Not every bottle needs to look like it belongs in a sommelier’s private collection. Sometimes the point is to make someone laugh, spark a conversation, or simply look so gloriously strange on a shelf that guests can’t help but ask about it. These are spirits for the person who already owns a sensible bottle of Hendrick’s and fancies something with a bit more theatre.
There’s a particular joy in a drinks trolley that tells a story. Anyone can line up handsome whisky bottles in descending height order; it takes a certain commitment to display a ceramic pug in a waistcoat next to a hand-painted skull next to a golden pineapple.
These bottles earn their place not through prestige but through sheer visual audacity. They’re the ones that get photographed at parties, that prompt ‘where on earth did you find that?’, that turn a corner of your kitchen into something approaching installation art. The spirits inside range from genuinely excellent to perfectly serviceable, but that’s almost secondary. What you’re really gifting is permission to be playful with a space that too often takes itself seriously.
Diamond Ape Premium Popcorn Vodka
A vodka shaped like an ape’s head that tastes like popcorn. That’s the pitch, and honestly, it’s enough. Distilled in the south of England from potatoes, the bottle owes its existence to the WallStreetBets crowd and their fondness for primate-based financial terminology. The glass ape head sits on any shelf with the confidence of something that knows exactly how ridiculous it is.
The drink itself is surprisingly decent: silky vanilla and subtly sweet caramel support buttery, toasty popcorn, with nutty maple syrup nestling beneath. It works brilliantly in an Espresso Martini where the sweetness complements the coffee, or simply sipped neat over ice. Whether you’re gifting to a meme-stock veteran or someone who simply appreciates absurdity done well, this one delivers.
Diamond Ape Popcorn Vodka, £35, threshers.co.uk
Crystal Head Onyx Blue Agave Vodka
Dan Aykroyd’s skull-shaped vodka brand has become such a fixture in bars. The Onyx expression takes the famous Aztec inspired crystal skull design and dips it in glossy black, creating something that looks like it belongs in a very stylish haunted house. The liquid inside is equally unexpected: distilled from Blue Weber agave sourced from a single farm in Jalisco, then blended with Newfoundland water and filtered through Herkimer diamonds.
On the nose you get fresh green grass, nuanced white pepper, and hints of citrus. The palate is soft and smooth with a touch of spice and sweetness that develops into the subtle, unmistakable earthy grip of agave, finishing medium-length with pepper and citrus. It drinks somewhere between vodka and tequila. The black skull sitting on a drinks trolley at Christmas feels appropriately gothic, and the fact that there’s actually an interesting spirit inside rather than pure gimmick makes it worth the premium.
Crystal Head Onyx, £47, thewhiskyexchange.com
Oceano Azul Mr Pug Añejo Tequila
For the person in your life who believes dogs are better than people, here’s an añejo tequila housed in a ceramic pug wearing what can only be described as formal attire. The bottles come in various colours (blue, green, red, depending on availability), and the pug’s expression sits somewhere between distinguished and mildly concerned, which feels appropriate for something containing aged agave spirit.
Inside is 100% blue agave tequila aged for over eighteen months in oak barrels. Expect sweet vanilla, toasted oak, and caramel on the nose, with a velvety palate delivering honeyed fruit, dark cocoa, and hints of cinnamon, all rounded off by a warm, smooth finish. It’s a collector’s piece that happens to contain genuinely drinkable tequila, which is more than can be said for most novelty bottles. The pug demands shelf space and will absolutely become a talking point at any gathering.
Oceano Azul Mr Pug Añejo, £160, thewhiskyexchange.com
Kah Tequila Reposado
Every bottle of Kah is hand-painted to resemble the sugar skulls used in Día de los Muertos celebrations, meaning no two are identical. The Reposado expression comes in a vivid yellow skull, its design inspired by Peruvian death rituals involving dances and tequila poured on the ground as offerings. Whether or not you’re spiritually inclined, the ceramic vessel is genuinely beautiful in a macabre sort of way.
The tequila inside holds its own: aged for around ten months in French Limousin oak, it’s full-bodied with intense agave on the nose, vanilla, and caramel. The palate delivers that roasted agave character with subtle hints of vanilla and sweetness from the oak, while the finish is long and warming. At 40% ABV, it’s smooth enough for sipping. The skull becomes a permanent fixture on any bar it lands on, which is rather the point. ‘Kah’ means ‘life’ in Mayan, which adds a layer of significance if you’re gifting to someone who appreciates that sort of thing.
Kah Tequila Reposado, £50, thewhiskyexchange.com
Il Gusto Lady Shoe Collection
If subtlety isn’t the goal, Il Gusto has produced an entire range of spirits in glass bottles shaped like high-heeled stilettos. The Sour Cherry Vodka version contains a sweet, fruity liqueur in what is unmistakably a Cinderella-adjacent glass slipper. The cherry flavour is tart and slightly sharp, balanced by the smoothness of the vodka base.
Various expressions exist, from pink vodka to gin to versions containing 22-carat gold flakes, because why stop at one form of excess? These are unashamedly gifts rather than serious drinking vessels: the kind of thing that works for hen parties or milestone birthdays. The bottles are small (typically 40ml to 350ml), making them stocking fillers rather than centrepieces. We think Quentin Tarantino might like this one as a gift…
Il Gusto Lady Shoe, from £10, ilgusto.com
Piñaq Original Liqueur Gold Edition
A golden pineapple-shaped bottle containing French VSOP cognac, Dutch vodka, and tropical fruit. The design is so committed to the pineapple concept that the leafy crown unscrews and reattaches to the bottom, turning the opened bottle into a display piece. Founded by a burnt-out pharmacist who had a life-changing cocktail served in a carved pineapple while on holiday in St Barths, Piñaq has built an entire brand around tropical escapism.
On the nose you get hints of pineapple, passion fruit, honey, and caramel. The palate opens with a tropical fruit blend that’s sweet and acidic, followed by a smooth warming effect from the cognac. The liquid is sweet, fruity, and unapologetically designed for people who want their drinks to feel like a holiday. At 17% ABV, it’s gentle enough for mixing or sipping over ice. The bottle looks spectacular on a bar, in a kitchen, or anywhere else it can catch light. It’s the sort of thing that makes grey January slightly more bearable.
Piñaq Original, £39, drinksupermarket.com
The Bottom Line
These aren’t bottles for the spirits purist who wants to discuss terroir and barrel selection. They’re for the person who opens a gift and immediately laughs, who appreciates packaging as part of the experience, who doesn’t mind their drinks trolley looking like a prop department’s fever dream. Sometimes the wrapping is as important as what’s inside, and every bottle here understands that assignment completely.
