21st Birthday Gift Ideas for Your Son

Twenty-one is the last of the big coming-of-age birthdays, and for most sons it comes with a first legal drink and a night out. The best 21st birthday gifts for a son help him celebrate well and look ahead to the working life that is close. Here are 12 ideas, from a round of drinks to something he will keep for decades. Our top pick is a song about him, because it gives the day something to remember besides the bar.

Hear a real Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry his name and your stories.

12 gift ideas for your son's 21st birthday

1. A song about him at 21 ($39.90). Share the stories you would tell in a toast, the nickname his friends use and the one his family uses, and Songbond turns them into an original song. It is ready within 24 hours, in time to play before the night out.
2. Engraved whisky glasses. A pair of heavy tumblers with his initials and the date. Usually $40 to $100.
3. The first round, paid for. Call ahead to the bar he is going to and leave a tab for him and his friends. Usually $50 to $150.
4. Rideshare credit for the night. So he and his friends get home safe without anyone arguing about who drives. Usually $50 to $100.
5. A leather travel kit. A dopp kit for the weekends away that start around this age. Usually $40 to $90.
6. An engraved pocketknife. A classic folding knife is a coming-of-age gift in many families. Usually $40 to $150.
7. A distillery or brewery tour for him and a friend. A look at how it is made, with a tasting at the end. Usually $30 to $80 a person.
8. A passport and a first-trip fund. Pay for his passport and put money toward his first flight abroad. The passport itself usually costs under $200.
9. A leather portfolio for job interviews. For his resume, a notepad and his first business cards. Usually $40 to $100.
10. A home bar kit. Shaker, jigger, strainer and a simple cocktail book. Usually $50 to $120.
11. A poker set for game nights. Clay chips and a proper case for the table at his place. Usually $40 to $100.
12. Dress shoes that are not borrowed. Friends' weddings and first interviews start around now. A good pair of leather shoes usually costs $120 to $250.

How to choose for his 21st

Consider how he actually wants to spend the day. Some sons want the big night out. Others want a quiet dinner with family and a few friends, and plenty want both on different days. Choose a gift for the version of the birthday he is having, then add one thing for the years after it.

• If he is planning a big night: the first round, the rideshare credit or the tour.
• If he is finishing college: the portfolio, the dress shoes or the passport.
• If he likes hosting friends: the whisky glasses, the bar kit or the poker set.

Buy him his first drink yourself

Plenty of families keep a small tradition for a 21st: a parent buys the first legal drink. It does not need to be at midnight in a crowded bar. It can be a beer at the kitchen table or a glass of wine with dinner before he heads out. Clink glasses, tell him one thing you respect about the man he is now, and let him go meet his friends. It takes five minutes, and it is the part of the birthday many sons still talk about years later.

Make a song for his 21st

Create a 21st birthday song for your son. Tell us about him, and his song is ready within 24 hours. If the party is tonight, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: songs for a 21st birthday and more milestone birthday song ideas.