You've come to the right place if you’re looking for gin gifts. With bottles, gift sets, glassware, tours, and merchandise, gifting for gin lovers, rum fanatics, and cocktail sippers has never been so easy.

Explore the best presents for various drinkers, from those who enjoy a classic G&T to budding mixologists and those who like to try something new. 

The Classic Gin Lover

Look no further than the Original Recipe. Our flagship product, it’s a smooth, balanced spirit produced in batches of no more than 140 bottles. It is the proud winner of multiple awards, including a Great Taste star.

The ideal gift for gin lovers who appreciate a classic. 

The Strong Gin Lover

If you’re gifting for someone who likes mixing cocktails or gins that pack a punch, the Navy Strength has got you covered. It’s 57%, brimming with complex flavours, and is the most decorated spirit, winning gold at this year’s Scottish Gin Awards, along with a 3-Star Great Taste Award, among others. 

The perfect present for gin lovers who like them strong.

The ‘Likes-to-Try-Something-Different’ Gin Lover

Where to begin? Innovation and quality are two core pillars of Biggar Spirits, so we’re always experimenting with interesting new drams for gin lovers to enjoy. 

• Clyde Valley Plum: A limited edition, seasonal spirit made with plums grown solely in the Clyde Valley by our distillery.
• Herbaceous Recipe Gin: Stepping away from the citrus first profile of our other gins, Herbaceous Recipe introduces lemon verbena, sage, clivers herb, dandelion root and elderflower for spirit with a beautiful herby finish
• Chestnut Cask Aged Old Tom: Old Tom, but a little more aged. This limited edition gin is rested in virgin Chestnut Casks for 30 days to take on a complex woodiness and beautiful colour.
• Our new spiced gin, The Biggar Bonfire Gin, recently released and brings warming notes through fresh hot green chilli's, ginger, cloves, and milkthistle.

The Sweet Gin Lover

While we may not offer the likes of pink gin, our Old Tom Gin can undoubtedly cater for gin lovers who don’t like the crispness of a London Dry. 

Sweetened with Belgian Kandi Sugar and blending liquorice root and marshmallow root, Old Tom is a relatively recent addition to the roster and one that is here to stay. It picked up Gold in the Old Tom category at The Scottish Gin Awards this year and is a firm fan favourite for its delicious drinkability and ease of mixing.

The Budding Mixologist

Gin + Cocktails = Negroni, it’s a fact! If a gin lover you know likes to mix one up, they’ll definitely enjoy the Biggar Negroni. 

Biggar Navy Strength, with Campari and Cocci Vermouth di Torino, premixed to perfection for a Negroni that hits the spot every single time.

The Rum Lover

Rum is on the up. If you’re shopping for someone who loves the sugar cane spirit, give them a bottle of this. Biggar Asian Spiced Rum, a Scottish-Caribbean blend, brings warming tones of Szechuan pepper, allspice and clove in a spirit they won’t forget in a hurry. 

The Coffee Lover

A little more potent than a morning espresso! Our (brand new) Biggar Mocha Liqueur combines distilled coffee beans from our friends at Papercup Coffee, cocoa nibs, and cocoa husks in a bold, rich and irresistibly smooth liqueur. 

It’s perfect over ice or shaken into a cocktail, like an espresso martini. We've even heard that it goes very well with ginger beer!

The ‘Variety-is-the-Spice-of-Life’ Gin Lover

Not sure which one they’ll like? No problem. Try one of our multi-pack offerings.

• Triple Mini Gift Pack: 3 5cl bottles of your choosing, the perfect way to test the range.
• Double Mini Gift Pack: 2 x 20cl bottles of your choice again, to try a couple with more than a single serving.
• Triple Bottle Bundle: If you’re going all in on 70cls, get a welcome discount on your third bottle when you purchase them together. 
• Gin Gift Tasting Box: The Perfect present if you know what someone likes but want to introduce them to something new. 1 x 70cl bottle and 2 x 5cls - should keep them going for a while!

The Experiential Gin Lover

The perfect gift for someone who loves gin, days out, and trying new things. Come to our distillery home, The Stillhouse, and see how we do it, learn why we do it, and try some of our range. Nestled just outside Biggar at the foot of Tinto Hill, it’s a beautiful part of the world to explore and a beautiful place to make small batches of Scottish spirits. 

The ‘Likes-to-Choose-for-Themselves’ Gin Lover

Grab a Giftcard and let them select for themselves - after all, it’s the thought that counts.

These are just a few of the presents we have on offer, but you can also find Biggar Spirits Merch, Glassware, Pin Badges by browsing our store.

And while all these products make fantastic gifts for gin lovers, they’re equally good for treating yourself. Whichever it is, have a tremendous Christmas and Festive Season. 

Put the tonic water back in the fridge and enjoy this fantastic spirit in some easy gin cocktails. 

Here are 5 of our favourites you can make at home:

1. The Negroni
2. The Bramble
3. The Tom Collins
4. The Gin Martini
5. The Gin Mojito

The Negroni

Profile

No cocktail list is complete without the Negroni - especially not an ‘easy gin cocktails’ one! It's a classic aperitif that’s as good at the start of a night as it is at the end. It would be time well spent to master the Negroni.

Through a balanced mix of Gin, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari, this simple-sounding drink is much more than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

You can experiment to taste, but for a starting point, we’d recommend the tried and tested ratio of: 

• 25ml Gin (Biggar Original Recipe)
• 25ml Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi works great)
• 25ml Campari (Aperol can be used too)
• Orange Slice or Twist Garnish

Method

Pour your ingredients over ice into a mixing glass and stir until the outside feels nicely chilled. Strain into an old-fashioned or rocks glass over ice (one large sphere or cube if possible) and garnish with a thick slice of orange or an orange twist. 

The Bramble

Profile

Originating in 1980s London, the Bramble comprises gin, Crème de Mûre, lemon, and sugar. It’s refreshingly fruity, tastes like it should be sipped in the sunshine, and is a must-try on our easy gin cocktails list. 

Ingredients:

• 50ml Gin (Biggar Original Recipe)
• 15ml Crème de Mûre (Giffard or Sisca are options)
• 25ml Fresh Lemon Juice
• 12.5ml Sugar Syrup
• Blackberry & Lemon Garnish

Method

Add your gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup to a shaker and give it what’s for until the glass is nicely chilled. Strain into a tumbler filled with crushed ice, drizzle your Crème de Mûre on the top, then add a blackberry and slice of lemon to garnish. 

The Tom Collins

Profile

Maybe the easiest of our easy gin cocktails, but by no means the least enjoyable. Tom Collins puts the ‘class’ in classic and needs only a glass and your ingredients to create. 

Ingredients

• 50ml Gin (Biggar Original Recipe)
• 25ml Lemon Juice
• 25ml Sugar Syrup
• 125ml Soda Water
• Lemon Garnish

Method:

Build your gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and soda in a tall glass and mix well with ice. Pop in a lemon slice to garnish, and voila. 

The Gin Martini

Profile

Simple and sophisticated, the Gin Martini is potentially the best-known (and least appreciated) of our easy gin cocktails. Needing only gin, dry vermouth, and ice to enjoy, it’s a must-try for dinner parties, chilled afternoons, or whenever the mood strikes.

Ingredients

• 50ml Gin (Biggar Original Recipe, or go large with Biggar Strength)
• 10ml Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat is excellent)
• Lemon Twist Garnish

Method

For the best results, chill your gin in the freezer for 3 hours before, then add the gin and vermouth to a mixing glass with ice. Stir well until the glass is chilled, then give it a taste. If you think it seems too strong, keep stirring until diluted to your liking. 

Strain into a chilled martini glass, and add a lemon twist to garnish. 

The Gin Mojito

Profile

Roll up your sleeves and get stuck into the perfect summer’s day drink. A refreshing twist on a rum-based classic, the Gin Mojito is the most exotic entry on the easy gin cocktails list. 

Ingredients

• 50ml Gin (Biggar Original Recipe or Biggar Herbaceous Recipe)
• 1 Whole Lime
• Demerara Sugar
• Mint Leaves
• Soda Water

Method

Chop a whole lime into wedges and drop into a tall glass. Add a spoonful of demerara sugar on top and muddle well. Take five mint leaves in the palm of your hand and clap to release the minty flavour before dropping them into the glass. 

Pour your gin on top, and then add crushed ice until the glass is full. Mix well with a spoon, top up with soda water, and add a sprig of mint to garnish. 

If the idea of a mojito without rum doesn’t sit right with you, sub in our Asian Spiced Rum to give yours a refreshing kick. 

And there we have it, five easy gin cocktails you can make at home. If you’re feeling more adventurous, check out some of the more bespoke Biggar cocktails on our website.

After mastering basic mixology skills, the world of cocktail creation can expand dramatically. Several advanced techniques allow mixologists to experiment with flavours, textures, and presentations, creating a unique drinking experience. Let's explore some techniques: fat washing, smoking, and infusion.

Fat Washing: Adding Depth to Your Spirits

Fat washing is a technique used to infuse the flavours of fats into spirits, adding a rich, savoury depth to your cocktails. This method leverages the fat-soluble properties of alcohol, which absorbs the flavour compounds present in fats. The process involves mixing a spirit with a type of fat—like bacon fat or butter (our favourite is to use bacon from Ramsay’s of Carluke after ) —then freezing the mixture to solidify the fat before straining it out, leaving the spirit infused with the flavour of the fat. The result can be a cask-aged gin imbued with the smoky essence of bacon for our take on an  Old Fashioned or a butter-infused rum for a unique twist on a Hot Buttered Rum cocktail.

Smoking: A Touch of Drama and Flavour

Smoking adds theatrical flair to cocktail service, but it's not just for show—it also infuses the cocktail with a distinctive smoky flavour. This can be done in a couple of ways: by smoking the glass before pouring in the cocktail or by smoking the cocktail itself. The choice of wood for smoking, such as hickory or applewood, can add different subtle flavours. A smoked Plum Gin Negroni can transform the drinking experience, introducing a new complexity to these classic cocktails.

Infusion: Endless Flavour Possibilities

Infusion is a simple technique that can yield impressive results. It involves steeping ingredients in a spirit to extract their flavours. While fruits, herbs, and spices are the most common, more adventurous mixologists can experiment with ingredients like chilli peppers, coffee, or candy. The key is to choose flavours that complement the spirit's character, not overpower it. Remember, patience is vital in infusions, as it could take a few hours to a couple of weeks to achieve the desired flavour intensity. Our limited edition Clyde Valley Plum Gin is a great example of an infused full-strength gin.

Mastering Advanced Mixology

These advanced techniques can open up a world of possibilities for mixologists, creating unique and memorable cocktails. However, the most important thing to remember is that the best cocktails are made with technical skill, creativity, passion, and an understanding of the balance of flavours. So, feel free to experiment with these techniques and create your own signature cocktails.

In the world of mixology, there's always something new to learn and try. As you embark on this journey beyond the basics, remember to keep pushing the boundaries and enjoy the process.

The Negroni - this simple yet remarkably balanced cocktail has captured the hearts of many a drinker. It's an alchemical blend of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, served in an old-fashioned glass and garnished with an orange peel. But the Negroni we know and love today has a fascinating history and, like all great things, has evolved over time, like our range of spirits. 

The Origins of the Negroni

The Negroni traces its roots back to early 20th-century Italy, with a Count named Camillo Negroni as its originator. As legend has it, in 1919, Count Negroni requested his favourite cocktail, the Americano - a mix of Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water - be strengthened with a touch of gin instead of soda water. Fosco Scarselli, the bartender at Caffè Casoni in Florence, where Count Negroni frequented, obliged, and the Negroni was born. The orange garnish? A unique twist to differentiate it from its sibling, the Americano.

The Negroni's Evolution and Variations 

Over time, creative bartenders worldwide have concocted alternative versions of the Negroni, adding twists while respecting its perfect tripartite balance.

1. Boulevardier: Replace the gin with bourbon for a warming, whisky-forward variant.

2. Negroni Sbagliato: Substitute the gin with sparkling wine. 'Sbagliato' means 'mistaken' in Italian, as this variant was allegedly created by mistake!

3. White Negroni: Swap the gin for Lillet Blanc and Campari for a gentian liqueur like Suze for a lighter, more floral concoction.

Clyde Valley Plum Gin and the Negroni

Now, what about plum gin and the Negroni? As the name suggests, plum gin is a gin infused with plums from our very own Clyde Valley. Its flavour profile, with fruity and bittersweet notes from plums, adds a whole new layer to the Negroni. Traditional gin's herbal and sometimes juniper-forward nature gets a bittersweet, fruity makeover, adding an unexpected but delightful depth to the Negroni. 

The Clyde Valley Plum Gin Negroni Recipe

1 part Biggar plum gin

1 part sweet vermouth

1 part Campari

Combine the ingredients in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Stir well until everything is mixed and chilled. Garnish with an orange peel, expressing its oils over the drink.

While the history of the Negroni is rich, the cocktail's future is fascinating. The Negroni continues to evolve as we experiment with new ingredients and ways of making it, like adding plum gin. We think an oak-aged plum gin negroni would be rather lovely; who agrees? So, here's to Count Negroni and his request for a stronger drink — and the myriad ways we've reimagined it since.

Mixology is more than just pouring a spirit into a glass and adding a mixer; it is an art and a science that combines knowledge of ingredients, techniques, and a dash of creativity to create concoctions that delight the senses. The science behind mixology goes beyond the colour and taste of your cocktails - it delves into the chemistry of flavours, the physics of mixing, and the psychology of perception. Our Biggar Strength Gin was designed to be used primarily as a cocktail spirit. The increased levels of oils in the spirit are due to the elevated levels of botanicals used during the distillation phase of production.

The Chemistry of Flavours

The flavours in your cocktail are determined by the chemistry of the ingredients you use. For example, the sweet taste of sugar is due to its molecular structure, which fits perfectly with the receptors in our taste buds. On the other hand, alcohol, primarily ethanol, has a slightly bitter taste and can also enhance the flavours of other ingredients by binding to their molecules and carrying them to your nose and mouth.

Moreover, specific reactions can alter flavours, like the Maillard reaction, responsible for the complex flavours in an Old Fashioned cocktail. Heating sugar with bitters results in the sugar's caramelisation, thereby changing its chemical structure and creating new flavour compounds.

The Physics of Mixing

Shaking or stirring a cocktail isn't just about blending ingredients - it's about physics. Stirring is a delicate process that lightly mixes the elements, preserves the clear, transparent character of the cocktail, and is perfect for spirit-forward cocktails like the Martini. Shaking, conversely, introduces more air, creates tiny ice shards, and adds more water dilution, making the cocktail colder and often a bit cloudy. This method is preferable for cocktails with citrus juices, dairy, or egg whites, like a Gin Sour.

Temperature and Dilution

Cocktail creation is also a balancing act of temperature and dilution. Cooling a cocktail dulls the sweetness and bitterness, enabling us to enjoy drinks with high alcohol content. However, a cocktail that is too cold might suppress too many flavours. Likewise, while dilution from melted ice helps mellow the harshness of spirits, over-dilution can water down the flavours. Hence, controlling temperature and dilution is crucial in making a well-balanced cocktail.

Psychology of Perception

Finally, the science of mixology extends to the psychology of how we perceive our drinks. The colour of a cocktail can set expectations for its flavour before we even take the first sip. A bright, fruity cocktail might be expected to taste sweet, while a darker cocktail might be anticipated to have a strong, bitter flavour. The garnish not only adds a touch of elegance but can also enhance the perceived taste of the cocktail. Take our famous Biggar Tea Smash cocktail, a deep red frothy serve garnished with raspberries, which reflects a fruity and slightly sweet cocktail.

Mixology is a fascinating interplay of various scientific principles. The best mixologists understand these principles and use them to create cocktails that are delicious and engaging to all our senses. So, the next time you sip on a cocktail, take a moment to appreciate the science that went into creating your drink.