10 ways to embellish your gin gifts for special occasions
Gin has long been a popular drink in England. From the early 1620’s when there were over 200 distillers in London, through the eighteenth century when those in suffering turned to ‘Mother’s ruin’ to the modern gin boom that has seen craft distilleries popping up everywhere to cater for our gin tastes. Thanks to an influx of quality tonics over recent years to make the ever-popular G&T even more delicious, there has never been a better time to give gin gifts to your juniper drink loving friends and family. Rather than just giving a bottle and being done with it though, it’s trendy to take your gifting to the next level, so here are a few ideas on how to dress up your gin gifts for the maximum wow factor.
What to gift with gin
No matter how carefully selected and researched your bottle of gin is, you might find yourself reluctant to give it as a gift on its own. After all, your recipient doesn’t know how much time and consideration you put into it. So, if you feel like the bottle itself shouldn’t be a standalone gifts, there are a few things that work really well with gin to help you create the perfect present:
- Gin glasses – gin is a versatile drink that can be served in a variety of glasses, but generally speaking the perfect glass for a gin and tonic is a balloon or copa glass. These spacious glasses enable the flavours of the botanicals and any garnish you might add to develop and the thin stem helps to slow the melting of the ice.
- Tonic – you can’t have G without the T! So, if your recipient is a lover of the classic gin and tonic, why not include a nice bottle or two of tonic water in your gift? There are plenty of premium brands on the market currently, with different flavour profiles to suit different styles of gin, so read up on what’s available to see what would pair perfectly with your choice of gin. For example, if you want to give a bottle of Indian Spiced Gin as a gift, choose an aromatic tonic or one with vanilla flavours to complement the spicing. For a flavoured gin, pair with a light or simple tonic so it doesn’t mask the delicate flavours of the gin itself.
- Mixers for cocktails – if your recipient is a lover of cocktails or enjoys trying something new, why not get them all the ingredients they’ll need to make one of these classic gin cocktails?
– Gin Sling – combine gin with lemon juice, sugar syrup, Angostura bitters and tonic or soda.
– Elderflower Spritz – mix gin with elderflower liqueur and top up with prosecco and soda to taste.
– Singapore Sling – combine equal parts gin, cherry brandy and benedictine with a few drops of Angostura bitters, pineapple juice, lime juice and soda.
– Tom Collins – for a simple cocktail mix gin with sugar syrup and lemon juice and top up with chilled soda water.
- Something to garnish – no one is suggesting you ought to buy someone a lemon for their birthday, but you can be creative when it comes to finding that little something extra to embellish your gin gifts. Garnishes that make good accompaniments to your bottle of gin are peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, star anise, freeze dried raspberries and vanilla pods.
How to turn gin miniatures into a beautiful gift
If you can’t choose one large bottle to give as a gift you might instead opt for a variety of miniatures, but then you are left with the problem of how to present them. You can’t just hand over a jangly bag of loose bottles, so what should you do? Here are a few ideas on how you can turn gin miniatures, or any other miniatures for that matter, into a beautiful gift:
Make a miniature gin bottle bouquet – using a glue gun attach a stick to each bottle and stick it into an oasis (used for dried/artificial flower arrangements) inside a bucket or pot or vase or whatever you want to display them in. Embellish with other items such as greetings messages, numbers to denote special birthdays or anniversaries, ribbons or flowers.
Create a hamper – take your chosen gin miniatures and present them in a hamper basket using shredded craft paper to provide a soft base. You can also mix in other items such as tonic water, garnishes or chocolates to make the perfect gift.
Keep them guessing – if you have an old bottle tube you can stack up a few miniatures inside this and keep them guessing. Or, get a large jar and fill it with miniatures to create your own minibar in a jar! If you are stuck for ideas just search online for inspiration, as others will have shared their creative masterpieces on social media.
How to wrap a bottle of gin
The easy way to present your gin gifts is by using a bottle bag. It’s simple and takes just a few seconds to pop the bottle in and seal the top of the bag with tape. It’s also quite unoriginal, so, if you want to do something different with your bottle, try these ideas:
- Wrap in a nice tea towel for a two-in-one present – fold the tea towel in half, place the bottle between the sheets and roll up tightly. Secure the top with a coloured ribbon.
- Wrap in kraft paper and adorn with something glittery, flowery, gin-related or that your recipient will like.
- Use tissue paper in two different colours, place the sheets a few centimetres apart on top of each other so that when you roll around the bottle you will see both sheets. Tie at the top with coloured ribbon or string.
- Use cellophane and coloured ribbon to give your gin gift a professionally wrapped look.
Hopefully you now have some ideas on how to level up your gin gifts, so whether you choose a bottle of London dry gin, Indian spiced gin or a selection of gin miniatures, you can find a creative and unique way to present it to your recipient.
For more advice on serving gin or to try Indian spiced gin and gin miniatures made from sweet potatoes you can visit thesweetpotatospiritcompany.com.