Wajos Gin Advent Calendar. 24 doors with gin, tonic syrup and a non-alcoholic option in 40 ml bottles – the advent calendar for people who prefer tasting gin over collecting it.
Wajos Gin Advent Calendar is an advent calendar with 24 miniature bottles of 40 ml each from the Wajos bar range from Dohr on the Moselle: classic and robust gins, fruity and fresh varieties, matching tonic syrups and a non-alcoholic gin alternative, with 18 to 44 percent alcohol depending on the variety. Not a calendar with chocolate, not a set of 24 times the same gin, and not a box full of third-party brands, but 24 different Wajos bottles with a cocktail tip behind every door. For ages 18 and up.
Gin Advent Calendar by Wajos is the answer to the question of what to give an adult in December who has been politely smiling while receiving chocolate behind cardboard for years. Instead of 24 times milk chocolate, there are 24 times 40 milliliters: every evening a different bottle, a glass, ice, tonic – and a QR code that reveals the perfect cocktail. For us, this calendar is one of the most ordered Wajos products ever – even though it is only available for a few weeks a year. A calendar meant to be drunk by Christmas instead of kept – one glass per evening is enough.
From classic to fruity – 24 varieties, each only once
Behind the doors lies the range of what Wajos produces in terms of gin. Classic juniper gins, robust specialties, fruity-fresh summer varieties – plus the tonic syrups used to make a Gin & Tonic from gin and soda. And a non-alcoholic gin novelty for the evening when you still have to drive. Each bottle contains 40 milliliters, which is exactly one Gin & Tonic or a small cocktail. The alcohol content of the alcoholic bottles ranges between 18 and 44 percent depending on the variety; the syrups and the non-alcoholic variant remain alcohol-free.
To be honest: Which 24 varieties come in which order remains a secret until the door is opened – that is the point of an advent calendar, and those who prefer to put their own set together are better served with individual bottles. 40 milliliters is a tasting sip rather than a stock bottle. And a calendar with alcohol 24 times over is a gift for adults, no one else.
For those looking for a single favorite gin in a large size, the calendar is not suitable – in that case, the Christmas Gin with 42 percent in the 500 ml bottle is the right choice. Those who generally avoid gin will hardly be happy with 24 variations of it.
One glass per evening: as a Gin & Tonic, in a cocktail, or neat for comparison
The simplest way is a Gin & Tonic. Pour the day's 40 milliliters into a large glass with plenty of ice, top up with tonic water, add a slice of lemon or orange, and it's ready. If a tonic syrup is behind the door, it goes into the glass with soda and a gin from your cupboard. The QR code behind each number leads to a cocktail tip that matches the bottle – turning the calendar into a course with 24 lessons, and the bar book can stay on the shelf.
If you want to compare, drink it neat: two centiliters in a small glass, room temperature or with an ice cube, and note what is juniper, what is citrus, and what is fruit. After two weeks, you will know the difference between a classic gin and one that tastes like summer. On the weekend, two doors are enough for two glasses with guests; in a family setting, the calendar becomes an evening ritual once the children are in bed.
The calendar is suitable for a tasting with friends: four bottles from different weeks side by side, everyone gets a sip, and at the end, a vote is taken. It is not suitable as a stock for your home bar – 40 milliliters are gone after one glass – and for those who have to drive in the evening: the non-alcoholic variant is one of 24. One glass per day is the dose the calendar dictates, and that is as it should be.
Our tip: Give the calendar as a gift along with a bottle of Botanical Tonic Syrup – then the tonic is ready for all 24 evenings, and the first Gin & Tonic can start immediately.
Gin from the house that started with liqueur
Spirits are the origin at Wajos, far more than a byproduct. Walter Josef Oster, whose initials form the name, came from a winemaking family in Ediger-Eller on the Moselle, with 15 generations of viticulture, and opened a liqueur manufactory next to the winery in the 1980s – the first Wajos product was liqueur. From the 2000s onwards, his son Peter Oster and Ulf Schwichtenberg turned it into the Wajos brand in Dohr near Cochem, opening the first store in Trier in 2008 and today with shops all over Germany.
The gins and syrups in the calendar come from this bar range: over 80 employees work in Dohr, the family business carries around 900 items, most of them produced there and tested in their own laboratory. A calendar with 24 proprietary varieties is only possible if a house has enough of them – and that is remarkable for a manufactory that aims to "work on a controlled smaller scale." The calendar is a seasonal item: It arrives in autumn, and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
The gift for gin curious, hobby bartenders, and people who already have everything
The Gin Calendar is the gift for adults who like gin and are still finding out which one. And for anyone building a bar at home who wants to get to know varieties before buying a large bottle. As a gift, it must arrive before December 1st; as a couple's gift, it is shared by two; as a Secret Santa gift, it is too big and too good. If you want something sweet to go with the calendar, add the Gin Pralines; all gins, liqueurs, and syrups are on our Wajos page.
Store in a dry, dark, and cool place; the bottles will keep beyond December. The calendar is not suitable for anyone under 18, for people living alcohol-free, and for anyone expecting an advent calendar to snack on.
24 bottles, 24 evenings, a cocktail tip behind every door – the gin calendar from the Moselle for people for whom chocolate in December is not enough.
