THE great British drinks cabinet is never busier than at Christmas as people mark the festive season by indulging in their favourite tipple.
Gin is one of Brits’ favourite Christmas spirits, with 21% in the east of England choosing it as a festive drink according to new research from Drinks by the Dram, along with whisky (25%) and cream liqueurs such as Baileys (35%). As a side note did you realise that Baileys has a new flavour out called Baileys Cupcake? It might be worth a try…
Looking back through the year, the survey showed that Brits’ top five spirits to drink over the past 12 months in the east have been gin (30%), vodka (27%), whisky (27%), cream liqueurs (26%) and rum (19%).
Gin has been the big winner among spirit-drinking Brits, with sales in the UK reaching £1.6bn in the year ending June 2018, up 38% on the previous year.
However, the survey also reveals that 31% of drinkers feel they are in the dark when it comes to spirits.
Those surveyed said they want to know more about spirits, so they can make a more informed choice when buying a bottle – and impress friends with their new-found knowledge.
But how can Brits learn more about their favourite spirits without having to splash out on full bottles?
Drinks by the Dram create tasting sets of 1000s of spirits so that people can try as many different brands as possible.
Their range of Advent calendars filled with wax-sealed 30ml drams are perfect for spirit lovers who want to learn more about their favourite tipple.
To help Brits understand more about their spirits, the That Boutique-y Gin Company Advent Calendar [https://www.drinksbythedram.com/our-advent-calendars/that-boutique-y-gin-company-advent-calendar] contains 24 different types of gin.
And Drinks by the Dram have teamed up with gin expert and author David T Smith to compile a top 10 bluffer’s guide to becoming a ‘gin-noisseur’ this Christmas:
· Impress your friends by throwing around the following words when sampling a gin – ‘floral’, ‘herbal’, ‘spicy’, ‘fruity’, ‘citrus’ and ‘juniper’ to describe the flavour
· Garnish your gin with grapefruit, apple or strawberry. Limes work well with sweeter gins, while lemons drier versions
· Freeze slices of citrus beforehand to serve with your guests’ gin
· Pre-chill your glasses in the freezer – the key to a great long mixed drink is to keep it cold
· Use the biggest glasses that can hold the most ice – the more ice you have, the longer it will take to melt. Two ice cubes will create a watery drink
· 41% of gin lovers always go for a straight G&T – instead try gin with sparkling water and a dash of Angostura bitters
· Or, surprise your guests with a drink that has been around for 100 years and is known as ‘The Southern Exposure’ – gin and cola
· For ideal food pairing with gin, choose olives or cashew nuts
· For dessert, create a White Cargo – a simple mixture of gin and vanilla ice cream
· And if you really want to find out what a gin tastes like – just drink it neat.
