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Buying a cool craft beer, nice bottle of wine, or party-ready handle of liquor no longer requires going to your local liquor or grocery store.
Online delivery services make it less stressful, more convenient, and more fun to buy the alcohol you want. But, depending on what you're specifically looking for, some online alcohol companies will be better than others.
We categorized 14 delivery services into three sections: general online shop, discovery-based, and cocktail kits.
For something that's supposed to make your night more fun or relaxing, alcohol isn't the easiest drink to shop for.
You realize once you step into a liquor store or grocery store aisle that there is an overwhelming number of alcohol types and brands (and of course, the one you're actually looking for is hiding in an unreachable corner), and that you'll have to keep your purchases safe and secure through the bumpy car ride. Or worse, you don't own a car and have a long, strenuous walk home, including five flights of stairs, to look forward to.
Online delivery services are making the stressful ordeal of buying alcohol much more convenient and enjoyable, as they do for most things (see: buying mattresses, gourmet foods, even large house plants). You won't have to figure out how to lug five bottles of wine home or make a rushed dash for the store 15 minutes before your party is set to start.
Companies that sell alcohol online also help you discover new varieties. With the help of personalization algorithms, their recommendations are often scarily accurate. You'll waste less time and money by taking advantage of these online guides.
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If you want to buy your alcohol online, we've rounded up our favorites below and divided them into these categories:
General online shop: For when you know exactly what you're looking for
Discovery-based: For when you're not sure what you like
Kits and mixers: For cocktail cravings
Just remember to have your ID on hand when your delivery arrives. These services require an ID check and/or scan.
These are the 14 best places to buy alcohol online:
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Drizly has your alcohol needs covered by delivering whatever you need in under an hour. Search the exact liquor, wine, or beer you need on Drizly. The prices aren't marked up, and the delivery fee is only $5.
Saucey isn't available in as many cities as Drizly, but it promises even faster delivery (30 minutes) and it's free, with no minimum purchase required. Get your Corona alongside your Ballast Point, then pick up some snacks to pair with the icy cold beverages. Next time you need an alcohol replenishment at the party, you won't have to miss a moment of the action.
ReserveBar is the perfect place to shop for alcohol gifts because it offers premium brands like Johnnie Walker and Ciroc. It's also where you'll find cool limited-edition products such as the Game of Thrones collection and rare beauties such as $3,650 Louis XIII cognac. To make it shine on your bar cart, add a custom engraving to a spirit of your choice.
FreshDirect offers the full grocery shopping experience, with none of the inconveniences. The New York-based delivery service carries both local and name-brand alcohol and runs deals every week, just like your local grocery store. It has a whole section of organic wine, plus a category called Select Sips, which is sourced from around the world.
Indie purveyors are brought to the forefront at Naked Wines, where "Angel" customers act as investors to support small winemakers around the world. To become an Angel, you deposit $40 every month. This membership gets you access to exclusive wines, discounts (40%-60% off), and tasting events. If you take the two-minute online quiz, you'll receive a $100-off voucher.
It's exactly what it sounds like — Wine.com is the world's largest wine store, where you can shop wine from regions as different as Africa, China, and Greece. Though the options are vast, they become a little easier to navigate with a filtering system, professional ratings, and recommendation engine. Join its $49 annual membership to receive free standard shipping and no order minimum on all your orders.
California-based winery Winc is cofounded by sommelier Brian Smith and uses an online Palate Profile, along with your own ratings, to recommend and ship the best wines for your taste. The wine comes from Winc's own vineyard as well as winemakers from all over the world and is affordable, starting at just $13 a bottle. There's no fee or commitment to join, and you can skip the month's shipment any time you want.
The barriers of entry to Firstleaf are low: it has a great introductory offer where you get your first three bottles for just $15, plus $5 shipping. Afterwards, you'll receive six bottles at a time, at a frequency convenient for you. The company prides itself on its custom algorithm that predicts which one of its many award-winning wine options you'll like, and if you don't like a bottle, you'll get a refund.
Every three months, Vinebox sends you a box of nine glasses of wine packaged in individual vials. Vinebox's unique bottling technology ensures they maintain their full flavor and mouthfeel as they make their way to your doorstep. Each quarter's box contains seasonal varieties, wines you should be drinking right now, and other fun wines. With each box, you'll also receive up to $30 in credits to buy the full-size versions.
Two MIT grads are behind the monthly wine club Bright Cellars, which sends four new wines each month for $80. The company has a competitive curation process — it says it only picks one out of every 12 wines it tries for the monthly collections and promises to show you hidden gems from vineyards in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and South America.
The only drawback of loving craft beers is that you can't always buy all the ones you want to try. Every day, Tavour gets you access to two beers you can't normally get in your area (say, Anchorage Brewing's IPA) and you claim the ones you want. It delivers to your door, so you get an international craft brewery tour without ever leaving your house. The experience also connects you to community of fellow beer lovers.
Recipe cards, top-shelf spirits, and all the ingredients you need for two different cocktails are included in each month's SaloonBox. It sends you only what you need to make the drinks, which means nothing ever goes to waste and you don't have to search high and low for obscure ingredients. Each box is meant for two people, so pick your favorite person to try delicious cocktails like Blueberry Bourbon Collins and Kentucky Rosaritas.
Shaker & Spoon doesn't send you the liquor, but it will send you everything else — syrups, bitters, mixers, garnishes — to make a whopping 12 drinks. The three recipes in each box are designed and recommended by actual bartenders, who will be sad to miss you at the bar but understand the desire to simply stay in tonight.
For gourmet gifts like fancy chocolate, creatively flavored popcorn, and picnic-worthy charcuterie boards, we love shopping at Mouth. It's also where you can shop the drinks to go along with these delicious snacks. The mixed drink kits unfortunately don't contain the liquor. However, you'll be more than happy with the artisanal mixers, seasonal specials, and quality barware offered by the site.
