Probably very few gin drinkers are interested. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned at this point why THE fashionable spirit of the past few years in this country and (almost) everywhere in the world is called gin. Basically, this is the internationalized short form of Genévrier, the French word for juniper. The colorless but tasty all-rounder probably has its origins in the 17th century. Genever, a kind of forerunner of today’s gin creations, came to England from the Netherlands. There it was christened with the obvious name “Gin”. And as such, juniper schnapps began an unprecedented triumphal march a few years ago. Of course also as a long drink with tonic on ice. The supermarket shelves are full of gins in all colors, shapes and facets. In Germany alone you can no longer keep up with counting the different gins. Filling an Advent calendar with 24 different gins is child’s play. Even six is ??no problem.
If you want to make the 24 dull days of December a little nicer with a little gin trip around the world, you should consider the gin advent calendar from aboutfood. The manufacturer promises 24 times of delight from all over the world – from liquid masterpieces to mysterious newcomers. Each bottle contains 5 cl of a European juniper specialty. Numerous small regional distilleries from all over Germany have contributed their part to the Gin Countdown 2023. Everything else remains behind closed calendar doors until December. As a little extra, the aboutfood gin tasting includes a small booklet with recipe ideas and tasting tips.
This is an Advent calendar that doesn’t just hide exquisite gin miniatures behind its doors. Instead, you can use the surprises of the Liquid Director Gin Calendar 2023 to mix gin and tonics directly, which can then be tried with a suitable sweet or salty snack. Small, but bearable, disadvantage: It takes a little patience. Because for a complete gin and tonic setting including a snack, three doors have to be opened. In short: there are a total of eight gin and tonics hidden in the calendar along with a small treat. On top of that, all gin purists will get a ninth bottle of gin on December 24th. The gins from different countries come in small batch format as original miniatures directly from the manufacturer. This is by no means standard. As a little treat, this time too there is a helpful tool for the in-house cocktail bar.
Important plus point: The calendar is completely plastic-free. Tonic fans can also look forward to some special drops. On top of that, a 50-page softcover booklet not only contains information about the contents, but also extensive background (and nerdy) knowledge about gin (and tonic). The Liquid Director gin and tonic snack calendar is available here.
Our conclusion: Absolutely recommended. Not just for GT fans who like to experiment. The price-performance ratio is also right. In our opinion, an RRP of 120 euros for eight anything but everyday gins and tonics plus a matching snack is a fair offer.
The creative minds behind the 2023 version of the Quarantini Gin Advent Calendar had a smart idea. According to the company, 19 of the 25 gin surprises were developed together with the Quarantini community. Five more come from Quarantini itself. The name is not a coincidence or even a crazy idea. It was created in May 2020 during the first lockdown of the corona pandemic. The idea: Create a gin and donate five euros from every bottle sold to restaurateurs, bars and small retailers who had to fight for survival during the lockdown. According to Quarantini, they looked for a new social project after the end of the pandemic. Accordingly, for every bottle of Quarantini Gin sold, one person in Zambia can now be supplied with clean drinking water for a year. The 24 minis in the current calendar contain 20 milliliters of gin each. There is also a ticket for a live gin tasting.
In its 2023 edition, the Vita Dulcis Gin Advent Calendar also wants to conquer the throats of gin fans. From London Dry to Western Dry, everything is included. With a content of 20 milliliters, the samples are rather small. Buyers can look forward to a gin trip around the world, as the 24 bottles come from 19 countries. These include exotic gins such as Thailand, Monaco, Portugal or New Zealand. With an astonishing 53% ABV. the Apostoles Gin Electric Spirit from Argentina stands out. Who dares? A non-alcoholic option is not included this time. Germany is represented with a bottle of Social Dry Gin from Quarantini. The matching Advent calendar can be found a little further up in this article. After tasting the 24 minis, you can also take notes on the individual samples in a lavish brochure. When it comes to gin diversity, this 2023 calendar is at the forefront. Here you can find the Premium Edition of the Vita Dulcis Gin Advent Calendar 2023.
The Christmas elves from the Wajos liqueur factory had an unusual idea this year. Instead of filling 24 gins into small bottles and hiding them behind doors, they filled their Christmas Gin into a 0.5 liter bottle and marked it with a scale. A sip every day towards Christmas Eve. The Christmas Gin in the Advent calendar bottle is a creation of botanicals and a spice composition of cardamom, chai, vanilla and cinnamon. The spirit comes from the Wajos liqueur factory, which was founded on the Moselle in the 1980s. The slightly different WAJOS Gin Advent Calendar 2023 is available here.
Gin fans get an exciting mix of classics and newcomers with the Gin Tasting Advent Calendar from Mixcompany. In addition to popular varieties such as Monkey 47, Hendricks and The Botanist, the 24 doors also hide a Hibiscus Gin and a June Gin Liqueur from distilleries that are still relatively unknown in this country. All in all, a varied and diverse Advent gift for lovers of juniper noses.
With a price of around 109 euros, each of the 24 gin minis from all over the world costs around 4.50 euros. This puts the calendar in the middle of this comparison in terms of price. The Mixcompany Gin Tasting Advent Calendar is available here.
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