Last year, I purchased the Flaviar whiskey advent calendar for my husband in mid-November and he LOVED it.
This year.... well, this year, they did me dirty! Apparently, they started their pre-sale back in August.... which meant, when I went to purchase it in November, it was completely sold out. OUCH. I continued to check for weeks and weeks, and nothing changed. I researched alternatives, and could only find vendors in Europe that were selling them, which resulted in astronomical shipping charges (well over $100).
A couple weeks later, as we were unpacking all our Christmas decorations, I discovered this little beauty that I had stashed from last year:
This punch advent calendar from Target got my wheels turning. You can get it here. It is empty, and you can fill the 12 compartments with whatever you want. It's only 12 days, instead of 24, but the compartments are large enough to fit small liquor and wine bottles... ones that are about twice the size of the 24 small viles you receive from Flaviar.
I was on a mission, and headed to Bevmo to see what I could do. Luckily, because of the holidays, they sell quite a few whiskey and liquor gift sets in small bottles. It gave me access to more than what they normally sell in their mini-bottle section, and saves some dollars when buying highly-rated liquor brands. Here were a few of my choices:
I chose whiskey, but this can really be replicated with any type of alcohol that comes in small bottles or cans - tequila, rum, vodka, wine, champagne, etc.
Watch it all come together:
All in all, I made this bad boy for less than half the price of the Flaviar calendar, and when pricing out other boozy advent calendars, I realized you could easily DIY this for so much cheaper than all of them. Plus, you have more control over the quality you, your friend or your loved one is drinking.
I gifted it to my husband on December 1st, and he loved it so much, he asked if I could make two more for his friends. They're all planning to open one every other day to spread out the fun all month long!
While it's already December 3rd, this comes together quickly, leaving your days to gift this open. You could even gift this on December 12th, for the giftee to finish out the Christmas season with a bang. Because, let's be honest, those last 12 days are probably the days you need it most!
Cheers, friends!
-Melissa