Shaker and Spoon: Mixology in Your Pajamas

By: Kara Adamo.

For a while, I’ve been tiptoe-ing around the idea of signing up for one of those subscriptions people do: like the meal kits or an artsy-craftsy thing.

I already basically own my own Micheals, though, and I live by myself so meal kits sort of seemed like a waste of time or money to me.

And then, thanks to Facebook and their ever-present ad schematics, I happened upon Shaker and Spoon–a subscription kit that deals with, of all things, mixology.

Well, clearly that decision was made for me by the fates themselves. I signed right up and, a few weeks ago, I received my first box.

I was so excited. I ripped that box open like a kid on Christmas morning.

The Shaker and Spoon kit is, like all subscription kits, different with every delivery and this was my first one, but if March’s ensemble was any indication, I would say this thing is money well-spent.

Each kit comes with everything you need to make three drinks at least three to four times. All you have to do is buy the alcohol. I’ve seen a lot of comments on social media regarding these kits where people do get disappointed that the $50 or so per month charge doesn’t include the liquor itself, but as a professional I have to say I disagree with the sentiment. First off, the state-by-state legal issues with mailing alcohol are a nightmare and where they would invest your subscription in said booze they would have to skimp on the other aspects of their mixology service.

Besides, picking out your favorite alcohol is part of the fun and it allows you to play more with what you want the drink to taste like.

The March box included recipes for The Fibonacci on the Fritz, the Crank it to 11, and the Hygroscopy til You Droppy. All three of these drinks are bourbon-based. I’m not sure if it’s intentional that they kept them all focused on one specific type of liquor, but I think it’s a great idea because it allows people to buy just one bottle and still use all of their ingredients. Plus, from a design standpoint, it’s more cohesive to give the box a theme and the ingredients all kinda work together.

The first drink I made was the Hygroscopy til You Droppy, which is kind of structured like a blood-orange/grapefruit Kentucky Mule with a twist, only it’s ideally served in a Collins glass.

To make the Hygroscopy, I chose Four Roses Bourbon. I did this for a few reasons. For one, thanks to being laid off after the Coronavirus, I’m on a bit of a budget. I can’t throw down for super expensive bottles and Four Roses is a mid-range, reasonably priced bourbon that I don’t mind drinking neat, which is my metric for whether or not a whiskey is any good.

Also, I like the story behind Four Roses. The gist is, the guy who founded the distillery fell in love with this southern belle back in the 1800’s and he proposed to her. She wanted to think about it for a bit and told him that she was going to this ball that was coming up. If her answer was yes, she was going to wear a corsage. She showed up with a corsage that had four roses on it and he was so happy that he named his distillery in honor of the day she said “yes.” So it’s basically the most sappy, lovey-dovey, adorable thing ever and I kinda geek out on that. Also, again, the bourbon is solid.

So back to the drink.

Shaker and Spoon gives you unique cordials, fresh fruits, different types of bitters, etc. This box also came with a tiny spray bottle of spearmint oil and a little jar of Filthy Cherries, which are a bartender favorite anywhere you go.

The first drink I made called for their unique Winter Cordial, lemon juice from one of the lemons provided, ginger beer (also provided), the whiskey I picked, and a little spritz of spearmint oil, which I’ve never thought to use in a mule but is now a must-add as far as I’m concerned…especially when you use blood-orange and grapefruit juices.

The bartender in me felt like playing with a garnish and, because I didn’t have any mint or a blood orange, I opted to use my row-knife and create a curly-q lemon twist: a miniature version of the lemon ribbons I usually add to martinis.

The result was shocking. The ginger in the ginger beer (they used Cock’n Bull, which I hadn’t tried before but fell IN LOVE with), worked so well with the blood orange and the spearmint helped distract from the bitterness grapefruit usually has and allowed the flavors to blend really well. It was fresh instead of sugary–balanced instead of weak or too strong, and gave a decent buzz without knocking you out at the end.

I’m hoping that, at some point, I can buy that Winter Cordial, because I have no idea what the ratios are and it was absolutely perfect. I’d love to mix it with gin and see what happens.

Another word about the box: along with the recipe cards, you will find a card that explains barware and glassware and then, on the back of that card, it describes the techniques required to make the drinks so people can follow along without feeling lost. While I’ve spent my life in the industry and the better part of a decade behind a bar, many people might not be as familiar with, say, a double-strain. I think this educational tool adds value to the subscription because people are signing up for this thing to learn to make drinks properly and, in lieu of traditional training, these little info-cards are pretty clear and simple to understand.

Overall, the kit’s an excellent option for anybody who is interested in learning to bartend, people who just want to make more interesting drinks at home, or even for people who have been in the business a while but want to up their game. I found that I got a lot out of it even with the first recipe and, in honesty, it kinda felt good to practice the craft after being out of a job for the last week and a half.

I hadn’t planned on using this kit to connect to the bartending side of my life during quarantine because, well, who the hell knew that being quarantined and legally laid off was ever going to be a thing? But I’m glad that I have it now because it’s helping me pass the time and for even a moment I feel like I’m working again.

Plus, it does give me something to write about, which is always good.

I’ll write another little blog about each of the remaining two drinks in the kit once I try them out, but I was so excited about how solid this subscription is so far that I wanted to tell everyone.

Until next time: stay safe, stay inside, wash your hands, and find something fun to drink.

Kara Adamo is a bartender, booze nerd, and booze writer. She is the author of Fancy Grape Juice: De-Snootifying the World’s Snootiest Beverage; Artimals: Coloring the Whimsical Wild; and Brews & Hues: A Coloring Book About Beer. Adamo currently lives in Washington DC.