![Drinks by the Dram craft gin advent calendar](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/09/20/18/Drinks%20by%20the%20Dram%20craft%20gin%20advent%20calendar.png)
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Love gin? These tried and tested countdowns will be just the tonic
Happily for those of us who consider this spirit to be one of their favourite tipples, gin-filled advent calendars are catching on.
It seems that the majority of manufacturers have upped the quality of their offerings this year too, with a spectacular range of gins. From lesser-known British brands which might just offer your new favourite tipple to limited edition varieties created by some of the world’s largest distillers, or gins from Japan, South America and Spain. There should be something for everyone.
Most manufacturers will list the contents on the back of their advent calendars or on their website (we’re firm believers in the fact that this spoils the surprise, but sometimes it’s good to know what you’ve got in store), although we’d recommend looking beyond the gin itself.
Are you the type of person who typically only realises they’ve run out of mixer when they’re craving a gin? Opt for a calendar which comes with mixers, often in a huge range of delicious flavours. Is the calendar being purchased as a gift for someone? Take a moment to think about packaging – if it’s a present, you’ll want to maximise the chances of the bottles staying in one place, which isn’t always easy given the sheer amount of liquid contained in the average alcohol-based advent calendar.
Finally, bear in mind that not all of these advent calendars have 24 doors (although rather impressively, one in our selection has 25). So if you’re an old-school advent calendar fan with a firm belief that there should be one door to open every day in the run up to Christmas, make sure you think about the number of compartments.
We’ll admit it – we’re relative newcomers to the world of gin. On the plus side, our love affair with the spirit started around three years ago after a tour of a Cotswolds distillery, and since then we’ve thrown ourselves wholeheartedly into the world of gin, visiting various distilleries, attending workshops and generally making it our mission to learn everything we can about this versatile drink. In other words, when it comes to gin, we know our stuff.
However, when it came to these gin advent calendars, we considered factors beyond the quality of the gin itself, such as packaging, the range of gins included and the overall design, because nobody wants a gin advent calendar which resembles a reject from Santa’s workshop.
The Drinks by the Dram craft gin advent calendar is our favourite, largely because it’s stylish, fun and offers brilliant value, as well as a fantastic range of gins – including several from small-batch producers. The Craft Gin Club craft gin advent calendar is one of the most beautiful advent calendars we’ve come across for a long time, gin-based or otherwise, and a special shout out should go to Fever Tree’s gin and tonic advent calendar, simply because of the brilliant selection of tipples.
Hoping for a very hoppy countdown? Here are the best beer advent calendars for 2023