Muddle Magazine - December 2018

ISSUE 17 - Festive Edition

December 2018 - £4.95

FE ATURE D S P IR IT

COCKTAILS FO R CH RIS TMA S Discover December’s Christmas cocktail feast

N ORTHERN R OCK

The most Northerly gin distillery in the UK

S TO CKING F IL LER S Your last minute Christmas shopping guide

I N S IDE : ROCK ROSE G I N | H O LY G R A SS VO D K A | S M I T H & S I N C L A I R

INSIDE DECEMBER’S BOX:

M UDDL E

Time for parties and celebrations, people dancing all night long…

Editor: Claire White

‘Tis the season when your drinking habits may become more celebratory, as you enjoy an extra tipple or two to celebrate Christmas with friends and family.

Issue No . 1 7 - Th e Fe s t i ve Ed i t i o n

Photography: Stephen Spiers

In the Festive Edition of Muddle Magazine, we’re sharing the story of our featured Yuletide spirits from Dunnet Bay Distillery with Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka to get you into the Christmas spirit.

For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: info@tipplebox.co.uk

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We’ll also give you a detailed look at our Christmas cocktails, as featured in December’s Tipple Box, with the Lemon Meringue Pie-Tini, White Lady, Plum Fizz and Clementine.

If you’ve almost finished your Christmas shopping and are looking for the finishing touch, any cocktail lover will love our bespoke barware - perfect for topping any stocking!

The team at Tipple Box wish you a very Merry Christmas when it comes!

Cheers, Claire

CONTENTS

Dunnet Bay Distillers A double treat from Dunnet Bay with their multi award-winning Scottish Gin, Rock Rose, and Scottish bison grass vodka with Holy Grass.

01

Bramley & Gage Quince Liqueur Quince is an ancient fruit that’s most closely related to apples and pears, creating a smooth and sweet liqueur.

03

Limoncello An almost syrupy-sweet Italian lemon liqueur.

05

Edinburgh Gin Plum & Vanilla Liqueur A true encapsulation of Christmas flavours featuring Edinburgh Gin blended with plum and vanilla flavours.

Heron Valley Lemon Juice Heron Valley use ripe, juicy Sicilian lemons, gently pasteurised to ensure a freshly squeezed taste.

Fentimans Ginger Beer Made using the finest natural ginger root, Fentimans produce a fiery and full of flavour fizzy drink.

Rhubarb & Ginger Cordial Combining traditional flavours of Christmas, rhubarb & ginger cordial is the perfect festive addition to any cocktail.

08

09

11

13

WELCOME

Ed itor’s letter Ins id e this m o nth’s box

TIPPLER’S TRENDS

Dates for y our d iar y Bottles & bars

T I P P L E R ’ S TA L E S

Decem ber’s co cktails

T I P P L E R ’ S T R E AT S

Sm ith & Sinclair

TIPPLER’S TIME

Dunnet Bay Dis tillers

TIPPLER’S TIPS & TRICKS

Stocking f illers

TIPPLER’S TOAST

Chris tm as com p etition #TagMyTipp le

Glitter Sugar Syrup Sugar syrup will add a sweet kick to your cocktails and there’s no better time to add a little sparkle than the festive season.

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TIPPLER’S TRENDS

TIPPLER’S TRENDS

BOTTLES & BARS

D AT E S F O R Y O U R D I A R Y

R E P E A L D AY

REDEMPTION

5th December

London

On December 5th in 1933, Prohibition ended and America was free to consume alcohol once again. The ban, which had been in place since 1920, saw alcohol production kept underground with speakeasy bars the only way to enjoy a cocktail - albeit illegally. As the ban was lifted, with one of the main reasons due to it’s unenforceable policy, American cocktail culture was ready to make a comeback.

S C R E W D R I V E R D AY

13th December

Dating back as early as 1938, the Screwdriver is a cocktail containing vodka and orange juice, thought to have been invented by American oil workers while working in the Persian Gulf.

The workers would discreetly add vodka to their orange juice and, with no spoon on-hand, stirred their drink with a screwdriver - and so the cocktail was born!

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C H A M PA G N E D AY

31st December

It’s perhaps no surprise that New Year’s Eve has been labelled National Champagne Day, as the traditional tipple customarily enjoyed to celebrate the new year. If you’re looking to enjoy a glass this New Year, the best way to serve this is not ice cold, but between 8-10 degrees with each glass only two-thirds full to allow the aromas to unfold.

London’s first alcohol free bar will open in Neal’s Yard Covent Garden this month, following a successful crowdfunding campaign. The bar will serve alcohol-free drinks including cocktails from the Pious Pina Colada, made from pineapple, lemon and coconut, to the My Thai, combining lemongrass and chilli shrub with fresh lime and sparkling water, alongside alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits.

MULLED RUM CIDER

Pirate’s Grog

Forget the mulled wine, Pirate’s Grog has launched a recipe for mulled rum cider to help reinvigorate your Christmas drinks. Simply combine 50ml Pirate’s Grog Five Year Old Rum with 50ml premium dry cider and 250ml apple juice alongside a mix of Christmas spices, including cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, with slices of orange and apple to create a winter warmer!

NIKKI’S

London

Shoreditch will be home to a new 80’s inspired cocktail bar this month. Taking inspiration from the likes of Quentin Tarantino, the bar will be decked out in ‘outlandishly trashy decor’. With garish pops of colour and quirky finishing touches, the bar will also pay homage with some of the cocktails including a toasted popcorn sour and a pineapple negroni.

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T I P P L E R ’ S TA L E S

DECEMBER’S C O C K TA I L S

This month, we’re giving you double the amount of cocktails to help you celebrate Christmas in style.

Whether you’ve a sweet tooth or prefer a refreshing drink, we’ve encapsulated the flavours of Christmas in one box, with four exclusively curated cocktails featuring Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka.

PLUM FIZZ The Fizz is a development of the old style sour cocktails, adding carbonated drinks to the traditional lemon and spirit combination create a long drink. Our Plum Fizz is a festive-infused interpretation with traditional Christmas flavours including plum and ginger.

WHITE L ADY Dating back to the early 1900s, the White Lady is a classic gin cocktail that can be found on any bar’s cocktail menu. We’ve given it a festive twist with the addition of quince alongside rhubarb and ginger cordial to sweeten up the traditionally sour-style drink to create the perfect Christmas party imbibe.

LEMON MERINGUE P I E-T I N I No Christmas night in would be complete without overindulging on sweet treats.

Our Lemon Meringue Pietini takes on the trend of this year’s alcohol-infused desserts transforming it into a delicious drink that’s perfectly served as the showpiece to a night of cocktail making.

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T I P P L E R ’ S T R E AT S

SMITH & SINCLAIR Smith & Sinclair set out to blur the lines between food and drink with their edible alcoholic experiences.

From creating the world’s first alcohol infused cocktail pastilles to events with edible bubbles and lickable paint, they aim to make cocktails more exciting and immersive with their innovative creations.

Born from dating nights in cocktail bars London were singletons would meet to play board games and socialise, adding fun back into the stereotyped speed dating setting, the duo found that those taking part tended to become distracted by not spilling their drink while sat on the floor which hampered the fun element in the night, and so introduced edible cocktails to inject enjoyment with a boozy twist while acting as an icebreaker.

THE CLEMENTINE An often overlooked form of drink, the shooter dates back to the 1940s when spirits became much more refined and did not require the mixing process to be enjoyable.

The Clementine is our over-the-top sweet shooter that we’ve redesigned for the festive season, combining liqueur, limoncello and cordial, to be served tequila style with a twist swapping the lime and salt for sugar and orange to create a Christmas party starter.

People soon spread the word and swung by the nights just for the sweets - and so Smith & Sinclair was born. Starting with their edible alcohol pastilles, Smith & Sinclair now retail unique cocktail infused products, from edible sprays to sherbet sweets, while curating immersive cocktail infused experiences.

As featured in December’s Tipple Box, we’re giving you the chance to try Smith & Sinclair this Christmas!

E D I B L E C O C K TA I L

Made with high quality spirits, bitters and real fruit topped with garnish-infused sugar coating, each solid gummy sweet contains half a shot of high quality spirit.

To enjoy your pastille to its full potential, Smith & Sinclair suggest eating the gummy in two bites allowing them to slowly dissolve on the tongue to allow the full impact of the flavour.

C O C K TA I L F.I . Z . Z

Smith & Sinclair’s latest invention is the Cocktail F.I.Z.Z, an effervescent tablet designed to dissolve completely into your drink, each tablet is ready to be dropped into Prosecco, G&T or Champagne to enhance the taste and pop the colour of your drink, creating a cocktail in one drop.

HOW TO DRINK

For those not familiar with the process of drinking a tequila shot, simply: 1. Rub a little extra lemon juice over the area between your thumb and forefinger 2. Pour some sugar on top to stick to your hand 3. Prepare your shot and chaser - in this case, the orange wedge 4. To drink, lick the sugar, drink the shot then suck on the orange!

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TIPPLER’S TIME

D U N N E T B AY D I S T I L L E R S

FROM THE WILDS OF THE NORTH COAST

Dunnet Bay Distillery handcraft spirits in the wilderness of the most northerly county of mainland Scotland.

Based in Caithness, the spirits are distilled using a bespoke pot still which is unique to the distillery, with a copper head and botanical vapour basket, making only 500 litres per batch.

This month, we’re giving you the chance to try two of the distillery’s headline spirits - Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka.

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HAND CRAFTED WITH H I G H L A N D B O TA N I C A L S

HOLY GRASS VODKA Holy Grass is a distinct sweet smelling herb found on the banks of the Thurso River.

The name holy grass was given to the herb as it was once strewn across church doors on Saints days, giving off a sweet, vanilla scent when stepped upon.

Utilising this unique taste with apples and apple juice from the Highlands, combined and used in a vapour infusion, the apple sweetness complements the holy grass taste to create a creamy, smooth vodka.

ROCK ROSE GIN The first batch of Rock Rose Gin was distilled in August 2014, with 80 experimental recipes before the 18 botanical combination was perfected.

The name Rock Rose is taken from one of the predominate botanicals used within the gin, the Rhodiola Rosea, grown on the cliffs of the Pentland Firth. In folklore, it is believed the rock rose was gathered by vikings as it was thought to give them the extra strength required on long journeys.

Using a range of botanicals, including Bulgarian and Italian juniper, alongside locally sourced botanicals including sea buckthorn and rowan berries, the gin’s taste is dependent upon the weather which affects the growth of the Scottish botanicals, curating a subtle taste change year-upon-year.

L AUNCHED 2014

L O C AT I O N

Caithness, Scotland

G I N TA S T I N G N O T E S

Warm, earthy, sherbert, liqourice and cinnamon

V O D K A TA S T I N G N O T E S Sweet, smooth, apple and vanilla

D U N N E T B AY D I S T I L L E R S .C O.U K @RockRoseGin @HolyGrassVodka

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TIPPLER’S TIPS & TRICKS

L AST MINUTE STOCKING FILLERS

Looking for a small gift to tuck into the top of their Christmas stocking?

We’ve got any cocktail lover covered with our barware range.

From single tools to a full barware set, they’ll add the stylish finishing touch to any cocktail enthusiast’s home bar collection.

B A R WA R E S E T

£19.95

The Tipple Box Barware Set contains every essential tool required to make cocktails at home. Whether they’re opening bottles with a bar blade or measuring with a jigger, the stainless steel set also includes a mini shaker and bar spoon to ensure they’re equipped for any cocktail recpe requirements.

SET CONTENTS: Bar Blade Mini Cocktail Shaker Bar Spoon Jigger

M I N I C O C K TA I L S H A K E R

£9.95

Our mini stainless steel shaker, featuring an in-built strainer, is the perfect size for small cocktail making sessions at home.

BAR BLADE

£5.95

They’ll be able to open bottles in style with our stainless steel bespoke bar blade, ensuring they look the part while popping the top of bottles.

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TIPPLER’S TOAST

CHRISTMAS COMPETITION

TIPPLER’S TOAST

W I N A B A R WA R E B U N D L E !

We’ve an exclusive competition you can enter simply by sharing your cocktails on social media.

To help you raise a glass to Christmas, we’re celebrating this year’s top spirits by giving away a bottle a day across the festive season.

Simply submit your cocktail images using #TagMyTipple to enter our monthly competition.

You can win all the tools you need to shake up barquality cocktails each month, including a shaker, bar spoon, bar blade and jigger.

We’ve teamed up with some of our featured distilleries from across the year for our 12 Days of Christmas competition giving you the chance to win a 70cl bottle direct from the distillery.

Simply visit our Facebook page throughout December for your chance to win!

T&CS apply - Christmas Competition will run from 1st -12th December

Each month, one lucky winner will be selected to win our bespoke barware set and see their photo published in Muddle Magazine!

THIS MONTH’S WINNER: TBC @TIPPLEBOX

Our latest winner is Jonathan Everall who shared Pornstar Martini!

Before you get snapping, check out #TagMyTipple to see the photos from our cocktail lovers across the UK!

#TAGMYTIPPLE

NEXT MONTH’S BOX J A N U A R Y 201 9

A new year is the perfect time to expand your cocktail horizons.

Whether you’re continuing enjoying alcohol or opting out to detox your way into the year, we’ve made January’s box flexible so you can enjoy cocktails or mocktails!

If you’re enjoying a tipple, you’ll be shaking up drinks with Ireland’s RubyBlue Vodka! If not, why not share the spirit with someone else or keep the bottles for a February sip!

Don’t forget to let us know what you think of this month’s box via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

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SHARE YOUR TIPPLE BOX EXPERIENCE We’d love to hear your thoughts on Tipple Box! We’re always looking for feedback on our boxes and service to help us deliver the best cocktail experience.

You can let us know what you thought of your box simply by leaving us a short review.

It takes just a few clicks and there’s no sign-up required!

Visit Reviews.co.uk and search for ‘Tipple Box’ 4.91 Rating on Reviews.co.uk Th e Fe s t i v e Edi t i on - 14

£5 O F F A L L CHRISTMAS PRODUCTS USE CODE

XMAS5

AT T H E C H E C KO U T

T I P P L E B O X .C O M