Booze Gift for a Stag Weekend

February 18, 2014 11:43 AM

One of my oldest friends is travelling to Krakow for a stag weekend in a few months. I can't go due to my current plan of having a 1 month old daughter at the time, so I would like to send a bottle of something quite classy for them to start the weekend off. What should that be and how should I go about it?

The problems:
Ideally, it should go with them to Poland (or be in Poland to meet them?)
But I don't know about taking a bottle of booze on a plane. Probably not allowed these days, or is checked luggage ok? Would miniatures be better? Like... lots?

Also what sort of drink? There are a fair few people, so a bottle of good spirits is indicated, but I can't rely on them all to have the palate for a decent whisky. Any suggestions?

posted by Just this guy, y'know to Human Relations (9 answers total)

(Great) Scotch is the clear choice here, but if they're a bunch of philistines, I'd suggest a big bottle of middle-shelf whiskey (something Irish maybe) for the stag do and a great bottle of Scotch for the groom (something 18 years old, peatiness based on his preference).
posted by The Michael The at 11:46 AM on February 18, 2014

Gosh, sounds like coals to New Castle to me. Lots of fine vodka in Poland. Perhaps contact the hotel and see if a nice bottle could be waiting for them in the room, on ice, with a caviar or perogie accompaniment?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:52 AM on February 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

I would go with arranging for a bottle of Żubrówka, bison grass vodka, for the hotel. It's Polish, not difficult, and delicious, and it's less serious than whisky.
posted by purpleclover at 12:01 PM on February 18, 2014 [6 favorites]

Zubrowka, renowned Polish Bison Grass Vodka! Do you know where they are staying and could arrange for a concierge-type person to have a bottle waiting at the hotel? Or is there some friend or contact in Krakow who they are meeting up with who could help you out?

If sending something from home, bottles of liquor are generally fine in checked luggage. I always pull wool hiking socks over the bottle, put it in a sealed plastic bag and pack it in the middle of the suitcase. (But I think having something waiting for them is classier/more fun!)
posted by dahliachewswell at 12:05 PM on February 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

At my bachelor party, friends arranged for a nice bottle of scotch to be sent up to the room. That was very nice. In your case, the Polish vodka mentioned above sounds like just the thing.
posted by pombe at 3:05 PM on February 18, 2014

Don't send scotch, mixing is bad mkay and they'll be doing beer and vodka there.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:16 PM on February 18, 2014

Yay zubrowka. So tasty. So polish.
posted by chasles at 9:57 PM on February 18, 2014

Response by poster: You have persuaded me that Vodka is the way to go, and locally bought vodka.
Zubrowka is freely available in the UK. so I will try to find something more exotic.

Any thoughts on getting it there. I've been trying to find a polish vodka shop that I could order from, but so far no luck.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 1:51 AM on February 19, 2014

Response by poster: On the off chance I've opened an experimental Jobs post. We'll see how that goes.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 2:05 AM on February 19, 2014