Shaker & Spoon is a monthly subscription box that sends you everything you need (except the alcohol) to create bar-worthy cocktails at home.
Each box focuses on a particular spirit and includes step-by-step original recipes and specialty ingredients.
You can skip boxes at any time, so there’s no need to worry if you don’t like a particular spirit. If you don’t like gin, for example, you can skip boxes that feature it.
Shaker & Spoon strives to make all of their boxes naturally vegan. If a box is not vegan, it is their policy to explicitly mention it when the box is announced.
Because the boxes contain perishable produce, Shaker & Spoon sends their boxes via USPS 2-day priority.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Shaker & Spoon
The Cost: $50 per month + $5 shipping (Discounts are available with longer subscription commitments.)
COUPON: Save 15% off your first box with coupon code MSA15 (1 & 3-month subscriptions)
The Products: All of the ingredients (except the alcohol) to make 12 cocktails from 3 different recipes.
Ships to: US
Check out all of our Shaker & Spoon Reviews! Find more cocktail boxes in the Drink Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Back in April, Shaker & Spoon announced that they would be teaming up with Bar Rescue’s Russell Davis. From now on, Davis will be overseeing the curation of each Shaker & Spoon box, and each box will feature recipes from talented bartenders around the world. They sent an email to subscribers outlining these changes, and also announced a price increase. Shaker & Spoon now costs $50 per month + $5 shipping, with discounts available for longer subscription commitments; however, current subscribers will be allowed to keep the original, lower rate for the next 6 months.
This month’s drinks were created by Kate Gerwin, Danny Ronen, and Russel Davis himself. Interestingly, one of the reasons for the price increase is that Shaker & Spoon is balking industry standards and providing compensation for the bartenders who contribute their recipes. I think it’s nice to know that they’re being compensated for their creations.
Each Shaker & Spoon box is created to showcase a different type of liquor. This is the “Vodka, Adventures, and Spring, Oh My!” box, and it features cocktails made with vodka.
Cocktail #1- Ralston’s Black Peppered Old Fashioned
Ingredients: vodka, black pepper-honey syrup, Angostura bitters, and lemon zest
This drink was really interesting! The black pepper-honey syrup was both sweet and piquant, and provided the drink with a really interesting complexity.
Cocktail #2- Under Sage Drinking
Ingredients: vodka, cherry preserves, elderflower syrup, Meyer lemon juice, and sage leaves
I love cocktails with strong herbal notes, so I was really excited to try this. Of the three cocktail recipes provided this month, Under Sage Drinking was by far the sweetest. I usually prefer drier and more aromatic cocktails, but there’s no denying this is a yummy drink. For me, this cocktail would be perfect for brunch.
Cocktail #3- Shrub A-Dub-Dub
Ingredients: vodka, strawberry-rhubarb shrub, basil syrup, sparkling water, and a strawberry slice
Shrubs are vinegar-based syrups that were extremely popular in seventeenth and eighteenth century England. I’m a big fan of shrubs- I love their tangy, sweet flavor! This drink was the definite winner for me this month. It was refreshing and delicious!
Every month, Shaker & Spoon posts instructional videos on their website to assist subscribers with the mixing of their cocktails. I think this is a great supplemental tool, and it really does help to de-mystify some of the techniques they use. If you’d like to check out the videos, they’re all available here.
Verdict: While it’s never welcome news to hear that a subscription is raising its prices, I’m pleased to see that Shaker & Spoon’s price increase is accompanying a bump in their curation game. I think it’s great that they’ve teamed up with Russell Davis, and I love that boxes will now feature recipes from world renowned mixologists. I think this month’s recipes are the best I’ve ever received from Shaker & Spoon, so I’m thrilled with the changes so far. I’m a little disappointed to see that the printed materials are still the same, though. Since recipes are now provided by prominent bartenders, I would love to see a “bartender bio” featured on each recipe card. I was able to find out information about this month’s bartenders by visiting the Shaker & Spoon blog, but I think it would be great to include that information in the actual box. In regard to value, when I break it down by drink this box now costs $4.58 per cocktail (plus the cost of alcohol, of course). For me, that’s reasonable, especially considering the handcrafted ingredients and creativity that goes into the curation. I really enjoy trying new experimental cocktails and mixing up drinks at home, so I always have a lot of fun with Shaker & Spoon. This month’s drinks were all excellent, and I LOVED the Shrub A-Dub-Dub. I look forward to seeing what’s in store for next month!
What do you think of Shaker & Spoon? Do you love trying new cocktails?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.