rice krispie treats, peanut butter bombs, and caramel macadamias will be too tempting to resist. Good thing Dorinda’s offers a monthly subscription box.
Chocolate Shoppe
Gardnerville
Handcrafted in small batches, you won’t be able to resist chocolate barks, cherry cordials, honeycomb, toffees, and turtles from Chocolate Shoppe.
Kimmie Candy
Reno
Started by a third-generation farmer, Kimmie Candy makes all kinds of chocolate- and salted caramel-covered treats. Tour the Reno-based factory and take home enrobed sunflower seeds, pretzel bites, and pistachios, plus award-winning ChocoRocks.
Other Gotta-Try Goodies
E.T. Fresh Jerky
Hiko
Fuel up for an intergalactic adventure at E.T. Fresh Jerky, right at the eastern entrance to the Extraterrestrial Highway. Jerky is available in a variety of meats and flavors, as are nuts, dried fruit, candy, and mementos.
The Radish Hotel
Sparks
The Radish Hotel is an urban family farm and homestead that encourages eating well by eating local. Their handcrafted provisions range from seasonal jams and vinegars to salts and loose leaf teas.
Sasquatch Snackers
Reno
Need a pick-me-up? Sasquatch Snackers bakes sourdough energy crackers full of nutritional benefits. Fuel your body with flavors like chili lime, truffle, and everything bagel.
Star Village Coffee
Reno
Native American-owned and family-operated, Star Village Coffee pairs specialty drinks with regional ingredients that have cultural significance. Buy beans, grounds, and K-cups to brew at home, or wrap up a coffee shop outing to enjoy exclusive flavors in both drinks and baked goods.
Lattin Farms
Fallon
Farming the Lahontan Valley for five generations, you can seasonally pick your own produce, herbs, and flowers at Lattin Farms or shop family-made jams, dressings, and pasta sauces (made from homegrown ingredients).
Tahoe Trail Bar
Reno
Fuel your next Silver State adventure with Tahoe Trail Bar‘s plant-based energy bars. Your tastebuds will salivate over flavors like mango coconut and dark chocolate cherry.
Collective Coffee Roasters
Elko
Connoisseurs delight over gourmet beans from Collective Coffee Roasters in downtown Elko. Find your favorite and subscribe to get it delivered anywhere from once a week to every month.
Town Cutler
Reno
Your kitchen will look extra sharp with Town Cutler’s exquisite knives on display and in use. Handcrafted with premium materials in the heart of Reno, these precision tools become works of culinary art with “Desert Dawn” and “Tahoe Bliss” design details.
Made in Nevada
Purchase Online
For hundreds more Silver State goodies, shop Made in Nevada. Their online shop features everything from meats and produce to spices and sweets (plus art, apparel, and tons more).
