The TSNC Christmas Drinks Guide 2023!
15 December, 2023
Christmas is just around the corner, and it’s finally time to share my annual TSNC Christmas Drinks Gift guide!
This year I have a lovely selection of alcoholic drinks, as well as an alcohol-free spirit option to share with you – enjoy!
Starting with my only non-alcohol option this year, CleanCo Clean R Non Alcoholic Rum is a bronze award winning drink in the International Wines and Spirits Competition 2021. Created by Spencer Matthews (from Made in Chelsea fame) Clean Co is described as a drink ‘not to preach about alcohol consumption, but to give you a choice when mixing a drink, without compromising on taste or social experience’.
Clean R is a non-alcoholic Spiced Caribbean Rum, with no sugar or sweeteners, and only 12 calories per 50ml serving. Big flavoured Jamaican rum is mixed with Clean Co’s secretly guarded blend of spices. This boldly flavoured distillate is combined with other ingredients to create the finished non-alcoholic spirit. Warming spice, golden caramel and cayenne pepper make this a wonderfully delicious alcohol-free option.
On the topic of rum, I also have the lovely Mermaid Spiced Rum – I love Mermaid drinks, and not just because their bottles are gorgeous! Mermaid Spiced Rum is created by the Isle of Wight Distillery, with a blend of aged sugar cane and molasses rum from Trinidad and the Dominican Republic. The drink is then infused with a whole host of botanicals from the Isle of Wight, including rock samphire, white cherry, apricot, honey, black salt, and warming spices, including local holy grass, cassia and vanilla. Mermaid Spiced Rum really is a beautiful premium rum, perfect for sharing with friends this Christmas.
Continuing with spirits, if you’re a gin fan, Golden Road Premium Dry Gin needs to be on your radar this winter.
Golden Road Gin is a premium small-batch gin handcrafted in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Inspired by the Golden Road trade routes across the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, this fantastic gin is made with the finest blend of botanicals, including juniper berries, coriander seeds, angelica root, orris root, lemon peel, and orange peel, which are carefully selected for their quality and flavour.
Golden Road gin is distilled in a traditional copper still, resulting in a very smooth, well- rounded, and complex spirit, with a classic juniper flavour perfectly balanced with citrus and floral notes. This is definitely one to try for gin lovers!
If you’re more or a vodka fan, then Kavka Tokaji Cask Aged Vodka should definitely be on your radar.
Kavka Vodka is an award winning classic Polish vodka hailing from western Poland. This limited batch drink is created using traditional production techniques that date back to the 18th century. By ageing the vodka in Tokaji casks, it gains an additional richness and depth of flavour, oak and sweetness with underlying fruit notes. This 100% natural ingredient vodka combines premium Polish ingredients including wheat spirits with small amounts of aged apple and plum, giving it a lovely fruity undertone. 
For the wine lovers, Van Hunks Brut Sparkling Wine is definitely worth checking out.
Created in South Africa, Van Hunks is a sparkling drinks brand inspired by the legend of Jan Van Hunks – ‘a man with a spirit for adventure. Pipe packed and drink in hand, he’d stroll through the Fynbos and scale the sandstone mountain cliffs in search of the perfect perch. Often he’d run into unexpected adventures. But on quieter days, he’d simply kick back and relax on the edge of Table Mountain and contemplate the world down below.’
Hand crafted using a traditional methods from the South African Cape, Van Hunks Brut Sparkling Wine is bottle fermented in small batches. Dry and aromatic, this wine is smooth, bold and just delightful.
For something a little different, how about some premium Japanese liqueurs? The Choya Extra Series Mini Set includes 3x 50ml bottles, perfect for trying the brand.
Choya was founded by the Kondo family in 1914, and their mission is to produce and promote only the finest Umeshu – this is a Japanese liqueur made by steeping ume plums, while still unripe and green, in liquor and sugar, giving a sweet, sour taste.
Extra Years – This Umeshu is aged for longer – extra years – to ensure that essential ingredients are fully extracted from the ume fruit. Extra Years includes notes of almond and marzipan which are balanced by a natural vibrant acidity. This is perfect for creating a range of cocktails including Choya Kamikaze or the Choya Mojito.
Royal Honey – This Fruit Liqueur is made with all natural honey. With notes of almond from the ume pit, you get a beautifully balanced sweet and tart taste of the ume fruit. This one is great for making cocktails including Choya Golden Bridge or the Choya Honey & Champagne.
Extra Shiso – The Japanese Red Shiso Leaves provide an exceptional bitter, herbaceous taste to contrast the initial sweetness of marzipan and almond. This one is aged for 2 to 3 years to provide the best possible taste. You can make cocktails including Choya Red & Champagne or the Choya Sunrise with this one.
For those that love cocktails, The Cocktail Society Tommy’s Spicy Margarita Cocktail is a fantastic ready made cocktail, created with premium ingredients. Offering the perfect blend of sweet, tart, and spicy, Tommy’s Spicy Margarita Cocktail is made with 100% agave Aqua Riva Reposado, lime juice, and infused with two varieties of fresh chilli. This margarita is an absolutely stunning cocktail, and each bottle contains 5 servings, perfect to serve this Christmas.
Continuing with pre-bottled cocktails, Pergola Drinks have two fantastic options available –
Sunset is an adaptation of the Tequila Sunrise. This margarita combines tequila with cognac and a blend of orange and lime juices, giving you a fruitier style margarita.
Poolside is a Classic Margarita with a twist. This cocktail infuses yuzu and mint to create a drink that is the perfect pairing to spicy foods and salty snacks. It also includes blue curacao giving the drink a beautiful blue colour.
These drinks are definitely giving summer vibes, but they can also make for some lovely Christmas party cocktails too!
And last but not least, Angels Dare Cocktails. I love the simplicity of ready made cocktails in a can. This ready-to drink range is ‘personally imagined and crafted to deliver an alchemy of flavours for the perfect canned cocktail experience’.
Cheeky Wee Kiss is a gin based cocktail including rhubarb, strawberry, ginger and cranberry. Maverick Martini is a vodka based cocktail with passion fruit, orange and vanilla, and Secret Orchard is a gin based cocktail, with peach, apple, elderflower and mint. I’ve tried two of these so far and I’m really impressed! Angels Dare also offer a lovely gift box set of four cocktails, which would make a wonderful Christmas gift.
