I’ll admit I’m a skeptic about most weekly/monthly food box subscription services. I’ve seen some that basically deliver a bag of ingredients and a recipe, then expect you to do all the work, and others that charge a ridiculous amount to do a tiny bit of mise en place for you. Seriously, for $15 at least send me the entire onion that you chopped up.
In an idealistic sense, I’d like to think hese boxes are getting people more comfortable in the kitchen and encouraging them to experiment with new ingredients and recipes. But in general, I have to question how many folks ever go back and shop to cook the recipe again on their own or whether the predetermined ingredients and process are just a crutch to avoid having to come up with a meal plan. This is not even to mention the ludicrous use of packaging and the carbon footprint of mailing a chili pepper from Bolivia to a warehouse in New Jersey to me in Nashville. If I heard that someone was using the scraps from all the industrial prep work that must go into these boxes to cook meals for the needy, I’d feel a little better.
However, when I heard about the Shaker and Spoon Cocktail Club, I was a little more optimistic. They don’t purport to change the world; they just want to teach you how to make a few drinks. While I could certainly make most of the drinks they teach with ingredients from my home bar, my local grocery and liquor store, Shaker and Spoon trades on the Blue Apron-esque proposal that if you get all the ingredients, recipes and tools at the same time, maybe you’ll actually follow through and make something.
To that end, the monthly subscription revolves around one variety of liquor that changes each month. The delivery does not include the actual spirit since that complicates interstate commerce to a huge extent. It also lets you pick your favorite brand. But once you buy a fifth, you’ll have everything you need to make a dozen cocktails, just add ice.
Each box showcases different styles of cocktails that teach new techniques, and a glossary of germane terms and links to instructional videos are also included in the box. The pricing is $50 for month-to-month, or a three-month subscription at $135 pre-paid, $250 for 6-month, $480 for 12-month, and you can skip or cancel anytime. The box they provided me to test was for Agave Blanco, basically white tequila, but I could have substituted some mezcal if I was feeling froggy. Add in about $25 for a decent bottle of tequila for mixing drinks, and you’re looking at about $6.25 per drink, way less than at most bars.
Now, some of the items I received in the box were superfluous to me. I already had all the jiggers I’ll ever need, and there is little chance of a scurvy outbreak in my house because I always keep fresh lemons, limes and oranges to juice and to garnish with. But I imagine for most folks, they would be pleased to get everything they need in one package. Plus some of the more exotic ingredients like Mexican spice syrup, hellfire habanero shrub and xocolatl bitters were definitely not already in my regular arsenal. If you enjoy any of their specialty syrups and such, you can purchase extra supplies at the company’s website.
I enjoyed all three cocktails that they sent the recipes and accoutrements for, but most of all I discovered new ingredients that I could use in my own creations or riffs on classic cocktails. The company aims to give people the confidence to move beyond just opening a beer or a bottle of wine, and I find that when I take the time to craft a cocktail, I enjoy the experience at least as much as just ordering one,
I think a month (or three) of Shaker and Spoon would be an excellent gift idea or maybe a gift to yourself. Like the meal boxes, I wouldn’t expect this to be a permanent substitute for meal planning, shopping for ingredients and cooking your own food, although Amazon might certainly disagree with that idea. Until Amazon buys them too, maybe you might want to check out Shaker and Spoon Cocktail Club
