There are lots of festive gins on the market but Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin was the first - and, not surprisingly, we think it's the best!

This is a Christmassy gin for people who like proper gin. We don't add any artificial colouring or flavouring so it's not sticky or sweet like a liqueur, making it perfect for giving a G&T or classic cocktails such as the Negroni, Martini or Vesper, a seasonal twist.

As a G&T, it works well with a good quality Indian tonic water but to make it especially Christmassy we recommend serving it with Fever-Tree Clementine Tonic, garnished with a slice of orange. It's also delicious served over ice and topped up with Fever-Tree Spiced Orange Ginger Ale, garnished with a slice of orange and perhaps a few dried cranberries - or served straight out of the freezer as a shot after Christmas dinner - perfect for anyone too full for pudding!

Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin is made, not by simply distilling Christmassy botanicals, but by distilling whole Christmas puddings made according to our distiller, Ian Hart's Great Aunt Nellie's recipe, a copy of which, as carefully written into the family recipe book, can be found on the back label.

For the very first bottling Ian made 30lbs (or 14 kilos) of Christmas puddings, which were steamed for 8 hours (the whole street smelt amazing!) and then macerated with English grain spirit for two months and redistilled.

Several leading restaurants have used Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin to give a festive touch to their drinks menu - Brian Silva, Head Bartender at Rules, London's oldest restaurant, has created Aunt Nellie's Tipple - see below:

Aunt Nellie's Tipple

45ml Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin

15ml Crabbie's English Wine

15ml Grant's Morella Cherry Brandy

2 twists of lemon peel

3 drops of fresh orange

Glassware - cocktail  

Put the lemon peel into a mixing class. Add ice and the ingredients. Stir to chill and balance. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a peel of lemon by twisting it over the drink to bring out the oils, dip into the drink and discard.  

Here are a few additonal serving suggestions:

Holy Negroni

25ml Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin

25ml Sacred English Spiced Vermouth

25ml Sacred Rosehip Cup

Stir over ice in a rocks glass or tumbler to combine and garnish with a slice of orange, or pared zest.

Christmas Pudding Gin Fizz

50ml Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin

25ml lemon juice

10ml sugar syrup

10ml orange liqueur

Add the ingredients to an ice filled cocktail shaker, shake until the tin is cold to the touch. Pour into a stemmed glass and top with sparkling wine.

Christmas Pudding Martini

50ml Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin taken straight from the freezer

2 dashes Sacred English Dry Vermouth

Coat the inside of a chilled glass with Sacred English Dry Vermouth and add the Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin. Garnish with an orange twist.

Christmas Pudding Mule

50ml Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin

Fever-Tree Ginger Beer

Pour Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin into a tall glass of ice and top up with Fever-Tree Ginger Beer - garnish with cranberries or slices of orange or ginger.

Tasting note: Crystal clear. An aroma of juniper and dried fruits entices the nose, followed by a real Christmas pudding flavour on the palate. The finish is long and creamy with further notes of dried currants and spice.

Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin, 40% abv, 70cl, RRP £33.95, available from www.sacredgin.com and selected independent stores.

For further information and photography,  please contact Hilary Whitney, hilary@sacredgin.com