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2 years ago
Make a lasting first impression
Appearances aren’t everything – except when it comes to bar trolleys. Whether you prefer your G&T in a giant glass with cool twists of cucumber, in a citrusy crush of grapefruit and lemon or swirled into a botanical cocktail, this enduring classic seems to just taste better when it comes in an eye candy bottle. No wonder, then, that our favourite gin brands have taken their designs to the next level with beautiful bottles that are almost too nice to crack open. Here’s our top pick of pretty gin bottles we’ll be adding to our home bars. Cheers.
Since it launched over a decade ago, No. 3 Gin has won a whole host of awards for its great taste – but equally commendable is the beautiful bottle design. The sleek bottle has a hexagonal shape, with each side representing one of the gin’s six main ingredients, and showcases the brand’s signature key symbol – a nod to Berry Bros. & Rudd’s home on St. James Street. If you’re buying the gin as a present, jazz things up with the vibrant gift box.
From £39, bbr.com
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Decorated with strawberries and botanicals, Otterbeck’s strawberry and pink peppercorn gin nods to its collaboration with strawberry producer, Annabel’s Deliciously British. Otterbeck distillery in Yorkshire creates this small-batch gin with hand-foraged local spruces, rowan berries, nettle leaves, Yorkshire watercress and mint.
£38.95, otterbeckdistillery.co.uk
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Mirabeau’s hints of coriander, layers of fresh citrus and notes of rose petal, lavender and jasmine transport you to St Tropez with a sip (without leaving the back garden). But it’s the Art Deco, perfume-style glass bottle that gets our vote for the prettiest packaging.
£35, maisonmirabeau.com
A vintage design never gets old – and that’s why we love Buss No 509’s beautifully illustrated packaging and heavy apothecary bottle. Enough to give you a buzz every time you pour a measure (though perhaps that’s actually the blowsy blend of vanilla, orange, juniper and fresh Persian peaches).
£47.90, amathusdrinks.com
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Can’t resist a little retro Riviera style? Portofino Dry Gin’s contents don’t let its bottle down, blending aromatic juniper with notes of lemon, lavender, sage and hints of floral iris and rose. Serve with lemon peel, a sprig of lavender and pretend you’re sipping it in the South of France.
£36.95, portofinogin.com
Marbling has had an interiors moment this year – something not lost on Isle of Barra, who have enfolded their gin in marbled maritime blues and seafoam-green, evoking the distillery’s coastal island setting. Wild carrageen seaweed is the star ingredient of this crisp gin, which is distilled, bottled and labelled all on the Isle of Barra.
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Transport yourself to the sunkissed grasslands of the Cotswolds with the Cotswold Distillery’s Wildflower blend of gentian, lemon balm, elderflower and chamomile. The beautifully illustrated design is sure to win to some points with your guests, too.
You wouldn’t want to hide away Chapel Down’s powder pink pinot noir gin bottle in a dusty cellar – so lucky that its just distilled Pinot Noir grape skins which link it to the maker’s wine harvest. The distinctive bottom half of Chapel Down’s bottle design is inspired by cut glass crystal decanters, while the gin itself is a unique infusion of juniper, coriander, dried red berries, rosehip and citrus fruits, nodding to characteristics of pinot noir grapes.
£25, chapeldown.com
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You can still have a design led bar if you’re alcohol-free. Concocted from smoked agave and botanicals with notes of smoke and honey, Fleure looks as pretty as the real thing in its pastel blue bottle, and steals the show in a non-alcoholic cocktail.
£22.49, nonalcoholicshop.co.uk
Refined, clean and simple, The Botanist’s classic bottle design elevates any stylishly-arranged home bar. Inspired by the botanical heritage of the Isle of Islay, each bottle is made with hand-foraged berries, barks, seeds and peels, and distilled slowly to enhance its unique flavour.
£37, thebotanist.com
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Add a splash of summer colour with Hayman’s citrus-bright label (it also has pretty pastel turqouise and blue designs if you want to colour coordinate). Inside, the vibrant blend bursts with flavours of kumquat, pomelo, Persian lime and mandarin.
£28, haymansgin.com
