From artisan gins to rums and convenient cocktail mixes, amazing alcohol-free aperitifs and more… read on for inspiration in what festive tipples to treat yourself with this season
Silent Pool Gin
Such a gorgeous gift as well as treat to add to your own drinks cabinet. This fine artisan gin from Surrey comes in a lovely large box. Lift the lid to reveal a bottle of Silent Pool Gin, two pretty glass tumblers with a matte finish, plus a copper coloured jigger and pourer. This is the ultimate treat for any gin lover.
£68 from Silent Pool Distillers
Bullards Coastal Gin
Inspired by the Norfolk coastline, this Coastal Gin has a delicate salty influence complemented by bright citrus flavours. It’s made with a host of hand foraged botanics including sea purslane, marsh samphire, sea aster and Douglas Fir. Bullards recommend serving this gin with a handful of blackberries and some fresh lime peel.
Bottle and Pouch Set £70 from Bullards Spirits or Bottle on it’s own £40.
Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin
classic Caorunn Gin, but we’re not sure where to start. We could tell you it has a slightly spicy, full-bodied and invigorating flavour, with a clean and crisp finish. Or maybe it’s best explained as a modern London Dry gin infused with classic Celtic soul (in the form of our 5 locally foraged botanicals)? The best way to showcase it is to enjoy it at its award-winning best – pair it with a slice of red apple, and serve with chilled tonic water over ice.
£29 from Caorrunn
Jing Jasmine Pearls Sparkling Tea
A more delightful non-alcoholic sparkling drink would be hard to find. This dry, refreshing floral sparkling tea by Jing is the perfect tipple to enjoy on any occasion. You’ll find exotic jasmine aromas with a smooth and refreshing green tea depth, subtle fruit notes, hints of honey. It features a green tea base crafted by Tea Maker Liu Guoqing in Shekou Garden, Fujian, China, and contains no alcohol, sugar, artificial flavours or preservatives. What could be better? Buy from HERE.
Amaretto Adriatico Biano
Adriatico Amaretto Bianco is based around almond milk made from crushed white almonds, resulting in a subtly creamy but lactose-free liqueur. A gorgeous late night tipple to enjoy relaxing by the fire. Do try this acclaimed brand’s ‘normal’ amaretto too with notes of caramel, sweet almond, cherry, burnt toffee, and a very subtle hint of toasted nut sweetness. Both are absolutely delicious over ice and are available from Master of Malt.
£28.95 from Master of Malt Bianco & £28.95 also from Master of Malt for Adriatico Amaretto
Stranger & Sons Gin
Stranger & Sons gin goes beyond the customary juniper and highlights inherently Indian botanicals and spices that are indispensable to every Indian household. Inspired by a mysterious being, the team at Stranger & Sons looked far and wide for the best source of these botanicals, a journey that took us across fertile spice farms along the Konkan Coast of Goa to the lush Malabar Coast of Kerala. Each sip starts off with a representation of all our citrus peels on the nose, followed by a strong backbone provided by the pepper, nutmeg, juniper and Indian coriander, finishing with the smooth, warm notes of liquorice, cassia bark and mace.
£38.17 from Amazon
Mezcal Hot Chocolate Gift Box
The Mezcal Hot Chocolate Gift Box from The Cool Chile Company contains a bottle of Pensador Espadín and a 150g tin of Oaxaca Hot Chocolate. A perfect gift for this time of year. Cool Chile’s hot chocolate is made from stone-ground Tabasqueño cacao beans, delicately spiced with cinnamon and almond. It pairs perfectly with the earthy, aromatic notes of our Espadín. Both the cacao and the mezcal have been responsibly sourced. From Pensador £41.50
Jin Jin Concentrated Enzyme Drink
Using traditional methods of fermentation, JIN JIN is carefully crafted with more than 35 different kinds of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and cultures. This ancient process produces beneficial bacteria and complex enzymes which help us fight off bad microorganisms that comes in our bodies uninvited and help maintain good gut health, and when our guts are healthy our body is happy. JIN JIN also contains an important enzymes like ‘GABA’ and one of the most important antioxidants ‘Superoxide Dismutase’ [SOD] which helps slow down ageing process and defend our bodies from harmful oxygen molecules in cells that play a main role in disease. £39.99 from Drink Jin Jin
Neptune Rum Barbados Gold
Neptune Rum’s Barbados Gold has notched up over 65 global awards so far – with more expected – and rightly so. It’s a delightful super-smooth rum containing no sugars or chemicals. It’s distilled and aged at the celebrated family-owned Foursquare Rum Distillery set within a former 17th-century sugarcane plantation at the southern end of the island of Barbados. Beautifully balanced it has notes of apricot, banana and coconut overlaid with soft hints of honey and vanilla. And we love the fact sales of this product help support ocean clean-up charities and initiatives.
£39.99 for 100ml from Neptune Rum
Copper Rivet Damson Gin Bottling Note
A Damson Gin from Copper Rivet, inspired by the fact that damson berries were grown near the distillery during Roman times, and were traded within five miles of the distillery, too! Traditional botanicals are distilled alongside elderflower and damson peeps and skin. The damson juice, however, is aged with the distilled gin in new American oak barrels. For a longer, summery serve, mix with lemonade and garnish the fresh strawberries.
£24.84 from Master of Malt
Moore House Cocktail Collection
Moore House Cocktail Company is a small company based in London’s Notting Hill, close to Portobello Market. They specialise in creating hand-crafted, small-batch cocktails and pride themselves on using only the highest quality ingredients. Their cocktails come beautifully packaged, in a variety of sizes for drinking at home or gifting. This lovely set is a perfect Christmas or birthday gift and features three of their favourite cocktails and a free shaker too.
£48 from Yumbles
Edi Spirited Euphoria
This super-innovative and aromatic drink is actually an endorphin spirit distilled from hemp – and has nootropics and adaptogens to benefit your health. It won’t intoxicate you, but will help you to unwind and you’ll be left hang over free ready to take on the next day. Only 2 calories per serving too. £39.99 from Edi Spirits.
Luscombe Christmas Cocktail Box
Developed by master mixologist Louis Xavier-Smith this gorgeously boxed gift or treat is the perfect complement for every celebration. Inside you’ll find all you need to create The Sicilian – Sloe gin, Campari and sweet vermouth blended with Sicilian lemonade and cloves. And the Open Fire – which combines the warmth of ginger and rum, the sweetness of honey and chestnuts, with the zing of lime.
Each box contains 2 x 35ml Hattiers Rum, 2 x Chestnut Liqueur, 2 x dehydrated lime wheel, 2 x Devon Distillery SloeD, 2 x Campari, 2 x Sweet vermouth, 2 x Sweet vermouth, 1 x Luscombe Hot Ginger Beer
and 1 x Luscombe Sicilian Lemonade. £38 from Luscombe.
Cutwater Cocktails
Recognised as the most awarded ‘Ready to Drink’ cocktail brand in the US, the newly launched UK Cutwater range brings bar quality and high-strength cocktails to a can. Made with premium spirits and real fruit juices, you won’t believe you grabbed these cocktails from the fridge and not your local cocktail bar.
Available in Tequila Margarita, Whisky Mule, Strawberry Margarita, Vodka Mule and Rum Mojito, the all-natural range is available at cutwaterspirits.co.uk, on Amazon and at independent retailers. They are priced from just £4 per can.
Vinada Limited Edition Gift Box
For those who prefer to enjoy non-alcoholic drinks, this collection from Vinada is an ideal choice. The pack contains 2x VINADA® Amazing Airén Gold (0%) 750 ml, 2x VINADA® Tinteling Tempranillo Rosé (0%) 750 ml and 2x VINADA® Crispy Chardonnay (0%) 750 ml. You can opt for a pack with four of each too. Each bottle is refreshing and absolutely delicious. 56,70 Euros from Vinada
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society & Kingdom Scotland
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has collaborated with Scotland’s first fragrance house, Kingdom Scotland, pairing SMWS single cask whiskies with two intriguing perfumes. The Kingdom fragrances of Metamorphic and Portal have been expertly paired with SMWS Flavour Profiles Lightly Peated and Juicy Oak & Vanilla. The collaboration will bring to life Society guests’ olfactory systems, igniting the senses at Society venues across the UK this festive season. Click HERE to discover more.
Lilo Drinks Hard Seltzers
The award for the prettiest drinks cans ever definitely goes to Lilo. We adore these hard seltzers (alcoholic sparkling water) with their all-natural flavours and infusion of botanicals. The White Grape and Elderflower has delightful notes of citrus and lemon verbena, and Cranberry & Rosehip a fruity floral taste. Go for the mixed case of 12 at £25.99 from Lilo Drinks
Everleaf Non-Alcoholic Aperitifs
Another delight for those who prefer alternatives to traditional spirits, Everleaf offers a lovely range of sustainable sourced non-alcoholic aperitifs, rich in botanicals and natural ingredients, which are vegan and gluten free. The company’s founder actually started his career as a conservation biologist, spending years observing how the natural world works, and looking for ways in which we can work with it; in 2007 he opened his first bar to share his fascination with drinks and flavours. Everleaf’s range of aperitifs are the unique combination of these two passions.
‘Forest’ was created for spritz lovers and features layers of spice and citrus; ‘Marine’ was crafted for gin lovers, with crisp juniper, bergamot and citrus, combined with sea buckthorn and olive leaf; and for those who appreciate pink gin, there’s ‘Mountain’, with juniper and notes of black cherry and rosehip. All taste so good you really don’t miss alcohol at all. Everleaf Drinks
By Lisa Curtiss
