“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.”
Coco Chanel
From the Suffragettes to US workers striking for better conditions, early feminism, the ‘UN Women’s Bill of Rights’ to the UN #Orange the World movement against gender violence, #International Women's Day is a worldwide event of great symbolic and social significance. This 8th of March, we remember all the women who have never stopped fighting for basic rights and all the sacrifices they’ve taken. We celebrate the strength, courage and genius of every girl and woman who makes this world a better place.
Top women Mixologists
The great grandmother of Mixology, Ada Coleman, was head barman for 23 years at the Savoy Hotel in London and mixed her first signature cocktail the ‘Hanky Panky’ in 1903.
Often written out of the history of cocktails, in the world of Mixology today, women share equal footing with men and continue to invent some of the best known cocktails we know and love.
Thanks to social media, more and more women have a platform for visibility, and are stepping forward to claim the bar with their own signature cocktails. Take the White Lady by Feruzan Bilimoria for instance, the Cosmopolitan by Cheryl Cook, who mixed this famous pink cocktail for the first time at The Strand bar, South Beach in the 1980s, The Gin-Gin Mule by Audrey Saunders. In Singapore we have Korean Bannie Kang whose cocktail Jack Meets Sage is a hit on the drinks scene in Asia.
Norwegian born Monica Berg is the winner of the 2019 Bartender’s Bartender award at the World’s 50 Best Bar Awards and runs the acclaimed Tayer + Elementary bar in Shoreditch, London.
Chelsie Bailey is the manager of the Hoxton bar Happiness Forgets, in London, listed in The World’s 50 Best Bars for the last eight years.
Russian Olya Sabanina @olyasabanina, has won the Roadhouse World Tandem Champion twice in 2018 and 2019, she is a world class mixology content creator.
Women’s Day gifts that count
While flowers are great and all, when it comes to marking this moment, what about giving the important women in your life something premium and precious that she really loves and to share with whoever they choose?
A precious gift box filled with delicious cocktails made and mixed in Italy with premium ingredients by top award-winning Mixologist, Patrick Pistolesi. will ensure she has all the cocktails she enjoys to hand.
Women's Day is also the perfect occasion to get together with your girlfriends and a personalised box of pre-mixed NIO Cocktails that will arrive directly to your door..
We recommend the 6 best gift sets and 5 cocktails starting with 2 classic choices, then moving on to 3 more innovative alternatives with floral flavours.
The Best Cocktails for Women's Day
1. Cosmopolitan, is a popular cocktail with the glamorous woman-about-town, the cocktail must-have to add to your box dedicated to women. Elegant and refined, a cocktail for all the fashionistas and urbanites everywhere.
Its flavour is sweet, with a hint of spiciness from the Cointreau orange. Fragrant, delicate, but with character.
It became famous for its bright pink colour and for its numerous appearances in Sex and the City, the TV series that made millions of women around the world dream of New York. It certainly doesn’t lack in elegance especially when served in our tumbler or a traditional martini glass.
For NIO Cocktails, Patrick Pistolesi offers us his version of the most glamorous cocktail with Ketel One Family Made Vodka, Cointreau. Cranberry syrup and Organic citric acid.
Add the Cosmopolitan to your personalised box
2. Old Fashioned without doubt, is another pillar of mixology.The Old Fashioned is characterised by its bitter notes given thanks to Angostura Aromatic and Orange Bitters. The body is full given its rich Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey, its extraordinary base spirit and star ingredient and Toschi Liquid Sugar round out this sophisticated taste profile.
This is a timeless and iconic cocktail for a strong, vivacious woman.
The Old Fashioned, a cocktail as enduring as it is iconic, also enjoys great fame in novels and on-screen: in the 1954 novel 'Live and Let Die', the secret agent James Bond sips an Old Fashioned while travelling by train. Did this cocktail serve as inspiration to solve his cases? Later on, this cocktail became the co-star in the series 'Mad Men', alongside Don Draper. In short, a best-selling drink that to be added to a top mixology box.
Add the Old Fashioned cocktail to her box
Surprise your favourite women with Floral Cocktails.
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3. Gin Proved, is top Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi’s brainchild that wins over every woman at the first sip. Its secret ingredient? Violet liqueur, a really gorgeous bouquet of violets in a glass.
The recipe is reminiscent of a classic gin sour, which is enhanced by the violet liqueur with its bright purple colour and fresh flowery scent. Its classic Tanqueray London Dry gin, Monin violet liqueur, Organic Citric Acid and Liquid Sugar make this a very classy drink to share with friends.
A twist on a classic that combines two opposite flavours: the bitterness typical of juniper and sweet violets. The unmistakable floral notes of the buds and petals of the violet blend with the gin’s dry notes with a balanced result that makes this cocktail a dream for any occasion.
This cocktail is ideal for long, cold winter months to bring an air of spring and at the same time refreshing when seeking relief during hot summer evenings.
An unusual, sophisticated must-have to pop into a gin-lover's box:
Add a Gin Proved to your personalised box.
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4. Garden of Russia, another floral cocktail; this time the star of the bouquet are elderflower blossoms, which give this fresh and unusual version of the Vodka Sour a fragrant and perfumed touch, making it a brand new recipe by Patrick Pistolesi. Silky Ketel One Family Made Vodka.
Bols Elderflower Liqueur, Organic Citric Acid and Liquid Sugar complete its flavour profile.
Freshness is already evoked by the name, as refreshing as a walk in a Russian garden. Perfect for summer and the first days of spring to dream of trips out and lunches in the open air.
The recipe is this:
Add a Garden of Russia to your cart or box
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Tommy's Margarita, will whisk you straight to Mexico. The classic margarita ingredients are enriched with agave syrup to accentuate the typical flavours and aromas of its country of origin. The main ingredient? The one and only, Jose Cuervo Tequila. Not forgetting the Organic agave syrup which makes it so original and Organic citric acid.
Perfect to accompany spicy dishes, typical of Mexican cuisine, but also to refresh the palate after a rich meal or fry-up. Or simply to enjoy a refreshing and rejuvenating aperitif. With NIO Cocktails all you have to do is add ice!
Add Tommy's Margarita to her cocktail box.
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Violet Vamp Although alcohol free, this cocktail is not just a pretty face. The Tanqueray 0,0% Alcohol Free sublimates this beautiful purple-hued cocktail to make it the perfect taste experience for the unconventional cocktail drinker.
The four Tanqueray botanicals of juniper, coriander seed, liquorice and angelica root are softened by notes of almond, rose and spring meadows on the palate, brimming with sweet violets and…ninjas.
Ninjas? Well we did say a cocktail with a dash of attitude. Don’t forget to add her to your box.
Best Women's Day Gift Sets
1. Chocolates and Coffee Cocktails Box
This decadent gift box includes 16 luscious liqueur pralines and 2 XO Cold Brew coffee cocktails. Chocolate and coffee lovers can kick back and enjoy these luxurious Italian chocolate liqueur pralines lovingly hand-made by renowned Chocolatier Guido Castagna in his Turin laboratory.
These silky smooth chocolate pralines are paired with our hand-mixed coffee cocktails featuring St. Remy XO Brandy and coffee liqueur, by our award-winning Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi.
These Postcards from Boxes are the perfect reminder of the cultures and flavours she loves. Each cocktail is lovingly made with premium spirits and exquisite ingredients in Italy by our top award-winning Mixologist, Patrick Pistolesi, owner of Drink Kong in Rome ranked in the World’s 50 Best Bars list. And if she's choosing to relax on a staycation, even better, she can enjoy them in her chosen company without having to set foot on a plane and wherever she likes.
For her own home bar, she can choose from:
Our beautifully packaged Box offers you a home bar experience without any of the fuss. No bottles, no glasses, no extra presentation, just everything she needs to share premium taste profiles with friends. The NIO Experience Cocktail Box includes 6 premixed drinks, 2 cut-glass tumblers, our XL square ice mould plus a refill of 3 cocktails- all wrapped up in a stylish gift experience set.All our cocktails are crafted with premium spirits by Patrick Pistolesi of award-winning Drink Kong bar fame and ready to serve in our gorgeous cut-glass tumblers with XL ice cube for perfect cooling. This Experience Box is the gift they can really use to organise an evening without having to dedicate too much time or what you need to make your evening extra special.Just shake, tear, pour and cheers!
4 . The Experience Bar Cabinet
Your best girlfriend might be a bit of a cocktail connoisseur, and if so there’s nothing she’d appreciate more than an elegant, essentially designed tray to carry her cocktails and ice holder. The tray has 6 slots to stack her cocktails and central space for the ice holder. This is a great way to set up her own home bar that tidily fits into a small space and is an impressive way to present and serve delicious premium cocktails.
Choose up to 6 NIO Cocktails to add to her tray, great for serving cocktail lovers everywhere.
We are raising the bar (ahem) with the Deluxe Bar Cabinet. This elegant tray comes with 6 tumblers and an ice holder meaning that not only are there 6 cocktails to share but 6 exclusive NIO Cocktails Italian cut-glass tumblers to drink from too. This is the premium way to show appreciation for your bestie this Women’s Day as she only needs to organise appetisers. As the tray is beautifully minimal it can stay on display wherever she likes around the house.
Just add 6 NIO Cocktails to the tray that your best friends might enjoy.
Looking for some more Women’s Day gift ideas and last-minute bar-quality gifts? Check out our, Gin Cocktail Gift Boxes, Whiskey Gift Sets and Cocktail boxes and our Limited Edition Cocktail Gift Sets for all the inspiration you need. All our cocktails arrive at her door in 48 hours by tracked courier and if she’s in London, her cocktail gift box will arrive with same day delivery!