The TSNC Christmas Drinks Guide 2022
14 December, 2022
I jus realised Christmas is actually next Sunday! Where did that spring from!? Today I’ve put together my final gift guide for 2022 including a few ideas for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic Christmas drinks, so hopefully there’s something for everyone – enjoy!
Tequila can be a tricky drink, and I mean that in the way that most people would probably associate with shots, rather than a drink you’d sit down with of an evening. This is where Neurita comes in, with two brand new flavoured tequilas, made specifically to make tequila more accessible – and the perfect base for a margarita. I have the Neurita Rosa Tequila which infuses tequila from Jalisco, Mexico with delicious notes of raspberry, strawberry, and pomegranate for a deliciously sweet flavour – I don’t have all the ingredients for a margarita at the moment but I’ve just tried this as a spritzer and it’s a definite, win!
I also have the Adriatico Premium Amaretto Liqueur – this beautiful drink is made with 100% natural ingredients. The star of the show is their hand-picked Apulian almonds, that have been roasted, macerated and distilled, then blended with cane sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee and vanilla, and finished with a pinch of salt. The result is a wonderfully rich and deep almond flavour, and the hint of salt really adds a special touch. Adriatico is perfect as an aperitif, or used in cocktail such as amaretto sour, or even on its own for a lovely winter warming drink.
Talking of cocktails, St Maur Elderflower Liqueur should definitely be on your shopping list. This beautifully packaged premium elderflower liqueur is handmade in England, and created with responsibly sourced ingredients, gathered in ancient family owned woodlands. St Maur is wonderfully sweet and floral, combining bright notes of elderflower with a touch of rose and vanilla blossom, plus lemon and raspberry to add sweetness.St Maur is perfect for both sipping and mixing, in long drinks and in cocktails. – ‘Stir St Maur elderflower with freshly squeezed lime juice, Prosecco, mint leaves, and ice, and it makes probably the best Hugo cocktail in the world, the Hugo St Maur.’ – this sounds amazing, I’ll definitely be making these over Christmas!
And what would Christmas be without red wine! Porta 6 Lisboa Red Wine hails from Lisbon, Portugal, and is one of the UK’s most popular Portuguese wines. Porta 6 is created with a blend of homegrown grapes, and it’s packed full of of ripe berry notes, including blackcurrant, blackberry and plum, with a, added floral touch. This wine is juicy, rich and fruity, perfect to drink alongside your Christmas dinner.
On to one of my favourite drinks now – gin! Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin is perfect for gin fans that are looking for something with a little spice. Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin is a triple-distilled neutral grain spirit, re-distilled in a traditional copper pot still. The recipe utilises the ancient Indian knowledge of herbs and includes 11 hand-picked botanicals – peppery coriander and vetiver from Jaisalmer, sweet orange peel, from Central India, Cubeb Berries and Lemon Grass from Southern India, Darjeeling Green Tea leaves from Eastern India and Lemon Peel from Western India. Other botanicals include angelica roots, liquorice and caraway seeds lending a spicy, slightly anise-tinged flavour to the gin.I also have Tuchan Gin – inspired by its location at Speyside, Scotland, Tulchan is a light, London style gin that’s a little bit different. Inspired by the surrounding Speyside landscape of beautiful lochs, moors, and glens, Tulchan Gin incorporates the fresh botanical flavours found on its doorstep into the gin – including notes of sloe berries, elderflower and blackberry leaves, resulting in a light, delicately floral gin.
For those that fancy cocktails without the faff this Christmas, I have a couple of fantastic options. On the more affordable side we have Cutwater Cocktails, these cocktails in a can are ready made and ready to go! Cutwater have a vast selection to choose from too, wether you’re into tequila, rum or vodka cocktails, there’s pretty much something for everyone.
I also have a few ready made cocktails from The Cocktail Society– these sweet little bottles would also make lovely gifts this Christmas. The Cocktail Society bottled cocktails come in two sizes, the ones I have above are 200ml and will give 2 servings each, and the 500ml option will serve 5-6 (and actually works out cheaper per ml) Here are the drinks I have –
- Oak Aged Sloe Negroni – This stunning, ready-to-drink bottled cocktail has all the bittersweet flavours of the Negroni but is supercharged with Chase Oak-Aged Sloe Gin, Campari and Antica Formula Vermouth.
- Hibiscus & Elderflower Martini – This Hibiscus & Elderflower Martini ready-to-drink, bottled cocktail is a fruity delight. A super tasty blend of gin, organic elderflower liqueur, citrus and hibiscus flower.
- Tommy’s Margarita – This Tommy’s Margarita ready-to-drink, bottled cocktail is mind-blowingly good. If you like Margaritas you will love this. Resposado Tequila, Citrus and Agave Syrup are blended to perfection.
Moving on to soft drinks now, I had to include Gunna Lemonade! Offering something a little more exciting than your standard lemonade, Gunna Lemonade has created a selection of unique flavours made with real fruit juice and no artificial colours or preservatives. There’s also less than 5% sugar and 73 calories per can. Their Fizzy Drinks Variety Pack includes Raspberry Lemonade, Lemonade and Mint, Lime Lemonade and Tropical Lemonade flavours – perfect for drinking on their own or mixing with your favourite cocktails. It’s also worth noting that Gunna’s fizzy drink production line uses 100% renewable energy, and their fruits & flavours provider was named as one of The Worlds Most Ethical Companies 2020 too.
I haven’t forgotten hot drinks this year, and I’ve included a fantastic tea selection gift box from Teapro. The Teapro Fruit Tea Cooler Box is packed with caffiene-free fruity flavours to tickle your tastebuds! Here’s what’s inside –- Orange Sunshine – The zesty and exotic flavour will make you feel like you’re basking in the morning sun! Made with hibiscus, rose peel, candied orange, papaya, orange peel, and orange blossom.
- Jungle Berry – This Jungle Berry tisane has a full-bodied fruity flavour. Made with blackberry, elderberry, chokeberry, raspberry, apple, hibiscus, butterfly pea flower, and coconut.
- Raspberry Breeze – This raspberry tea features incredibly fragrant freeze-dried raspberries, reminiscent of a sweet summer breeze. Made with freeze-dried whole raspberry, hibiscus flower, and linden blossom.
- Strawberries & Cream – This tea is the drink equivalent of the classic British summer treat. Made with strawberry pieces, apple pieces, rosehips, currants, hibiscus flowers and natural flavouring.
Teapro also offer tea subscriptions, created to help tea lovers master a new tea type each month, as well as learn about each tea’s benefits, history and processing – and you can cancel any time. Every subscriber will also receive a best-selling infuser glass (shown above) in their first box as a gift.
Use code TSNC10teapro for 10% off your Teapro subscription
And last but not least, coffee! Two Chimps Yule Love This Coffee is the perfect Christmas drink for coffee lovers. This limited edition blend includes festively fruity notes of raisin, cranberry and plump stone fruits, with a hint of vanilla – just like mince pies with a cream topping! Two Chimps coffees are delivered exactly how you want them, they offer varying grind sizes as well as bag sizes, and arrive in a re-sealable bag. My husband is the coffee guy in our household and he thought this was an enjoyable, easy-to-drink, smooth coffee, with a welcome kick – I think it would make a lovely stocking filler gift for coffee fans this Christmas. The Yule Love This Coffee won’t be around for long, so snap it up while you can!
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