The New Tradition Collection: Studio Boo reimagines the Christmas cracker

The New Tradition Collection by Bombay Sapphire has seen invited designers and artists reinterpret familiar tropes of the festive season. From the Christmas Tree to the party popper, each new design provides a twist on ideas and objects that are familiar around the world. It’s Nice That will be previewing the creations in the weeks leading up to Christmas that will culminate in a special New Years Eve showpiece designed by Bompas and Parr.

The Christmas Cracker is an ever-present part of seasonal celebrations and this year Studio Boo, founded by Ana-Maria Pasescu-Stewart and Amy Angold, has rethought the limp cardboard tubes as a graceful, blown glass table decoration. “We were given a few different Christmas elements to think about creatively, but the cracker for us was a great opportunity to do something more experiential as it has a fun level of interaction,” explains the duo. Studio Boo is heavily influenced by craftsmanship and nature, and its work is typified by a curiosity about the appearance and durability of materials. The studio primarily works with paper, but for this project it was inspired by the iconic blue Bombay Sapphire bottle and decided to experiment with glass.

“The idea was to take each element found in a traditional cracker, then re-create the theatrical experience. The core ingredients of Bombay Sapphire gin were our starting point and the concept of a 3D printed juniper berry became the focus,” say the designers. “What would be the joke in a cracker became the ingredients and a method to inspire the making of a cocktail.” Inside the glass cracker is a 3D-printed sprig inspired by a juniper tree that holds three delicate glass capsules that are filled with scented oils (pine, cranberry and lime) found in the Winter Pine Twist cocktail developed by mixologists for this project.

Studio Boo started by sketching out the idea and refining their initial concepts before meeting the glass blower and 3D printers to begin testing how the cracker might be brought to life. “As glass blowing is such an organic process there were many samples that had to be trialled and tested in the lead up to the final object,” say the duo. “This was a great opportunity to use two processes that we have never used before and to collaborate with differently skilled individuals.”

Each of The New Tradition collection is accompanied by a new festive tipple developed by mixologists at Bombay Sapphire. Each mix provides an update of a classic gin drink. Here you can find out how to make the Winter Pine Twist a seasonal take on the Ultimate Gin and Tonic.

SERVES ONE

Ingredients
50 ml Bombay Sapphire
125 ml Premium Tonic Water
Pine sprig
Cranberries
Lime wheels

Method:
1. Fill balloon or highball glass with ice.
2. Add the measure of Bombay Sapphire followed by the premium tonic
3. Stir gently.
4. Garnish with lime wheels
5. The finishing touches? A single pine sprig and a scattering of cranberries.