One of the easiest ways to support local businesses this year is to buy your Christmas booze from local makers and sellers. You won’t find Gordon’s on my gin trolley – In fact, it’s heaving with locally-made gins! We are quite lucky in North Bucks that we have so many independent distilleries and breweries surrounding us which makes it easy to find replacements for those big brands. A bottle of something is always a great “I-don’t-know-what-to-get” gift, but it’s even more special if it’s from a small business.
In this Christmas gift guide, you will find boozy Christmas gift ideas that you can give as a gift, or buy ahead of Christmas for a festive tipple. Cheers to supporting small this Christmas.
Boozy Gifts and Festive Tipples
This guide is part of Sophie etc.’s Independent Milton Keynes Christmas Gift Guide 2022. Businesses have paid to feature in the guides, but the guide has been entirely curated by Sophie. We hope it inspires you to shop small this Christmas! Every effort has been taken to ensure the information in this blog post is correct. Please refer directly to vendor websites and social media pages for the most up-to-date information for Christmas delivery and products. If you do see an error, please email blog@sophieetc.com.
Bringoods
Bringoods is owned by Gonzalo and Lucía, two Argentinians that moved to Milton Keynes a couple of years ago. They wanted to share their passion for wine with other wine lovers. Their journey with Bringoods started back in 2020 after they contacted and visited many boutique vineyards to select their favourite wines. Gonzalo and Lucía love to travel and discover new flavours from around the world, so when they launched in April 2022, it was a dream come true! Bringoods offers boutique premium wines from Argentina and Italy. They plan to expand their selection next year and offer wines from other countries.
They have a fantastic selection of boutique wines from Argentina and Italy – Redd, white, rosé and spumantes. Priced between £16 and £40 a bottle, you will certainly find something for the discerning wine lover or a bottle of something to accompany our festive celebrations. Get 10% off your first purchase, discounted mixed cases and free delivery n orders over £100.
Visit Bringoods website to browse wines.
Follow @bringoods.uk on Instagram.
Bucks Star Beer
An ideal gift for the eco-conscious beer lover. Bucks Star Beer is an ecological brewery based in Milton Keynes with its own Tap House. They stock an organic range of drinks and in the Tap House, serve handmade sourdough pizzas. The beers would make a great gift that keeps on giving, or you could even go to one of their events.
Visit Bucks Star Beer’s website.
Follow @bucksstarbeer on Instagram.
Bucks Brothers Gin
Owned by three brothers and distilled in Bucks, Bucks Brothers Gins make a great gift for gin-loving friends and family. The Brothers’ Pomegranate and Sloe Gin liqueur is the perfect winter warmer. A bottle would sit well on your booze shelf or certainly go down nicely with whoever you’re buying for! Combining the classic British sloe with the sweet, tart pomegranate makes for a wonderfully fragrant flavour that is perfect with Champagne, prosecco or a whole host of other mixers. This is my go-to Christmas aperitif.
Shop gins on Bucks Brothers website.
Follow @bucksbrothersgin on Instagram | Follow Bucks Brothers on Facebook.
The Fruity Farmer
Chris and Jenny are behind The Fruity Farmer, based in Stoke Goldington. They make a range of fruit gins, liqueurs and cold-pressed rapeseed oils on their farm. All of their gins and liqueurs use fruit growing on the farm hedgerows or in the garden (except the oranges and lemons!) They also grow oilseed rape on the farm which they use to make our rapeseed oils. You can find them at local farmer’s markets.
The Fruity Farmer’s Apple & Blackberry Gin is the perfect festive tipple. A tasty liqueur featuring apples picked from Chris and Jenny’s garden with the biggest, freshest blackberries foraged from farm hedgerows, steeped in gin and given time to mature. Beautiful on its own with ice; mixed with tonic water; or mixed with prosecco to turn it into a longer drink. All the bottles are returnable for reuse, or you can keep them to enjoy and refill at home!
Visit The Fruity Farmer’s website.
Follow @thefruityfarmer on Instagram | Follow The Fruity Farmer on Facebook.
Hustle Gin
Hustle Gin is a small local gin brand that produces exquisite fine gins that are gentle on the palate, smooth and refined. They are created to leave a lasting impression of uniqueness in beautiful bottles. The gins are available in four beautiful flavours: Signature Pear & Basil, Pink Grapefruit & Raspberry, Cubeb Pepper & Orange Blossom, and Elderflower & Pear. My personal favourite is the Elderflower & Pear!
The brand has recently been acquired by Pete Dodman, owner of The Carrington Arms in Moulsoe. Pete is passionate about local suppliers and has built a great relationships over the last 15 years of running the pub. Founded by Phillippa and her daughter, Hustle will now be under the new ownership where Pete will continue to invest in the brand with the same energy and commitment.
Visit Hustle Gin’s website to purchase.
Follow Hustle Gin on Facebook.
Read more: Three locally-inspired Cocktail Recipes by Sunday Cocktail Club
Wharf Distillery
Wharf Distillery is an independent small-batch copper-pot distillery producing a range of exciting spirits and liqueurs from its location in the old market town of Towcester in South Northamptonshire. It is one of England’s smallest whisky distilleries and makes apple brandy from locally sourced apples. Wharf also has a range of single malts, gin, vodka and rum, all crafted by hand to create the highest quality spirits. Alice and Laurence welcome everyone to come and see how it is all done on their copper pot stills!
Wharf Distillery have a few excellent choices for boozy stocking fillers. Their New Town Gift Packs are great for those who’d like a bit of variety as you can mix and match from any of their range of 20cl bottles of gin, rum or vodka.
The New Town Sloe & Clementine Gin Liqueur is perfect sipped neat, with ginger ale or lemonade for a longer drink, or mixed with your favourite fizz as a Christmas treat. Oh and the Wharf Apple Brandy (Appel Drenc) is a great winter warmer, Christmas cocktails or maybe make up your own brandy butter, or flambe your Christmas pud!
And finally, their 5cl miniatures of spirits and liqueurs make great stocking fillers or Christmas tree decorations.
Visit Wharf Distillery’s website.*
Follow @wharfdistillery on Instagram | Follow Wharf Distillery on Facebook.
*AD. This is a trackable affiliate link.
I hope this Christmas Gift Guide has inspired you to shop small this Christmas. If you do decide to support these businesses please let them know who sent you their way and share your purchases with my Facebook Community Group, Eat & Explore MK. You can also share your local finds on Instagram with the hashtag #EatandExploreMiltonKeynes.
Which festive tipples will you be buying for Christmas?
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