The English Spirit Guide to Christmas Gifting
Updated: Dec 5, 2019
Here at English Spirit, we don’t just hand craft the UK's smoothest and widest range of spirits and liqueurs; we’re here to make your Christmas shopping easy too. We appreciate we can’t help with the never ending lists that the kids produce, but then that’s what Santa is for. However, if like me you’ve got plenty of friends and family who are over 18 and enjoy a drink, then we really can help get your shopping done in no time. Just a few clicks in fact, as all the products below are available to buy online.
What To Get The Family
So let’s get started: perhaps we should put good old Mum first when it comes to our Christmas shopping. After all there’s probably plenty of times she’s put you first. If, like mine, your mum loves to entertain, bake and generally spoil everyone, then how about one of our gin based fruit liqueurs? There is a choice of Rhubarb, Plum, Raspberry and Lemon. They all start with our Dr J’s Gin as the base and are then further distilled, infused and slow cooked with the finest specially sourced fruits. Mum can serve them to her friends after dinner, make them into long drinks with mixers, pop a splash into Prosecco to make a special fizz, or drizzle them over her show stopping cakes. In fact there’s so much she can do with them it might be worth buying her all four!
So on to Dad. Dad’s got into his gin recently and has learnt about how it’s made and the history behind it. He loves to know the background of what he buys and is always on the look out for something unique. Our Dr J’s Gin is just perfect for the discerning gin drinker. This smooth, sippable gin is of the highest quality so it’s sure to be viewed as a thoughtful gift. Unlike socks! Dr J’s has been hand crafted in our small batch copper stills with coriander, citrus zest and macadamia nut added to the juniper. Wrap up a bottle with some good quality tonic and watch Dad’s face light up as he takes his first sip.
That’s the folks covered: then there’s the siblings. No matter what age your brothers and sisters are, if they're over 18 then I have lots of recommendations for how to be their favourite sibling this Christmas.
Your big brother is building up his rum collection, but so far he’s gone for some regular brands that are either just rum flavoured spirits or Caribbean rum that’s had some flavours added. So how about our Old Salt Rum to really set the bar. This golden rum is the first to be made from scratch in the UK. We use 100% molasses which gives this rum it’s rich genuine taste. If he prefers a spiced rum then our English Spiced Rum is a little different to the regulars. It’s warming and spicy with its hibiscus and then it has a unique hue and flavour which comes from the English cherries that we distil with. If he’s been a good big brother then get him just one. If he’s been a really good big brother then why not treat him to both!
My sister doesn’t wish it could be Christmas every day. If my sister had her way, every day would be spent on the beach in a far off land or at a festival with her mates. She’s a summer loving spirit who lives for holidays and partying. If you’ve got a sister like this then may I suggest our English Sambuca or Cucumber Spirit (or again why not go for both!) These are both unique spirits in their own right, but what they have in common is their smoothness and instant feeling of being on holiday. If you’re lucky your sister will be so happy with her gift she’ll share some with you.
For younger brothers and sisters (that are over 18) you can’t go wrong with our Old Fashioned Toffee Vodka Liqueur. It is our best selling liqueur with a huge following. We put this down to the fact that we caramelise different sugars from scratch, so it far outshines any other on the market. If your brother or sister doesn’t end up drinking it too quickly, it’s worth telling them that it’s amazing over brownies and ice cream.
Buying for the Wider Family
Big families are fun at Christmas time but I must admit, the shopping gets a bit harder. It’s great then that we’ve added even more choice to our range. Does your uncle see himself as a drinks connoisseur? Then why not got for our Spirit Miniature Set? He’ll get a selection of five of our finest spirits presented in a sophisticated gift box. Likewise if you have an auntie then a miniature set may be perfect for her too: another option is our Liqueur Miniature Set of five luxury liqueurs. Everyone loves a selection box at Christmas so these grown up versions are just the thing. Cocktail loving cousins will enjoy some mixology using our St Piran's Cornish White Rum. It makes the perfect base to a Mojito and you could get them all the ingredients and make up a very special hamper. Everyone loves a hamper at Christmas too!
Grandads who like a whiskey will be intrigued and more than happy with our Single Malt Spirit. It’s as mature as the oak barrels it’s aged in and distilled five times for a flavour complexity including honey, tobacco and caramel. Grandma on the other hand might prefer our Apple Brandy. It’s like Calvados but super smooth as we don’t use pears, just the best English Apples in really high quantities. It’s also distilled five times to grab as much apple flavour as possible. So whether it’s for Nan, Nana, Granny or Pops, these special mature spirits are bound to feel like a treat for this time of year.
Then there’s the In-laws
Whether it’s your first Christmas with the in-laws or you’ve known them a long time, they can be a little bit more of a challenge when it comes to giving a gift that’s going to show you’ve put in some thought. Everyone loves an experience, but you probably wouldn’t be very popular if you bought your parents in law a tandem bungee jump; even if it is something you’d secretly like them to do! Instead, you’d be wise to opt for the Master Distillers Gift Box. This stunning gift box contains two tour vouchers (with flexible dates), a 20cl bottle of liqueur which you can choose, and a booklet about our history and products. Your in-laws get the gift on the day and then something to look forward to after Christmas. This is sure to earn you extra brownie points with your other half and their family.
For the sister-in-law who loves her gin we have another miniature set to tick the box. Our Gin Miniature Set comes with a Dr J’s Gin and four fruit gin liqueurs. For a brother-in-law I’d go for the Chocolate Chilli Vodka Liqueur. It’s likely to be the most original present he’ll receive, and he can go on to impress his friends with it’s unique flavour.
Special Friends Deserve Special Gifts
I’ve known my friends a long time now and I love treating them at Christmas. There’s always a bit of healthy competition for who can find the most unique gift, so here’s some ideas for different members of your group. I’m getting my friend Liz some Salted Caramel Liqueur. The fact that it says Special Edition on the label means it matches her perfectly because she is one of a kind. She also loves anything with this ‘on trend’ flavour and loves to bake. My friend Joe, who I’ve known for years reckons he knows his vodka. We first met at a vodka bar whilst at university, so the Special Edition Oak Aged Vodka is going to suit him to a tee and give him a reference to how we first met. Then there’s my holiday friend Emma. Even though it’s Christmas I want to give her something that reminds her of all our summers together, so the Special Edition Strawberry Vodka Liqueur is on the list.
Save the Best ‘til Last
Most relationships are busy these days and what people would really like is a bit of time with their partner. Therefore I’d highly recommend the following for your special someone. Take a bit of time off work in January, book a tour for both of you and then book dinner and an evening at the White Hart in Great Yeldham. You can call us direct on 01787 237896 for dates and times.
Anyone Else?
So there we have it, I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. As you can see there really is something for everyone as each product is special and has it’s own unique personality, a bit like your friends and family. So ditch the chocolates, novelty socks and toiletries and do your shopping in one place. If you’ve got someone extra on your list then you can’t go wrong with our Christmas Spirit Rum
Liqueur. It really is Christmas in a bottle and tastes as exquisite as it looks. I’m off for a glass now as thanks to English Spirit all my shopping is done!!
