The Best Pre-Lunch Christmas Drinks

Once the mimosas have been drunk, breakfast had and Christmas lunch is beginning to be prepared, the chef, and everyone else for that matter, might be wanting a little something to drink before the grand meal gets under way. Personally, I don’t eat much at breakfast, so one of the next drinks can be a great substitute, whether with or without alcohol. One of my favourite drinks of all time is the Bloody Mary. Traditionally made with vodka there are other options out there. If you’re not a tomato juice fan, then a gin and tonic can go down very well pre-lunch too. And there is always the traditional Christmas drink of Sherry. Forget the old days of cream sherries, there are plenty more options of something tasty to sip away at to get your appetite going.

The BEst Spirits for a Bloody Mary cocktail

Glen's Vodka

Glens Vodka is the second best-selling spirit in the UK. And it is made in Scotland! Made by the Loch Lomond Distillery Company, who know how to make great spirits, this is a clean, smooth and easy going vodka created for mixing, and it is great value for money. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find It Here: £13

Dima’s Vodka

We at The Three Drinkers have long been a great supporter of Dima’s Vodka, and in my opinion, it is the best vodka on the market today. It has superb flavour without being flavoured, it has a great texture that feels creamy in the mouth, and it is incredibly smooth. Beyond all this, it comes from Ukraine and is created by Ukrainian Dima, hence the name. Every bottle sold goes to help fund the Ukrainians in their battle against Russia making buying a bottle even more worth it.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find It Here: £35

Ardbeg 10 Year Old

For whisky lovers out there, this makes one of the best Bloody Marys I have ever had. Choose a rich thick tomato juice, or even add some passata to the drink, and once the spices are added, with the Ardbeg 10 Year Old, a smoky, earthy, and delicious drink evolves. With the power of the whisky, you can use as little or as much spice and Worcester sauce as you like, and it’ll taste great.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 46%
Find It Here: UK £42.90 // US $52.99

X Muse Vodka

Pronounced 10th Muse, this vodka is made with heritage varieties of barley in Scotland, which are distilled separately and then carefully blended. Based on the mythical 10th Muse which was supposed to be an amalgam of the other 9 muses, this vodka has huge amounts of flavour and complexity which shine through in a Bloody Mary. This is a vodka which really does push the boat out, but is worth every penny, and definitely worth the splurge on Christmas day. Beyond the tomato juice, this is a vodka to savour and sip.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find It Here: £55.74

The Best Gin for a Gin and Tonic 

Gordon’s Special London Dry Gin

The quintessential British gin. Gordon’s has been the country’s gin of choice for the humble gin and tonic for a very long time. And with good reason. It is a classic London dry gin with plenty of botanical flavour alongside the juniper and the resulting G&T is very, very good. It’s also great value and, if you don’t happen to be drinking, they make a very good 0% version, which, having tasted quite a few decent no alcohol gins, is my favourite.

Gordon’s Special London Dry Gin
Size: UK 700ml // US 1.75L
ABV: 38%
Find It Here: UK £16 // US $21.99

Gordon’s 0% London Dry Gin
Size: 700ml
ABV: 0%
Find It Here: £12

Finger Lime Gin

Made from an unusual fruit, which although is called a ‘lime’, it’s not certain if it actually fits into the citrus family or not, this gin is definitely zesty with oodles of citrus flavours which mixes with tonic superbly well. If you can find some finger limes to garnish, the little green caviar-like cells will bounce up and down the drink with the bubbles creating a very pretty display. A little like a gin and tonic snow globe. Perfect for Christmas.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find It Here: £34.95

Anty Gin

Created by the Cambridge gin distillery, this is a special gin which, although made of ants, wood ants to be precise, tastes great, and adds a little more interest to a simple gin and tonic. A great talking point when guests or family descend on you for Christmas, it may be a convenient distraction from any brewing family feud!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 42%
Find It Here: £194.99

The Best Sherry for Christmas

Tio Pepe Dry Sherry

This sherry is made from the Palomino grape variety and aged for around five years. It is crisp and zesty, and the perfect drink before a meal that is likely to be of gargantuan proportion. Easy to sip and take your time over, and especially good if you like dry white wines like Sauvignon Blanc.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 15%
Find It Here: £9.50

Lustau Oloroso Emperatriz

If sherry means rich and nutty flavours with lots of dried fruit aromas and flavours to boot, then this is a sherry you’ll love. There is lots of complexity and alongside the usual flavours you will find dark chocolate and nougat. The Solara this sherry comes from was founded in 1921 to mark the visit of Eugenia de Montijo to Jerez, who was the last Empress of France.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 20%
Find It Here: £20.95

Bodegas Tradición 30 Year Old Palo Cortado

Palo Cortado is an unusual sherry. Many cheaper versions are created by the sherry maker, but those that happen naturally are rare. They are created when the “flor”, which is a naturally occurring fungal barrier that lies on top of the sherry in the barrel to prevent the oxygen from getting to the liquid, naturally and for no reason disappears, allowing the sherry beneath to start to oxidize. The best of these naturally occurring barrels are put aside to become Palo Cortado. It’s hugely complex, yet has great delicacy and finesse, this is one of the greatest examples, and would delight any sherry drinker.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 20%
Find It Here: £103.05

Having sated oneself between breakfast and the great meal to come, the main event is next. With a huge number of drinks to choose from, I will keep it simple. To find out how to indulge yourself during this gourmet festive event, move on to my next set of drinks here. If you missed the Best Drinks to Enjoy on Christmas Morning, click here.

The Best Vodkas of 2022

Words by Calum Ecroyd

Vodka, a spirit born in Russia but now adored across the world with new distilleries popping up every week, its price and quality can both vary massively, so it’s handy to keep on top of the latest and greatest drinks. What better time to do that than after the Vodka Masters Awards 2022, we ask?! Well, luckily, you can chill because we’ve done the hard work for you. Here is our round-up of the world’s greatest vodka!

Budget <£20

Count Pushkin

Count Pushkin has been making waves in South Africa for a while now, and it’s finally been awarded praise on the International stage too, picking up a Gold at the 2022 Vodka Masters. It was first bottled in 1965 but has been tweaked ever since and seems to have reached its pinnacle! The only downside is that it doesn’t appear to be available outside of South Africa just yet. After this award win though, watch this space!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 43% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: 145 rand (approximately £8) 

Absolut

A stalwart of the supermarket shelves, Absolut Blue’s design inspired by an 18th century medicine bottle still catches the eye, and now it’s what’s inside that’s being praised too. Rewarded for its ‘texture and minerality’, it achieved a Gold prize at the Vodka Masters. It’s great value and ideal for a no-nonsense cocktail base, or even neat with ice and lime. Cheers!

Size: UK 700ml // US 1.75L
ABV: 40%
Award: Gold
Find here: UK £18.90 // US $27.99

Tamova Quadruple Distilled 

This is a stunning coup for Aldi Australia whose Tamova Vodka came out on top of 139 competitors, earning a prestigious Masters Award. Part of the everyday range but with a quality you definitely don’t find every day, this velvet smooth spirit is simply perfect in your Cosmos or Bloody Marys. Right now, the four times distilled version is only on shelves down under, so we have a short wait to try it. In the meantime, the triple distilled Tamova is also well worth a try.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5% ABV
Award: Master
Find here: $30.99 AUD (£18)

Mid-tier £21-£30

Black Cow

This is a rather unusual vodka that has been on everyone’s lips in more ways than one. It’s created on a West Dorset dairy farm and claims to be the world’s first pure milk vodka. The whey left over from the farm’s cheddar (also top notch by the way) isn’t wasted, and instead goes into Black Cow. Unsurprisingly this creates a subtle creamy note and as a result, it is amazing at the heart of an Espresso Martini, but it is flavoursome enough to enjoy neat too.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Master
Find here: £24.83

Stalinskaya Gold

Sharing the top award with Black Cow is Romania’s finest, Stalinskaya Gold. Using pure water from 170 metres below ground, this mineral rich and finely filtered vodka has a surprisingly creamy finish and will no doubt be available elsewhere very soon. We can’t wait to try it!

Size: 70cl 
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Master
Find here: 85 lei (£16 but expected to increase in UK/US)

Koskenkorva Original 

Despite the string of awards over recent years, Koskenkorva is still produced in the tiny Finnish village of the same name. Made using continuous distillation, the end result is an incredibly pure and smooth vodka that you’ll be dying to Finnish ;)

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: UK £21.22 // US $22.89

Kingdom Recommends 

Like the beautiful elephant on the bottle, you won’t ever forget your first sip of this vodka. Five times distilled and charcoal filtered for a stronger flavour, only 250 bottles are produced in each small batch. The beginnings of a stunning cocktail right here. If you are a fan of gin too, make sure you check out Kingdom’s range of gins… trust us, you won’t regret it!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £28

Slingsby

Spirit of Harrogate distil their vodka, not three, not four, not five, but seven times! It’s then blended with Harrogate’s natural spring water, which has been attracting visitors since 1571 we must add! The vodka is bottled in a delightfully vintage design ready to pour over plenty of ice or into a cracking martini. Bottoms up!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £25

Amundsen Expedition 1911

Amundsen was created to honour the famous Norwegian expedition of the same name, which set out to conquer the South Pole in 1911. In keeping with the ice brick bottle design and the expedition itself, serve this crystal-clear water at 0°c in a chilled glass. Skål!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £24.95

Masons Classic

With a background in gin, Masons have taken to this new challenge like a duck to vodka (that doesn’t really work but go with it). It’s a fantastic all rounder that carries all the traits of a top notch vodka – fresh, smooth and crisp. Their Espresso Vodka has also attracted attention too so if you fancy an Espresso Martini that is really bursting with coffee, that might be worth a try!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £29.80

Respirited

Nothing is wasted at London-based distiller Hayman’s, who have channelled their leftover grain spirit into this sustainable award-winning vodka. It’s not just the vodka that is repurposed either because the 100% recycled glass and label, sustainable cork and 1% of sales being donated to environmental causes make this one of the most forward-thinking vodkas on the list. And don’t worry, there’s absolutely NO compromise on taste!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40.2% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £26

Top end £30+

Chapel Down Chardonnay

You might be wondering what Chardonnay is doing on a list like this?! Well, well-known winery, Chapel Down, are at home working with grapes, and they’ve taken this into their vodka production too. Distilled Chardonnay grape skins go into this ultra-smooth spirit that picked up all the plaudits at the awards this year. It’s a very smooth vodka with notes of vanilla and citrus. Try it out now to see what all the fuss is about!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Master
Find here: £30.99

58 and Co

Another gin specialist dipping their toe into the vodka industry here, with a crisp 100% British wheat spirit. That’s not where the British theme ends either, as this vodka has subtle notes of clotted cream and biscuit to it – unusual for vodka, but we like it! It’s perfect in an Espresso Martini or a White Russian! 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £36

Desi Daru Original

Desi Daru is another vodka stilled seven times over, combining rich English wheat with pure Himalayan mineral water over 5,000 miles away. For lovers of fruity vodka, their Mango is well worth checking out too.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £35

Royal Mash 2020

Hailing from the island of Jersey, you might be able to guess what goes into this high-end vodka. That’s right, world-famous Jersey Royal potatoes. Unlike the other award winners, this is distilled only once, retaining the character of the key ingredients. It’s vodka royalty with Royal Mash. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £36.50

Cobalte

Cobalte is a lovely French vodka so no surprise then that there’s grape at the heart of it – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier to be exact. Usually used in Champagne, these grapes add a fruitiness perfect for cocktails but there’s more than enough flavour here to enjoy neat. Just add plenty of ice and voila!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £38.56

Snawstorm

When you think of Speyside you probably think of whisky, right? Well, Speyside vodka is here to challenge that with the powerfully named Snawstorm. Speyside malted barley spirit (the same stuff the famous whisky comes from) is blended with spring water from the Cairngorms and ta-da, you have a ridiculously smooth, clean Scottish vodka with delicate fruity notes.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 42% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £36.50

X Muse

There’s a bit of a jump up in price with the stylish X Muse which also picked up a Gold award. Uniquely, two barley varieties are distilled completely separately before being expertly blended later on. Another gloriously sleek vodka flying the flag for the UK at the awards and living up to its higher price tag. You can read more about X Muse here.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £55

Broken Clock

Hidgate’s Broken Clock is produced at one of England’s oldest distilleries in Cheshire infused with apples and a smorgasbord (we’ve been waiting to use that word) of botanicals discovered in old Georgian recipes. This is a broken clock that’s well and truly stuck at vodka time! Try it in a Martini with an olive and you will never look back!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £34.99

Cove

The British invasion of the top-end vodkas continues as we head to Devon for this one. Like its offshore competitor Royal Mash, it’s a potato-based vodka using King Edwards grown locally. Overlooking Hope Cove and distilling with a row of copper pots, the production site looks as blissful as this tastes. It’s a straightforward creamy vodka. Nom!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £39.50

Griffiths Brothers Vodka

A family run distillery deep in the Chiltern Hills, GB began as two brothers challenging each other to make the best gin. Years later, they’re now making not only gin but rum and now vodka too! It’s re-distilled with samphire, lemon and most peculiarly, horseradish. ‘Jack of all trades and master of all’ it seems, as this vodka has been awarded a Gold at the 2022 Vodka Masters. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 42% ABV
Award: Gold
Find here: £31

From great value to absolute excellence, there’s something for everyone there. Now, if you’re anything like us, you’ll be itching to mix up some delicious vodka cocktails after reading that. Put these award winners to the taste test in a classic cocktail here. Or check out even more great value vodkas here!

X Muse Vodka

Words by Colin Hampden-White

The world of vodka is changing. In the old days, vodka was considered to be better the less flavour it had. In competitions until very recently, if vodka had flavour it would not get any medals. Now, I don’t mean flavoured vodkas, that’s a totally different category, I mean vodka, with flavour.

I recently came across a vodka that has incredible flavour, in fact flavour was put at the forefront of its creation. X Muse is a barley vodka using old varieties of Maris Otter and Plumage Archer from the early 20th century, blending them together once distilled, and then bottled, all in Scotland.

Where is X Muse Vodka Made?

The Vodka has been created by Robert Wilson, owner of the Bonnington Estate which is found outside Edinburgh, and Vadim Grigoryan, an expert in the drinks industry. The estate holds the most important collection of modern sculptures in Europe and is home to a sculpture by Ian Hamilton Smith Finlay called X muse (pronounced Tenth Muse). In mythology, the Tenth muse was a blend of the other 9 muses and symbolizes harmony and perfection, hence the name for the vodka with its blended credentials. Robert Wilson is well known for his beliefs around homeopathy, and therefore the power and healing quality water can have. The water for the Tenth Muse comes from an aquafer at Jupiter Artland, the sculpture park on the Bonnington estate creating another link from the vodka to its creator.

What does X Muse Vodka taste like?

With a good story and provenance the vodka thankfully also tastes wonderful. With a nose of estery apples and pears, giving both fresh and cooked fruits there is plenty of complexity. There is a character of delicate fruity new make spirit which as a whisky lover I found intoxicating. On the palate, there is plenty of sweetness with more orchard fruit which is baked and richer in character than on the nose. There are also touches of ginger, and nutmeg and the mouthfeel has lots of viscosity. The finish brings back fresh fruits and more ginger with soft spices.

The Vodka is fabulous in a cocktail. A particular favourite is Garda Muse created by Denis Broci of Claridges in London. Inspired by Lake Garda, famous for its green water, olive oil and lacustrine algae, the cocktail’s ingredients comprise of:

Ingredients
60ml X Muse
10ml Cinzano Biano
2.5ml Kummel
2.5ml Coconut (Bristol)
3 Dashes of Olive lemon oil

Method
Stir ingredients down and fine strain into a coup.

On the estate, there is a permanent “temple”, a place to go and have a tasting experience designed by famous designers Formafantasma who have created a bespoke brand experience for X muse. Having designed the central pavilion at this years Biennial in Venice, this is their first work completed in Scotland.

If you would like to try this stunning vodka for yourself, you can find all the information you need below.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Price: £55

If you enjoyed this, why not have a read through Dima’s Vodka: Excellence in a Bottle or The Best Value Vodka For Martinis?