Seasoned pros know that Christmas is all about getting into the festive spirit.
As well as being the most wonderful time of year, it’s arguably the booziest too, with end-of-year parties, festive get-togethers and Christmas soirées all lining up in our calendars before the big day on December 25.
Whether you’re hosting a seasonal soiree or going to a winter wonderland party, one thing’s for sure: your drinks trolley needs restocking. Luckily, luscious libations have been pouring in from every drink brand worth its salt, many with a distinctly Christmassy edge.
From fire-water whiskies that will send Jack Frost packing, to display-worthy Snow Globe gins and enormous bottles of fizz (because sometimes 75cl just doesn’t cut it), there are sleighfuls of seasonal specials begging to be chucked into your online basket.
A drop of something special also makes for an excellent present, especially if you know the recipient is partial to a particular brand or tipple. Conversely, you could also use it as a chance to broaden their horizons with a bottle of something they’d never normally consider. Who knows, it could become their new favourite.
What’s more, these festive serves often come decked in limited-edition packaging that makes adding wrapping paper overkill - simply stick a shiny bow on it and you’re done.
With more people opting for low and no-alcohol options outside of Sober October and Dry January, we’ve included some worthy options in this category too. Because everyone’s invited to the big end-of-year knees up - with or without the strong stuff.
Enough talking, more oogling: quench your eyes with our virtual cellar of the best festive drinks and new launches to help you keep to that golden seasonal rule: eat, drink and be merry.
Merry (hic!) Christmas
Champagne Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Ribbons Robe
Think pink when it comes to festive drinking; Champagne Laurent-Perrier is always a welcome addition to our table - especially when its Cuvée Rosé is dressed so beautifully for the occasion.
This year, the brand presents one of its bestsellers with ribbons wound around the delicate cage. It looks as good as it tastes with a fine stream of bubbles and red berry flavours that pair well with seafood or dessert plates.
A stunning gift for your party host.
Buy now £84.99, The Bottle Club
Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne 75cl
Prosecco and cava are all good, but come Christmas, it's time for Champagne. Piper-Heidsieck's Brut comes dressed in a suitably festive palette of red and gold, with a crisp flavour full of pear, apple and citrus notes. Best served super chilled with canapés.
Buy now £39.00, Tesco
Rathfinny Wine Estate, Classic Cuvée Brut 75cl
If a bottle of sparkling won’t get your guests fizzing, what will?
A warming climate and more investment in homegrown grapes means that English sparkling wine sales are flourishing, giving its more famous counterpart across the Channel a run for its money.
Rathfinny’s Brut is made in Sussex, tickling noses with grapefruit, red apple and brioche notes. A sip rewards drinkers with a warm, creamy mouthfeel which would pair nicely with strong flavours - think truffle or onion.
Buy now £32.51, Amazon
Akashi-Tai Junmai Ginjo Sparkling Sake
This small-batch sake comes from an independent, family-run brewery that prizes quality above all else. That's detectable from the first sip of this sparkling variety.
Made for popping and toasting special moments, the sake is packed with fruity peace and warm banana notes mingling with lighter citrus and melon flavours. It's best served like Champagne: chilled and in a flute of saucer.
Buy now £16.24, Amazon
Kanosuke Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Looking for something to shake up your whisky selection? Look east to the Land of the Rising Sun, home of robot cafes, ancient temples and Kanosuke distillery. The Japanese producer specialises in whiskey, ageing its spirit in ex-shochu, ex-sherry and American white oak casks, each spell leaving its mark on the honey-coloured liquid. It’s made for Yuletide sipping with notes of candied ginger, warming cinnamon and sweet honey rounding things off.
Buy now £89.95, The Whisky Exchange
Johnnie Walker Black Label Squid Game Special Edition
With the new series of Squid Game set to drop on Boxing Day, Johnnie Walker's collab couldn't come at a better time. The legendary drinks brand has launched a special edition blended Scotch in the show's honour, complete with the iconic striding man dressed in a Squid Game tracksuit. Perfect for Twixtmas viewing parties.
Buy now £21.85, Amazon
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire Whiskey Gift Tin, 70cl
There's nothing like a hot toddy to brighten up a bleak midwinter. Jack Daniel's has just the thing to spike a warming drink in its cinnamon Fire variety. Delightfully described as a “hot bakery cinnamon roll in a glass of Jack” by the brand's Master Distiller, the bottle comes in a presentation tin perfect for placing under the tree.
Cinnamon not your bag? There’s also Honey and Apple to choose from.
Buy now £21.99, Amazon
Scarfes Bar Signature Cocktail Box
One of London's most iconic hotel bars has found a way to make your Christmas the merriest one.
From Scarfes Bar comes this signature cocktail box complete with a bottle of your favourite tipple (choose from peach flower martini, banana gimlet, pine negroni or smoked maple Manhattan) plus a pair of glasses and two cocktail picks for garnishes. You’ll also get a deck of playing cards illustrated by legendary cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, who has also seen to the box’s design as well.
A play gift for your favourite drinking buddy.
Buy now £98.00, Rosewood Hotels
Bombay Sapphire x Thomas Heatherwick Gift Set
Treat the London Dry gin fan in your life to this limited edition gift set courtesy of the famous brand and designer Thomas Heatherwick. A handsome blue gift box contains a full-sized bottle of the good stuff, plus a beautifully crafted ribbed G&T glass with a sapphire-hued foot. Cue squeals of utter delight.
Buy now £69.99, Bombay Sapphire
Fortnum's Mulled Cider with English Cassis, Ashridge Cider, 75cl
Never been one for mulled wine? Switch to cider instead. Fortnums has this beautiful bottle of Ashridge cider full of warming flavours: expect ginger, cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg, rounded off with a glug of Fortnum’s English Cassis for a rich rosy hue and delicious flavour.
Buy now £8.50, F&M
Caorunn Scottish Raspberry Gin
Think of this gin as raspberry ripple in booze form. It’s much less sweet than other pink gins, although the raspberry flavour is so ripe and round you can almost feel the berries on your tongue.
There’s a real thwack of Scotland, too, with a hefty dose of heather adding a great, warm kick to the back of the tongue. Serve with Indian Tonic and a chunky slice of pink grapefruit for a killer G&T, or go for complete overindulgence by adding in a touch of cream soda.
Right now you can personalise bottles from the brand’s website for free, making them even more perfect for Christmas gifting.
Buy now £21.55, Amazon
Sipsmith Origin 1639
Want a taste of Christmas past? Look to Sipsmith; the London distiller has revived an old gin recipe from 1639 to bring the spirit's roots to life. Sparkling with notes of juniper and berry, the spicy backbone highlights the difference in traditional, 17th-century production methods.
Buy now £31.34, Amazon
Edinburgh Gin Christmas Edinburgh Dry Gin, 70cl
A Christmas gin has become a must-have on the festive drinks trolley and if you’re looking for a new one to bring Yuletide drinks to life, Edinburgh Gin has just the bottle.
It’s packed with festive botanicals and aromatics - think cinnamon, nutmeg and clove - along with the sweetness of Deglet Nour dates to keep your bells gin-gling to Christmas Day (especially if you make a gin martini, which we plan to).
The red and gold foil-decorated bottle comes in a matching box that’s perfect for putting under the tree.
Buy now £33.00, John Lewis
MALFY x Missoni Gin Rosa
Malfy gin has come dressed for the occasion this Christmas thanks to a tie-up with Italian luxury brand Missoni. The gin producer's bottles have been decorated with Missoni's signature chevron print, sparking a sense of wanderlust to the Italian Riviera. A gorgeous glug for your gin obsessive.
Buy now £63.00, Harvey Nichols
That Boutique-y Gin Company Yuletide Gin
Christmas in a bottle, this craft gin is bursting with the flavours of the season. Try it with a flavoured tonic (star anise is supposedly sensational) and a cinnamon stick for true Yuletide vibes.
Buy now £18.95, Master of Malt
Sixpence Pud Christmas Pudding Gin Liqueur 500ml
Part festive decoration, part Christmassy spirit, the adorable design of this bottle guarantees you’ll be rolling it out at any opportunity for all to see. Give it a shake before you pour to enjoy it at its sparkly, gently spiced best.
Buy now £16.50, Harvey Nichols
M&S Clementine Gin Liqueur Snow Globe
Who doesn't love a novelty at Christmas? Back due to wildly popular demand is M&S's clementine gin liqueur, housed in a showy snowglobe bottle filled with golden flecks. It's as much a drink as it is a festive decoration for your drinks trolley.
Buy now £18.00, Ocado
Bacardi Ocho 8 Year Old Premium Aged Rum, 70cl
Anyone for hot buttered rum? Thought that would catch your attention; the words alone are enough to warm the cockles. Make hot buttered rum, a hot Collins or a festive eggnog using Barcardi’s eight-year-aged rum, BACARDÍ Ocho.
The indulgent notes of dried fruits, spices and oaky vanilla make it an ideal winter warmer to enjoy neat or in a dark rum cocktail.
Buy now £27.50, Amazon
Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend
This spice-laden, fruity rum is just the thing to cut through Christmas stodge. The Barbadian spirit has spent time maturing in American whiskey, ex-bourbon and ex-Cognac casks, each one leaving behind a flavourful mark.
Buy now £60.50, The Whisky Exchange
Redbreast 18-Year-Old Irish Whiskey
Ireland's premier whisky producer Irish Distillers has launched a new 18-year-old to its Redbreast portfolio - and it's here to stay.
Matured in oloroso sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels, it's the final stint in cream sherry casks that puts the cherry on top. The nose packs a fruity and candied hit, while a sip draws in oaky notes and ripened autumnal fruits. It is best savoured neat or with a drop of water to ease those spicy notes.
In short? Christmas pud in a bottle.
Buy now £185.00, The Whisky Exchange
Selfridges Selection Panettone Liqueur 500ml
The grown-up way to imbibe panettone throughout the festive period, Selfridge’s genius drink is a new launch this year - and we think it’s destined to become a festive fixture. The serve is heaving with ripe fruit and citrus flavours with a hint of warming caramel nestled within the oat-based cream. Buon Natale!
Buy now £24.99, Selfridges
Disaronno Velvet
Leaving a certain Irish cream liqueur quaking in its boots, Italian amaretto cream liqueur Disaronno has something new to shake up your cocktails this Christmas. It's released a Velvet version, packed with addictive notes of toasted almonds, apricot, vanilla and toffee that make it a winner in cocktails like a White Espresso. It gives a whole new meaning to a white Christmas.
Buy now £17.75, Amazon
The Pathfinder distilled non alcoholic spirit
With so many events and parties leading up to December 25, few drinkers, you may be looking for a drink to give your liver a break.
Non-alcoholic spirit The Pathfinder has already taken the US by storm and is looking to make a similar splash here this Christmas . The beautifully labelled tipple contains a bouquet of botanicals like hempseed, angelica root, ginger, sage, precious saffron and more to create a tasty alternative that won't leave you feeling left out if you decide to skip the stronger stuff for a round, for the night or for good.
It can be mixed like any other spirit or enjoyed neat on the rocks, a squeeze of lemon to bring out its brightness.
Buy now £34.99, Amazon
Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur
Give those post-dinner espresso martinis a boost thanks to Kahlúa. The coffee liqueur is a symphony of rich, sweet flavours: think espresso coffee, sweet toffee, butter rum, caramel, vanilla and chocolate. It can also be used in a White Russian. The perfect addition to your Christmas cocktail line-up.
Buy now £12.00, Amazon
Grind x Baileys Nespresso Compatible Coffee Pods
Whipping up a batch of after-dinner Espresso Martinis has just gotten easier thanks to Grind. The London coffee shop chain and store has launched limited edition Baileys-flavoured coffee pods which can be enjoyed alone for a spot of festive indulgence or spiked with a shot of something stronger to chime with party vibes.
Get 10 pods for £4.25
Buy now £4.25, Grind
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