With all the drinks in this month's ATF Insiders giveaways you'd definitely know it's Christmas, but there's also the obligatory new openings, high end grocery vouchers, and a New Year's Eve hotel package worth €500! ATF Insiders is our premium service offering added benefits for readers, that allows us to operate ad-free and independently, with everything featured and recommended here paid for by us. Having your name put in the hat for nine brilliant prizes every month is just one of the benefits.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Tuesday 17th December will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Wednesday 18th December. Here's what you could win this month if you're in the club...
1) The NYE Experience at The Club Hotel at Goff's, Co. Kildare worth €500
How would you like to ring in 2025 with an overnight stay, dine and spa escape at 4-star boutique hotel The Club at Goff's in Kildare? You'll be treated to a five-course dinner paired with wines, Champagne for the countdown, live music, a deluxe paddock-view room, and breakfast in bed the following morning. They're also including a late checkout, and you'll have spa access to relax on The Deck – their new outdoor hot tub and sauna facilities overlooking the paddock. Check out the package here. (If the winner can't make NYE they can opt for a January Escape instead)
2) Glendalough Whiskey tasting dinner at Charlotte Quay and gift pack worth €270
We don't go in for Dry January around here, it's a depressing enough month as it is, so we're going to brighten up the longest month of the year for one Insider with two tickets to a Glendalough Whiskey tasting dinner at Charlotte Quay on Friday 24th January. You'll enjoy Glendalough cocktails on arrival, food pairings with some of Wicklow-based distillery’s best whiskeys, and a hamper to take home with some of their best whiskeys and glassware to drink it out of. For updates and information on Glendalough Distillery’s festive offerings, visit their website, and follow them on Instagram here.
3) €100 voucher for Hera, Dorset Street
When Juno on Dorset Street announced they were closing for a revamp a few weeks ago we weren't sure what to expect, but they've just reopened with new gastropub Hera attached and we couldn't be more eager to get in and see what the guys behind Crudo and Achara have cooked up now. Fried Tallegio with pear and ginger mustard; sourdough with chicken and mushroom butter; a €30 Delmonico rib-eye with green peppercorn sauce and pickled onion rings - sounds like ex-Bastible chef Joe Smith knows exactly what the people want right now. Check out Hera and Juno here.
4) A mega cocktail hamper from Dublin Cocktail Lab
If you want to make your life easy this Christmas when it comes to drinks, Dublin Cocktail Lab should be your first port of call. Christmas isn't actually Christmas without their mulled wine and hot whiskey syrup, and we've got a bumper package of some of their best drinks to give away this month, including mulled wine; a mix to make your own; lemongrass and habanero spritz, their new N/A version of the same, a wild nettle and smoked pear old fashioned, and the full Whitebox cocktails gift set. That's easily enough to see you through to the New Year without the cocktail shaker needing to come out. Order online here or find them in loads of great off-licences.
5) A dine in and drink at home prize pack from Galway Bay Brewery
We're not sure how Galway Bay Brewery find time to come up with so many new beers, from this year's sell out Two Hundred Fathoms, to the Wild Ale series, to Imperial stouts aged in Bourbon barrels, and we're sending one of you a hamper filled with some of their best to celebrate with this Christmas. They're also throwing in a €50 voucher to go and eat in one of their pubs, including the newly opened Molly's Bar on Francis Street in Dublin 8 (see all of their bars here). To maximise your visit you could always head in Monday - Thursday for their 2-for-1 Christmas burger deal. Follow Galway Bay Brewery on Instagram here.
6) €100 to spend on dim sum at Nan Chinese
Nan Chinese around the corner from Stephen's Green are the only restaurant serving Huaiyang cuisine in the country, and their new dim sum series is now served all day. It's all handmade in house by their chefs, very well priced and made for sharing, making it an ideal Christmas shopping stop when you want to lay down your bags and refuel with soup dumplings, steamed pork ribs and golden buns with char siu pork. We've got a €100 voucher to give to someone this month so you can work your way through all the deliciousness.
7) €100 gift card for Fallon & Byrne and a Julienne Bruno gift box
To celebrate the arrival of JULIENNE BRUNO to the Food Hall at Fallon & Byrne Dublin, one ATF Insider is going to win a gift box plus a €100 Fallon & Byrne gift card, just in time to stock up for Christmas. Stocked everywhere in UK from Harrods to Wholefoods, and across 800 hospitality locations including The Wolseley and Soho House, JULIENNE BRUNO's plant-based, dairy free products launched in Tesco stores nationwide, online and now in the Food Hall at Fallon & Byrne Dublin. Made from soya, they're naturally fermented to create a range of fresh, creamy and versatile soft cheeses, and after a taste you'll see why chefs and home cooks have been going crazy for them. Check them out at juliennebruno.com.
8) The full range from The Boatyard Distillery
Located on the banks of Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh, The Boatyard Distillery is the first B Corp distillery in Ireland. Distilled in Fermanagh and poured in many of the best bars around the world, this Christmas The Boatyard team have given us one of everything in the range to enjoy at home with your nearest and dearest. The original vision was to create an award-winning gin made with Martinis in mind, with a double hit of juniper to stand up in a delicious Gin & Tonic too, but they've now expanded to four spirits - Boatyard Double Gin, Boatyard Vodka, Boatyard Sloe Boat Gin and Boatyard Old Tom Gin. Shop the range and find out more about the tour experience at boatyarddistillery.com.
9) A Powers Whiskey Irish Coffee Gift set
Tis the season of Irish coffees, and this year the guys in Powers Whiskey collaborated with Brady's Coffee to barrel age their coffee beans in Powers barrels for 12 weeks. The end result is Powers whiskey infused coffee, and we hear it's rather delicious. They've just released a limited edition gift box containing the coffee, a bottle of Powers and two Irish coffee glasses (RRP €65). We've got a gift set plus a bottle of Powers Three Swallows to give away this month, to make it a very merry Christmas. Buy the gift set here.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for December (new and old) will be automatically entered into the prize draw - you don't need to do anything. If you're not signed up yet join here before midnight on Tuesday 17th December. You'll be supporting independent reviews and news in Dublin and beyond, and be able to get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.
