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Forget the Booze, Because Your Host Wants a Nice Bottle of Olive Oil

Amanda Gabriele
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If you’re attending a holiday party this season, you can’t go wrong by bringing the host a bottle of nice wine, whiskey, or whatever booze they prefer to drink. We’re also fans of homemade gifts, especially when it’s something edible. But this season, we’re looking for a whole new way to impress our host, especially if they are a whiz in the kitchen. Forget about the wine this season and bring your host something that’s just as useful — a bottle of really nice olive oil.

Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or only have a few dishes you really love to make, we’d guess that you always have olive oil on hand. By bringing your host a nicer bottle than what they usually buy at the grocery store, you’re opening their palate to new flavors and indulging them in a little luxury. Here are six gift-worthy bottles of olive oil that every home cook will appreciate.

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Five Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We think that Greek olive oil is sorely underrated, so it’s a perfect gift for the host who loves to try new things. Five Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made by cold pressing a blend of koroneiki and athinolia olive varieties in Finiki Lakonias, Greece. It has a low acid content, which gives it a buttery, fruity, and only slightly spicy flavor. Because this olive oil is bottled in a clear vessel, store it in a cool, dark place to maintain its flavor integrity.

McEvoy Ranch Traditional Blend Olive Oil

This award-winning olive oil took home gold and silver medals this year, and it’s easy to see why upon first taste of the greenish-gold liquid. McEvoy Ranch’s Traditional Blend Olive Oil is made from seven different Italian olive varieties, all of which are grown on the company’s California estate. It’s certified organic, and everything — including harvesting, milling, blending, and bottling — is done on premises. The flavor is grassy and fruity with notes of raw artichoke and green almonds that finishes with a mild, pleasant spice note. While you could use this olive oil for just about anything, we like to enjoy it as a simple accompaniment to a crusty loaf of bread.

Villa Manodori Extra Virgin Olive Oil

If this olive oil is good enough for a three-Michelin star chef, then it’s certainly good enough for your party host. Massimo Bottura of the famed Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy commissioned some of the country’s best olive producers to create this olive oil for his restaurant, and now you can snag it without ever jumping on a plane. Villa Manodori Extra Virgin Olive Oil is cold-pressed from hand-picked mariaolo and leccino olives, which give it a smooth flavor and a green tomato tanginess. Use it liberally to dress salads, vegetables, and fish.

Ruccello Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil

While Europe gets most of the credit for churning out excellent olive oil, California also grows some of the best olives in the world. Ruccello Picual is a testament to the state’s wonderful bounty. This award-winning olive oil has a deep, herbaceous aroma with notes of grass and tomato vines. It hits the perfect balance between smooth and full-bodied, so it’s a crowd-pleaser, no matter the palate. We use Ruccello Picual for dressing salads and finishing fish, pasta, and roasted veggies.

Kolossos Mild Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This is one of the smoothest, sweetest olive oils we’ve ever tasted. Kolossos Mild Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil is unfiltered and produced from manaki olives that are grown in Argolida, Greece. The flavor is downright buttery with notes of ripe olive fruit and sweet touches that are reminiscent of apple. This bottle is perfect for pretty much anything, from dressing salads to finishing fish and even for frying a perfectly lacy-edged egg. Kolossos also makes a robust version of this olive oil — made from koroneiki olives that are grown in Lakonia, Greece — that is perfect for a party host with bolder tastes.

Raguso Grand Cru Olive Oil

If money is no object and you want to spoil your gourmand host, then this elegant bottle is your best bet. The limited-edition Raguso Grand Cru Olive Oil is cold-pressed from organic Puglia olives, which give it a deep, intense flavor that isn’t for the faint of taste buds. Not to mention, the bottle design is worthy of being displayed for all to see.

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