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Though Galentine’s Day is a relatively recent invention (it originates from a 2010 episode of the sitcom Parks and Recreation), that doesn’t make it any less fun to celebrate than other, more “official” holidays. The idea is to express your appreciation and affection for your female friends on February 13, just before Valentine’s Day.
Parks and Rec Galentine’s Days involved annual “ladies celebrating ladies" brunches featuring sparkling rosé, mimosas, waffles, pancakes, frittatas, and personalized gift bags. On the show, character Leslie Knope offered her BFFs elaborate handmade crafts and 5,000-word essays about how awesome they were, but if you haven’t got quite that much free time, here are our top picks for hosting your own Galentine’s get-together or gifting to your gal pals who love food, cooking, wine, or cocktails.
Here are the best Galentine's Day gifts this year.
A charming and thoughtful present for your rosé-loving friend with a sweet tooth, this basket is packed with a bottle of Generosity Cellars Rosé, dark chocolate-covered sea salt caramels, dark chocolate peanut butter meltaways, dried strawberries dipped in white and dark chocolate, heart-shaped pretzels dipped in yogurt, mini chocolate-chip biscotti, and chocolate nonpareils covered in red and white sprinkles.
For hosting a homemade Galentine’s Day brunch or gifting to a brunch-obsessed bestie, this elegant, Nantucket-style woven gift basket from Stonewall Kitchen is just the thing. It’s packed with pancake and waffle mix and blueberry scone mix, plus an assortment of brunch cocktail-themed jams (Mimosa Jam, Raspberry-Peach Champagne Jam, and Bellini Jam), and two types of Bloody Mary mixer.
For a no-fuss, pre-prepared ladies’ brunch, you can order a brunch pack for four for home delivery from the popular Brenda’s French Soul Food restaurant in San Francisco. It includes Southern-style brunch classics like cream biscuits, spiced strawberry jam, smoky red beans and rice, chicken gumbo, and your choice of chocolate or apple beignets.
You can’t have brunch without coffee either, but instead of plain old filter coffee, try this set for making Vietnamese drip coffee from Copper Cow, a woman-owned business based in California. It includes individual, disposable filter bags of sustainable, organic ground coffee that fit on top of any mug for pour-over prep and single-serving packets of sweetened condensed milk to mix in for a traditionally rich and creamy Vietnamese coffee.
Waffles were a central theme of Parks and Rec and particularly its Galentine’s Day brunches, but even if you’ve never seen the show, who doesn’t love waffles? Even better, these adorable Dash mini waffle machines make individual, 4-inch waffles and come in bright, fun colors like pink, red, and seafoam green. And unlike traditional waffle makers, they take up very little storage space in a kitchen.
Another great (and low-effort) idea for a Galentine’s Day gathering would be a wine and cheese party. This collection from Harry & David includes a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white wine, cheese, salami, a sourdough baguette, and gourmet spreads for hosting a ladies-only wine pairing party or gifting to a wine-loving friend.
Exchanging cards is not just for school kids or sweethearts. These adorable, pun-filled wine-and-cheese-themed cards are perfect for all your Galentines, with greetings such as “I am glad we are such Gouda friends” and “Wine not be my Valentine?”
This chic, cleverly designed purse contains an insulated pouch that holds two bottles (1.5 liters) of your favorite wine, with a hidden spout for dispensing it. But it also is a functional tote with compartments and zippered pockets for your wallet, phone, and other items and it comes in an array of fashionable colors. Some models even feature two separate pouches and spouts, so you can carry both a bottle of red and a bottle of white! It’s the perfect accessory for picnics, outdoor films, the beach, and boat rides.
Drinking Like Ladies: 75 Modern Cocktails from the World's Leading Female Bartenders
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For your mixologist friend, what better Galentine’s Day gift than this book that turns the idea of “girly drinks” on its head. It features 75 recipes for modern cocktails from some of the world’s most acclaimed female bartenders, each paired with an interesting tidbit about extraordinary, trailblazing women throughout history.
For your daring BFF who loves DIY—a boxed kit for making your own pink bubbly at home! It includes everything you need (except for empty sparkling wine bottles) to craft five 750-milliliter bottles of sparkling rosé wine, including a 1-gallon glass fermentation jug and complete instructions.
Let's Brunch: 100 Recipes for the Best Meal of the Week
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This cookbook would be perfect for hosting a fully homemade Galentine’s Day brunch or gifting to your BFF who loves to cook. It has 100 recipes for brunch and breakfast dishes, from Southern classics like fried green tomatoes and buttermilk biscuits to European-inspired creations like panettone French toast and croque-madame, plus ideas for brunch-time cocktails.
The perfect gift for your friend who loves ice cream, this official Parks and Recreation Galentine’s Day ceramic ice cream bowl holds a generous 32 ounces of ice cream or a hot drink and is dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
This 12-ounce, stainless-steel tumbler in a stylish rose-gold color features double-wall insulation to keep drinks cold or hot for hours, plus a spill-proof lid with a slide-open hole for sipping. It comes with two eco-friendly, stainless-steel straws, a cleaning brush, and a sassy, humorous printed message for your BFF.
On a more serious note, with this set of four stemless glass wine tumblers, you and your female friends can toast some remarkable women in history. Each of the four glasses is printed with designs and quotes celebrating one of four trailblazers who made important advances in science, medicine, civil rights, and women’s rights: Sojourner Truth, Marie Curie, Susan B. Anthony, and Clara Barton.
This shiny gold box from the woman-owned Floral Elixir Co. contains five bottles of all-natural, handcrafted floral syrups for mixing with Champagne, sodas, spirits, or other mixers to create homemade flowery cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks. The flavors include lavender, violet, hibiscus, rose, and rosehip. A few recipe ideas are included on the back of the kit, with more available on the company’s website.
Charbonnel et Walker is a venerable London chocolate maker founded in 1875 and best known for luxurious pink Champagne truffles. The handcrafted pink box with gold trim—holding eight pink truffles filled with Marc de Champagne-infused milk chocolate ganache—would make an indulgent finishing touch for a Galentine’s Day gathering or a sophisticated gift for a girlfriend who loves both bubbly and fancy chocolates.
Continuing on the delicious theme of champagne-infused sweets, this set of six elegantly packaged boxes of pink (Rosé) and clear (Brut) gummy bears made with real Dom Pérignon champagne are the ultimate sophisticated party favor to slip into the Galentine’s Day gift bag of each of your favorite lady friends.
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This article was written by Danette St. Onge, a freelance food and travel writer and the former Italian Food Expert for The Spruce Eats. As a freelancer, she has written about food, dining, and travel and developed, tested, and edited recipes.