Just when you thought your Christmas drinking calendar couldn’t get any more indulgent, Never Never has gone and done the most festive thing imaginable: brought back its cult-favourite Panettone Negroni. Yes, that one. The Christmas cocktail that tastes like Nonna’s kitchen, looks like a ruby in a rocks glass, and disappears from shelves faster than leftover pavlova.

Inspired by Italy’s iconic holiday dessert, this ready-to-pour beauty is back for the festive season in a new, generous 700mL format because it’s Christmas and we’re not here to count pours. There’s also a shiny limited-edition gift box involved, which means you can rock up to lunch looking wildly organised even if you bought it five minutes earlier (we won’t judge).

Inside the bottle is Never Never’s award-winning Triple Juniper Gin doing the heavy lifting, blended with bitter citrus aperitif, sweet vermouth, aged muscat, orange liqueur, rye distillate and whole vanilla bean. The result is rich, spiced and unapologetically festive, with notes of candied fruit and Christmas cheer dialled all the way up. Smells like Nonna’s house. Tastes like you should’ve worn elasticated pants (rookie mistake).

The serve is delightfully low-effort: keep it in the freezer, pour it cold over one big block of ice, and accept compliments graciously. It pours a deep ruby red, looks excellent in photos, and goes down far too easily for something clocking in at 22% ABV. Yikes.

Available for AU$75 RRP through Dan Murphy’s and Never Never’s online store, the Panettone Negroni gift box is limited… much like your self-control after glass number two. Festive problems, solved.