The Christmas Drinks Cabinet
The festive season has begun and beyond the opportunity for extended revelries about town, the time is also perfect to extend invitations for festivities in the comfort of your own home. Regardless the size of your soirée a well-stocked drinks cabinet is crucial in ensuring your guests’ libations are fixed with ease, giving you opportunity to simultaneously demonstrate your skills as a host and your expertise in stocking a more refined assortment of spirits to the norm. To save you precious time in this task, Ape has compiled our recommendations for Christmas spirits that will help get your collection underway.
Ketel One Vodka and Limited Edition Copper Kettle
Inspired by the copper still that’s used to distil Ketel One Vodka, this attractive copper kettle was designed by RAKE Style founder, Clive Darby, as a means of creating and serving unique punch-style concoctions to your guests. Simply place ice and your ingredients in to the kettle, stir, and serve. With the crisp flavour of this Dutch small-batch vodka at their heart it’ll be hard to go wrong with classic vodka cocktails also.
Gift Set £26.50 from Alexander & James
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
Already standing out for their experimental craft whisky, Hebridean distillers Bruichladdich cross another boundary by producing this unique dry gin created with wild botanicals foraged from the Islay landscape. An incredibly smooth opening leads on to a vibrant palette of flavours from the ingredients within, making this gin a sophisticated choice for G & Ts or even enjoyed neat over ice.
£35 from The Whisky Exchange
Haig Club Single Grain Whisky
Celebrity affiliations aside this new single grain whisky from the Cameronbridge Distillery is a versatile addition to any cabinet. Typically used as the base in blended whisky, grain whisky offers a much smoother and subtler flavouring compared with most Scotch. Created by blending grain whisky from three cask types, Haig Club is an inviting introduction to this often overlooked area of the whisky world.
£45 from Alexander and James
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Already adored by bourbon drinkers the world over the small-batch manufacturer Woodford Reserve have crafted this new – already award-winning – expression of their famous spirit. Starting life as the distillery’s famed Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select, this whiskey has been matured for an additional 12 months in a heavily toasted barrel resulting in a whiskey of full-bodied and finely balanced flavour.
£55 from The Master of Malt
Rémy Martin XO Excellence
Brandy is synonymous with Christmas, being an essential addition to many festive dishes and drinks. This year elevate your standards by choosing a fine Cognac for these purposes, and what better than the XO Excellence from esteemed Cognac family, Rémy Martin. Made with 85% Fine Champagne grapes, sourced from the best grape-growing region in Cognac, this opulent blend offers complex flavours and a long, rich, velvety finish.
£118 from The Whisky Exchange
For those seeking a cabinet to store their new investments in we recommend this sleekly styled version from Buster & Punch. A befitting housing to showcase your servings.
