evite: bottle it up

A bottle of something tasty is a great stand-by party gift. You can personalize it to the host's taste, spend as much as you like (without the actual price being too obvious), and the host can add it to the party bevvies if supplies run low.

But showing up at a party with an unwrapped bottle or the I-just-stopped-at-the-store-on-the-way-here brown paper bag just doesn't always cut it, so we've compiled some great ways to dress up your drinkable gifts.

Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo created the amazingly crafty way to wrap bottles in newspaper shown above, and he's even nice enough to explain how to re-create it.
Shelterrific featured a clever, DIY gift tag alternative (print out classic drink recipes featuring the liquor you're giving and attach to the bottle).
These wine bottle gift bags from CB2 are made from 100% recyclable kraft paper, and feature wine-related messages to get you geared up for the good stuff inside.
Target sells pewter bottle tags with celebratory messages, like "congrats," "celebrate," "thank you" and "cheers."
Personalize your bottle with a wine sleeve, matching gift tag and label using this Gift of Wine gift-wrap kit, available at Chronicle Books.

Tip for teetotalers: Spirits are not the only way to show your party spirit. Flavored syrups are a welcome gift for people with a sweet tooth, fresh-squeezed juices are lovely for a brunch, and retro or hard-to-find sodas (Moxie! Tab!) are a fun way to take the sting off of an unwelcome "advanced" birthday. Although some people may need the hard stuff to get through those....