The Ultimate 2023 Gin Holiday Gift Guide: Bottles, Mixers, Liqueurs and More

With the holiday season already in full swing, there’s no better time than the present to hunker down and select a special gift (or two!) for the gin lover in your life. Encompassing a selection of distinctive gin releases, liqueurs and cocktail-making essentials, here is our ultimate 2023 gin gift guide!

Mr. Pickles Pacific Northwest Gin

Presented in a striking teal bottle featuring a majestic canine, Mr. Pickles Pacific Northwest Gin shares the heartwarming story of a rescue pitbull from Oregon distillery Wolf Spirit. Crafted with a triple-distilled 100% white winter wheat base and 11 botanicals, including juniper, sencha green tea, pink peppercorns and marshmallow root, this spirit would be a great gift for the imbiber who loves dogs just as much as gin.

Mr. Pickles offers a vibrant nose with juniper, coriander, lime and lemon, delivering a citrusy and peppery experience. The palate is perfume-forward, blending sweetness with cream, pepper and citrus notes. Launched in August, this 43% ABV gin has been hailed as “totally lovely” and a “surprise hit” in our chief spirits critic’s review.

Buy a bottle of Mr. Pickles Gin here for $38.

Las Californias Gin

The Casa Lumbre Innovation Team, led by Master Distiller Iván Saldaña, produces two distinctive gins under the Las Californias label, each offering a fusion of botanicals from both Mexico and the United States. The gins, Nativo and Cítrico, feature a blend of indigenous botanicals and plants introduced to the region through cultural migration. Both spirits start with the base of Juniperus californica, a soft, sweet and piney juniper species exclusive to a small region between Hollywood and the Ojos Negro Valley.

Las Californias Nativo, bottled at 42% ABV and priced around $32.99, incorporates Californian artemisia, kelp, yerba santa, Californian hops, white sage and damiana. This evergreen gin narrates the tale of Las Californias through indigenous plants that have thrived for millions of years.

Las Californias Cítrico, bottled at 40% ABV and also priced at $32.99, features fig, apricot, lemon grass, citrus leaves and peels, almond and grape vines and leaves. This citrus-forward gin unfolds the stories of cultures that have contributed new botanicals and traditions to the Las Californias region over centuries of migration.

Both of these expressions make for a unique addition to any gin lover’s home bar, especially for their rustic bottles and unabashedly modern tasting notes. We personally prefer the Nativo expression due to its dreamy earth and sage notes. However, Citrico will certainly appeal to those who crave juicy apricot and orange peel flavors.

Find Las Californias Nativo and Las Californias Cítrico here.

Flora Adora Gin

Hendrick’s Flora Adora Gin is truly for the fan of rich, heady floral notes. If this gin were in a cartoon, we imagine it would produce an exaggerated petal-speckled scent trail upon being opened.

The gin was released in March and is bottled at 43.6% ABV. Inspired by the flowers Master Distiller Lesley Gracie planted in Hendrick’s Gin Palace when it first opened, Flora Adora presents tasting notes of rose, soapy lavender, citrus peel, pears and peaches. While some may turn their heads at its rosey posey potency, we think Flora Adora will make a good gift for your gin-loving loved one, as long as they are also a full-on flower aficionado.

This limited-edition offering from Hendrick’s can be found here for about $35.

Cygnet Gin

With the goal of challenging norms in the male-dominated spirits realm, classical singer Katherine Jenkins introduced Cygnet Welsh Dry in 2022. This 40% ABV classic gin expression delivers a blend of juniper, coriander, cardamom, angelica root, orris root, chamomile flower, pink grapefruit, citrus peels, licorice and almond. The brand later launched Cygnet 22 in March 2023, a 44% ABV gin infused with manuka honey, bee pollen, lemon balm, rose petals and white peppercorns.

Each Cygnet Gin expression offers something special for the gin lover, whether they prefer something dry and citrusy or floral and sweet. Beyond the booze, we love this brand’s slender glass bottles, which are sure to add some elegant flair to any home bar.

Find both gins here. Cygnet 22 is priced at about $60, while Cygnet Welsh Dry is around $45.

McQueen and the Violet Fog

Hailing from the hills of Jundiaí, Brazil, Sovereign Brands’ McQueen and the Violet Fog features a sugarcane base blended with 21 botanicals, including lemongrass, pomelo peel, orris root and jasmine flower.

The brand’s flagship gin offers a candied fruit nose and a palate packed with lavender, strawberry and grape notes. Additional layers unfold with nuances of orange puree, vanilla bean and light juniper. Modern with a satisfying tropical twist, we think this gin makes a killer Aviation, White Negroni and Monkey Gland.

For fans of bolder berry flavors, we recommend Sovereign Brands’ recently released McQueen and the Violet Fog Ultraviolet Edition, which sees its original gin infused with hibiscus and dark berries. The spirit derives its deep purple hue from natural juices and carmine, which allow its color to shift to shades of pink when acidic ingredients like citrus juices or tonic water are added. We like serving this one up in a classic gin and tonic or pairing it with tart fruit juices and a splash of soda water.

Both McQueen and the Violet Fog and Ultraviolet Edition can be found for $27–$35 per 750-ml bottle.

Campari

For the gin enthusiast who can never have too many Negronis, we think Campari is the ultimate bitter liqueur of choice. Crafted by Gaspare Campari in 1860, its vibrant red color and robust herbal flavor embody the essence of Italian aperitivo culture.

In May, the brand introduced a new bottle design inspired by its birthplace, Milan, and it’s now available in the U.S.!

Snag your gin lover a 375-ml bottle of Campari for about $24 or a 750-ml bottle for around $31.

Alma Finca Orange Liqueur

Recently launched in October, Alma Finca Orange Liqueur aims to capture the landscapes, flavors and history of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico’s citrus capital. The product is made from a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels, citrus blossoms, Persian lime leaves and local spices.

Resting at a bold 40% ABV, this orange liqueur is perfect for a variety of gin cocktails that typically call for Cointreau, such as a White Lady and Corpse Reviver No. 2. A gin-based Cosmopolitan or Margarita would also be great with Alma Finca!

A bottle of Alma Finca can be found here, priced at about $33.

Bakesale Gingerbread Liqueur

This limited-edition offering from Bakesale Beverage Co. is a 33% ABV gingerbread-based liqueur ideal for pairing with barrel-aged gins. Packaged in adorable bright green bakery boxes, each single order contains 12 50-ml gingerbread man-shaped packets.

Truly perfect for gifting, Bakesale Gingerbread Liqueur incorporates a cheeky packaging element: you have to cut (or rip!) the gingerbread man’s head off to get to the sweet booze inside. You can also choose to be slightly less aggressive by snipping an edge off of his arms or legs. Either way, the little dude is going to be gutted.

Filled with notes of brown sugar and baking spices, we enjoyed this not-too-sweet liqueur with a large chunk of ice, a hearty splash of aged gin and an orange peel.

While supplies last, find Bakesale Gingerbread Liqueur here for $40. Give the gin lover in your life the whole box, or share the boozy fun with more people by incorporating a packet into multiple smaller gift bundles.

East Imperial Mixers

We sampled a wide range of East Imperial‘s mixers and were left incredibly impressed. Each varietal comes in a neat pack of four, delivers bounds of bubbles and pairs great with your favorite gin! Offering clean, crisp flavors and all-natural, low-sugar recipes, our favorites were the Yuzu Tonic, Ginger Beer, Grapefruit Soda and Light Tonic. We thoroughly enjoyed these mixers with a classic London dry, but other combinations can be explored through the brand’s perfect pairing guide.

These mixers are also housed in, frankly, super charming packaging. Every product has a unique label color, and each cute little glass bottle yields about two short drinks or a single tall serving.

Find East Imperial mixers here, priced at about $10 per four-pack.

Liquid Alchemist Hand-Crafted Cocktail Syrups

For the gin lover who is always experimenting with craft drinks, we suggest gifting one of Liquid Alchemist’s Cocktail Syrups. Boasting all-natural ingredients and a long shelf life, these syrups were designed to make cocktail artistry more convenient for bar professionals and at-home mixologists alike.

Our favorites for gin cocktails were Prickly Pear, Almond Orgeat, Raspberry and Passionfruit. With these four flavors, we were able to make a wide range of creative and classic gin drinks, a few of which were a passionfruit martini, a Clover Club, an Army & Navy and a prickly pear Tom Collins. For effortless mixing, the brand has a recipe guide categorized by individual syrup flavor, so it’s easy to see exactly how each one can be used.

Ranging in price from $12.76 (375 ml) to $23.19 (750 ml), find Liquid Alchemist Cocktail Syrups here.

“The Shift” Cocktail Book by Gray Whale Gin

In May, Gray Whale Gin introduced “The Shift” cocktail book, a tribute to community-uplifting bartenders and the joy of shared moments over great cocktails. Born from the “Virtual Shift” program during the pandemic, the book compiles recipes from talented bartenders across the nation, offering a diverse range of drinks for various occasions. This book, of course, makes an incredible gift for the gin lover and, more specifically, the Gray Whale Gin lover.

Each purchase contributes to the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, providing financial relief and vital services to industry workers. Additionally, the book supports 1% for the Planet and Oceana, backing global conservation efforts.

Priced at $65.00, “The Shift” is available on Gray Whale Gin’s website.

Read next:

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