Bottled cocktails are tipped to be the big winners this rather strange festive season and we have seen a plethora of RTD cocktail companies spring up, some good and some… not so good. The perfect pre-made cocktail should be able to be served quickly and easily by anyone, yet still have the quality and consistency that you would expect from a professional mixologist. Here are five companies that should be on your radar, each offering quite a different experience. They make great ideas for gifts as well as spicing up your own festive times. Cheers!
NIO Cocktails: Cocktails Through your Letterbox
NIO cocktail’s founders Luca and Alessandro brought in professional mixologist Patrick Pistolesi to help create a menu of sixteen delicious cocktails ranging from the classics to signature house fusions. They even have two alcohol free cocktails! The beauty of these is that they come in sleek envelopes within a box that fits through your letterbox. Each cocktail is packaged in its own uniquely-designed sleeve, so you can line them up on your shelf with your record collection! Their cocktail boxes are designed to hold 3, 6, or 9 cocktails, so you can pick your own choices from the menu to add to the box too. Simply shake the sleeve, pinch and tear off the corner, and pour over Ice.
Try the delicious Milano Torino, Winter Sidecar or the Gimlet particularly but there are many others to choose from.
Gift idea: Nio Cocktails x GQ box
Find here: Prices starting from £22.50 for 3
Tom Savano: Travel-inspired cocktails
Tom Savano bottled cocktails are making a name for themselves very quickly thanks to their founder, James Kerslake’s passion for flavour and authentic ingredients. Only using small-batch, artisanal spirits from around the world, James’ ethos is to deliberately avoid the big distilleries and instead, choose smaller, regional distilleries that can tell a good story. As he puts it, “When I sip a margarita, I want to feel like I'm on a Rancho at the end of a long day of agave harvesting, the smell of earth, smoke and Mezcal in the air. That’s what Tom Savano is about.”
Beautifully packaged in two-serving and five-serving bottles, these cocktails look as good as they taste. Try the Single Estate Reposado Margarita or the Kentucky Winter Old Fashioned for the festive season particularly, but all of them rock, to be honest. Get 15% off your first order on their website.
Find here: Prices start from £12
LAIBA: Cocktail Tasting Set
Welcome to Asia's first artisanal bottled cocktail brand! Created by Michael Chen, former bar manager of The Roosevelt and bartender at Eau-De-Vie Sydney (ranked as the 13th best bar in the world), Chen is now bar director of three of the top bars in Shanghai. His goal for LAIBA was to bring the professional experience and flair of these top Asian bars to the bottle. They use award-winning craft spirit and cold pressed juices with natural remedies that allow them to keep for 18-36 months in some cases, despite being all-natural. Everything is sustainably sourced and each cocktail is 100% carbon neutral, to boot.
To celebrate their UK launch, they have created an exclusive collection of 8 or 16 bottles in a stunning package at a fantastic introductory price of £49 (for 8). Cocktails include the likes of a Twisted Negroni, In Love With Rosemary, Earl’s Old Fashioned and the LAIBA Sour. A brilliant gift and a swanky stash to have on hand for Christmas. Their shops also ships them around the world! A very smart offering indeed.
Find here: £49 for 8
Bottle: Bar & Bottled Cocktails
This little bar and bottle shop located in Catford East, London is run by a couple passionate about creating small batch, tasty drinks with all-natural ingredients using well-loved spirits brands. Each cocktail is infused, mixed, prepared and bottled by hand at their shop; there are no additives or flavours anywhere to be seen. The bottles are super cute too! Try their Espresso Martini or their Passion fruit Daiquiri for a delicious treat. They’re also doing a cocktail called ‘Christmas in a Bottle’ right now which sounds incredible, with vodka, spices and bitters. Yum!
Find here: Prices starting from £12
Empirical
Empirical is a Danish company created by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of flavour and playing on the role flavour plays in the creation of our memories. To this end, the team builds drinks with their own quirky personalities, using unusual ingredients to create intriguing flavours. There are some excellent names for their concoctions too, from ‘F*ck Trump and His Stupid F*cking Wall’, to ‘Fallen Pony Blend’, to ‘Helena’ (YES!) Try: 'The Plum, I Suppose', where sweet plum and strawberry is balanced by an unusual note of salted caramel and a subtle, floral nose. Unique and utterly moreish.
Find here: UK £51.99 // US $85
Looking for a particular spirit? Then check out our vodka, gin or tequila gift inspiration!