Orange, lemon and baking spice make Shed One Festive Tipple a winter gin, described by its makers as Christmas in a glass. The Ulverston distillery fills 70cl bottles of recycled glass at 43% ABV, and the recipe has picked up both a Great Taste Award and a Silver medal from The Gin Guide in 2026.

Citrus opens the aroma, bright and immediate. Cinnamon, clove and nutmeg then bring the familiar warmth of winter baking, while juniper keeps the dry botanical floor that any gin needs. Sweet winter fruit appears in the makers' own description, but the named citrus and spices are the clearest markers of what is in the glass. Nothing about it resembles a sugary ready-mixed drink.

Shed One is a small Lakeland distillery: Andy and Zoe Arnold-Bennett started it in a garden shed in 2016, then moved to the Old Calf Shed in Ulverston, where a bar and shop now look out towards the Ulverston Pepperpot. Festive Tipple is a seasonal small-batch release, usually available for a limited window each winter, though the citrus and spice work well on any cold evening when a lean juniper gin feels too austere. Demand is such that the bottle regularly sells out before the season ends.

Serve it plainly: ice, tonic and an orange wheel, with no second spice in the glass. Count 4cl of gin and 10cl of chilled Indian tonic, then let the wheel settle between the cubes. The distillery also suggests warming a small measure and drinking it neat, but the cold version makes it easier to tell the orange, the juniper and the spices apart. Keep the mixer moderate so the nutmeg still shows on the finish. A slice of dried orange works just as well as a fresh wheel if you would rather the aroma lasted longer between sips.