How to Find the Perfect Christmas Spirit

Summer or winter, it's always on my list! Check out the Lush Life episode all about Avallen to know more!

Black Cow Vodka is at it again with an amazing new expression just in time for the holiday season. This to-die-for spirit is infused with the fruits and spices traditionally associated with the Christmas season! Its inspiration is the quintessential Christmas pudding with citrus, cloves, cinnamon, figs, currents, raisins and vanilla all macerated in Black Cow Vodka. Try the Mulled Apple recipe and you might just forget about Mulled wine!

Crafted using a pioneering four-step aging process, the double-double aged collection showcases a 21 Year Old, 27 Year Old and 32 Year Old, named Whisky of the Year in 2020 by the International Whisky Competition. Each expression in the range undergoes a secondary aging process in specially selected oak casks to marry the carefully considered flavours and bring extra smoothness to each bottle.

The series is finished in a variety of sherry casks including Oloroso, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximenez, elevating the final flavour profiles of each whisky that Dewar’s has come to be renowned for!

Inspired by the rich, fruity and indulgent flavours of the festive season, they have a range of exciting Christmas and Winter Cocktails for every occasion - from Mince Pie Rumhattans to our Cocktail Baubles!

The guests of Reverend Hubert Bell Lester (1868 -1929) at Christmas time were always greeted by a glass of his winter liqueur! Now in the modern age, we have his great-grandson to thank for this new update of the original recipe. Think a warming, smooth gin liqueur bursting with aromatic notes of dried fruit, winter spices and the freshest organic orange and lemon zest from Amalfi! Twist up a Negroni or Martini or try their contemporary classic, The Naughty Hubert, made by Alessandro Palazzi at Dukes!

The finest Irish whiskey blended with a smooth, rich cream and luscious chocolate for a delicious tasting Irish Whiskey Liqueur. Luscious milk chocolate and vibrant vanilla underpinned by smooth, rich Irish Whiskey and finishing with hints of delicate spice. Great on its own, chilled straight from the fridge, added to coffee or hot chocolate. Excellent in desserts, with ice cream and delicious in home made chocolate truffles.

English single malt whisky meets cream in this magnificent Nog from the English Whisky Company. The two get on very well indeed, marrying in a rich, warming and comforting union that works just as well whether from a flask out on a windy moor or poured over ice and sipped after supper. Smooth, indulgent and delicious.

Angel's Envy is a rather splendid bourbon that has interestingly been finished in Port casks! The combination of the vanilla-y richness with the sweet, sticky Port notes (which really come to the fore of the delightful finish) is a match made in Heaven - an apt saying, considering the name.

Aberfeldy 12 Year Old is a single malt whisky which has aromas of spice and honeyed plump fruits. On the palate it’s sweet with creamy vanilla alongside waves of malt. It’s smooth with a hint of smoke with a light zesty finish. Won a Silver medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition 2022.

There are about a gazillion gins out there, but only one that is devoted to the conservation of the African elephant. That spells Christmas spirit to me! With every full size bottle sold, Elephant Gin contributes 15% of profits to elephant conservation charities including Big Life Foundation, while with each miniature bottle sold, 15% of profits is donated to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This is not the only reason I love it - it makes some great cocktails, like the Orange Toddy, Black Seeds and the Dzombo Spritz!

Santa Teresa 1796 is a superb single estate Venezuelan rum. Santa Teresa 1796 is made using the solera method (used more famously in the production of Spanish sherry). The rums in the blend are aged for between five and 35 years, resulting in a smooth, dry and balanced spirit that is perfect for sipping or serving in an Old Fashioned.

Tayer + Elementary, who was recently crowned the second best bar in the world at The World's Best Bars 2022, have just launched their Xmas Essentials RTDs (Ready-to-Drink) cocktails. The team have combined Tayēr’s modern techniques and long established practices to create three bottled festive takes on cocktail classics: Mince Pie Negroni, Xmas Pudding Sour, and Gingerbread Old Fashioned. 

My friend, Miguel Riascos, has already created two beautiful rums - La Hechicera Original and the first of the Series Experimentals. Now it's as if he knew what I wanted next! The Serie Experimental No. 2 has been matured in white oak casks and also infused with bananas. Not only will this make an incredible Banana Old Fashioned, but what a Bananas Foster!

Chairman’s Reserve Spiced rum is made from a blend of coffey still and pot rum stills aged and finished with local fruits and spices such as cinnamon, loves, nutmeg, dried orange, raisins, plums, almonds and lemon rind. This authentic Saint Lucian Spiced rum is produced and bottled by Saint Lucia Distillers.

Transporting you to the tranquil mountains of the Himalayas and the diverse terrains of India, Hapusa Gin is a one-of-a-kind Indian dry gin. Recommended to be served at ‘mountain temperature’ straight from the freezer, or perfect in some winter cocktails for Christmas gatherings this year. .

A creamy, spicy liqueur from Kyrö that pays homage to its home in the old Isokyrö Dairy. A combination of local milk and cream with Kyrö rye spirit and rye whisky, creating notes of milk chocolate, liquorice, toffee and spicy rye, with lashings of fresh cream and a hint of salt in the finish.

Not just for summer!, the original Limoncello di Capri, first invented in the early 1800s by Vincenza Canale, proprietor of the famous 'Mariantonia' hotel on the island. Produced to the same recipe today, using an infusion of local lemons and no additives or sugars, this is a vibrant taste of the sun. Try mixing it with sparkling wine or tonic water.

Bittered Sling Bitters, a range of award-winning cocktail bitters made with only three ingredients – British Columbia spring water, whole botanicals and the highest quality Canadian spirit. Bittered Sling’s range of cocktail bitters evoke a sense of time and place with in global cocktail-making cabinets, bringing the flavours of Canada to the glass. 

Boatyard is the first legal (!) distillery built in County Fermanagh in 130 years, located inside an old boatyard on the banks of Lough Erne. A great stocking filler for cocktail enthusiasts, this new tasting set features 5cl miniatures of three award -winning spirits from The Boatyard Distillery in northwest Ireland: Double Gin, Old Tom Gin and Vodka. 

Michter’s produce the finest quality American Whiskey. Many of the processes that are used to make Michter’s cost more, such as seasoning all of their wood for an extended period of time, as well as the barrel entry proof being the lowest of any distillery at their scale. Michter’s adopt a“Cost be Damned” approach to their production and the focus is always on quality.

In Japan, whisky is often served with soda and ice in a highball glass – a drink that is the ultimate thirst quencher. Their limited-edition highball set is all about effortless refreshment, featuring two elegant glasses, perfect for creating a variety of easy drinking highball serves.