This Shaker & Spoon Review will tell you everything you need to know about the Shaker & Spoon cocktail subscription boxes and compare it with the other top cocktail subscription boxes!
Hey guys! Hope you're all well, we're hanging in here. I wanted to share with you guys something that's been giving the hubs and I life lately, the Shaker & Spoon cocktail subscription club!
We've been getting the boxes now for the last three months and I thought that for those of you possibly debating whether or not to start a cocktail subscription (or which cocktail subscription to choose), I'd give you guys all the deets so you can decide for yourself if it's something you might want to try out.
I mean, I could use a stiff drink right about now, you?
Not to mention that there are two things that make humans the world over really, really happy. A good surprise and getting packages in the mail (and we could all use a little extra happy at the moment!). So ✓, ✓ and ✓.
Btw, all of the photos in this post are from the May "Girls Just Wanna Have Bourbon" box 🙂 Btw, we totally do.
Ok, let's get to it!
What comes in each box from Shaker & Spoon?
The box itself includes:
- Everything you need to make 12 craft cocktails (except the alcohol) all centered around 1 bottle of liquor. For example, May's box "Girls Just Wanna Have Bourbon" used 1 (750ml) bottle of bourbon to make all 12 drinks.
- A box summary and inventory card so that you can make sure you have every ingredient (especially great for making sure you didn't miss anything in a tiny bottle or package).
- A glossary card that'll show and describe that month's barware, glassware, techniques, and other terminology that may prove helpful for that box.
- 3 cocktail recipe cards, each from a different world-class bartender - the box will include the ingredients to make 4 drinks of each recipe.
Other things you get that aren't in the box:
- A Facebook group where members share photos of their S&S cocktails and other cocktail recipes they love (I've found so much inspiration from this group)!
- A fun, curated Spotify playlist to go with each box.
- Liquor recommendations from each of the three bartenders (these are released online well before the boxes are shipped, so you have plenty of time to get your preferred bottle).
- Videos on their YouTube channel for every single recipe.
Do you need special equipment to make the drinks from Shaker & Spoon?
Nope! There is some barware and glassware that they recommend, but you could totally make these drinks with stuff you have on hand (I've used a mason jar instead of a cocktail shaker before - use what you've got on hand if you don't want to buy anything new, totally fine)!
That being said - here are some of my favorite barware and glassware that I use on the reg (and a few that I just love and think you will, too)!
Barware:
- Barware set includes Copper Boston Shaker, Hawthorne Strainer and Japanese-style Jigger (I just got this set as a gift and I love it so much! - also, get you a handle-less jigger like the one in this set, so much less spillage!)
- Copper Drink Muddler
- Cocktail Mixing Glass
- Fine Mesh Cocktail Strainer (again, I have this one and it's great)
- Extra Large Ice Cube Tray (this is the tray that made the cube in the Living Proof photo towards the bottom of this post!)
- 12" Bar Spoon
Glassware:
- Libbey Greenwich Coupes (the glasses I used for the Matriarch Martini photo in this post)
- 7 oz Coupe Glasses - these are my most used glasses, I'm obsessed with them!
- Nick and Nora Glasses
- Mikasa Double Old Fashioned Glasses (shown in the Living Proof photo)
- Collins Glasses
Bonus!:
If you end up subscribing to Shaker & Spoon, these inexpensive little photo albums are the perfect size to hold those great recipe cards in!
Does Shaker & Spoon offer gift subscriptions?
Yes they do! In fact, this all started for us with a gift subscription to the hubs for his birthday! You can also take advantage of the gift subscription (which doesn't automatically renew like a regular subscription) to try it out.
Cocktail subscriptions make great gifts for birthdays and Christmas, too!
Why doesn't Shaker & Spoon include the liquor?
Ok, so this seemed weird to me at first, too. S&S answers this in full here on their site, but the gist of it is that shipping liquor isn't super easy depending on the state. Leaving the liquor out of the box meant several things:
- It could be shipped anywhere in the U.S.
- Shipping would be cheaper (and you wouldn't have to be home to sign for it).
- You can choose the exact bottle of liquor you want (and therefore how much you want to spend on it!). ← this is honestly my favorite part! It's been really fun learning about different liquors and choosing which bottles to buy. It quickly made the no-booze situation a pro instead of a con for us.
How much liquor do you have to buy per month?
Generally speaking, you'll buy one (750ml) bottle of liquor. Every now and again it'll be a little different - for instance, the June 2020 box was one 325ml bottle of St. Germain and one 750ml bottle of Brut sparkling wine.
How much does a Shaker & Spoon subscription cost?
The Box Itself:
Currently, a subscription costs between $40 and $50 per month, depending on the payment plan you choose.
Liquor:
We've found that the recommended bottles (though you can use any bottle you prefer) of liquor range anywhere between $20 - $50 for a 750ml bottle that the box will call for.
Overall Cost:
When you include the cost of the liquor with the monthly cost of the box, this turns out to be between $5 - $8 per cocktail! A freaking steal if you ask me.
We've been doing S&S for the last 3 months, and for 2 out of 3 boxes, our cocktails were under $6 each - the other one was about $8. Legit restaurant-quality drinks (honestly often better than drinks I've gotten in restaurants) that you would normally pay $10 - $15 for easily.
Are Shaker & Spoon cocktails 21 Day Fix approved?
Yes! Every item I've received from S&S has been made with clean, quality, Fix-approved ingredients, including the syrups* that they make in house.
I count each cocktail as a Yellow drink swap. Now, a Yellow drink swap is 1 ½ oz of liquor and some of these drinks are made with 2 oz, but you can easily scale back your drink so that the liquor is 1 ½ oz (and maybe even get an extra drink out of it)!
*the syrups are usually made with white sugar, which according to the newest container update, Ultimate Portion Fix, is now considered approved, just fyi.
What are the best cocktail subscription boxes?
After doing some interweb "research", I've found that the most popular cocktail subscriptions are from:
- Shaker & Spoon
- Cocktail Courier
- Saloon Box
- American Cocktail Club
Can you believe I've tried all but one of these?! Craft cocktails are my jam, you guys. And don't worry, I've got the goods for you ↓
Top cocktail subscription boxes comparison:
Here's a handy dandy comparison chart! Prices current as of June 2020 but of course, are subject to change.
What I loved about Shaker & Spoon:
- The drinks have all been seriously delicious.
- I love that it makes so many drinks (12), you can really stretch it through the month if you had a mind to. Not to mention that you get to try 3 completely different drinks each month. Variety is the spice of fun, my peeps.
- Getting inspiration from S&S to learn more about mixology and specific kinds of liquor. Cocktails and liquors often have really interesting backstories, too, and I've been loving discovering those. Here's a fun article with some cocktail origin stories if you're interested!
- Learning new (to me) techniques! One of which inspired a new cocktail recipe coming soon ♥
- Trying new liquors/brands/flavor profiles that I wouldn't normally order in a restaurant. It's been such a great experience to find the things that I love the most (especially when they're surprising)!
- Speaking of ordering in a restaurant, I love that I truly feel like I'm getting restaurant-quality cocktails for easily half the price. #bargainshopper
- The Make More Store! The S&S website has a store where you can replenish ingredients to make your favorite drinks from the boxes or order ingredients from previous boxes that you may have missed but want to check out. I've ordered things for myself from the store, but I've also sent items as gifts that have been loved. Also, if you're not ready to dive into a subscription, you could always try out some things from there 🙂
- Great packaging!
- Notoriously great customer service.
- Last but not least, getting so much inspiration to make my own creations at home and for you!
If you're wondering if there was anything I didn't like about Shaker & Spoon, I honestly couldn't think of anything. And truly I tried because I know what a gushing love-fest this article is, but I promise I mean every word.
If you want to check it out for yourself, you can click here on my Shaker & Spoon referral link!
I hope this review was helpful and that you're all safe and well!
Hey you, want to make some cocktails RIGHT NOW?? Check these out!
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