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Crafted Taste Subscription Box Review – July 2016

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseJul 27, 2016 | 7 comments

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Box

Crafted Taste
5 overall rating
1 Ratings | 0 Reviews

Crafted Taste sends everything you need to make craft cocktails from some of the world’s top bartenders. There are three subscriptions options: Mixers only, Monthly and Premium. This is a review of the Monthly subscription. 

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Open

“Every kit contains all the ingredients needed to create the [month’s] featured cocktail at home, along with a recipe card, instructions, additional cocktail ideas, and recommended food pairings.”

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Inside

Crafted Taste sends everything in two shipments. One box contains the month’s featured liquor, and the other contains everything else.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Contents

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Products

The Subscription Box: Crafted Taste

The Cost: Crafted Taste offers three different subscriptions:

  • Mixers Only- $65 per month
  • Monthly- $130 per month
  • Premium- $200 per month (Note that the premium subscription contains upgraded spirits or additional bottles for your home bar.)

The Products: Ingredients, recipes, and instructions to help you make bartender-designed, craft cocktails at home.

Ships to: The Mixers Only subscription ships to all US states. The Monthly and Premium subscriptions ship to all US states EXCEPT: AK, AL, AR, DE, HI, KY, MA, MS, ND, NE, NH, OK, PA, RI, SD, UT

Check out all of our Crafted Taste Reviews and find other boozy boxes in the Alcohol Subscription Box Directory!

Keep track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription box list or wishlist!

CraftedTaste-July-2016-AlcoholBox

This month, I received both the alcohol box and the mixers box from Crafted Taste on the same day.

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This month’s featured alcohol is cachaça, a Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane juice!

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Accompanying the shipment of mixers was a plastic packet that included a brochure, recipes, and some lovely paper napkins.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Brochure

The brochure provided some background information about this month’s cocktail.

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It also included a list of this month’s products and some general bartending tips.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Recipes

The featured cocktail recipe this month is the Reanimator, but Crafted Taste also sent recipes for some other cocktails that can be made with the ingredients in this month’s box.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-GingerAle

Blue Sky Ginger Ale (2 cans)- $1.33

Blue Sky sodas are made with cane sugar and are certified organic. They contain no caffeine, preservatives, artificial flavors, corn syrup, and are very low in sodium.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Syrup1

Root 23 Blueberry Mint Simple Syrup (375 ml)- $13.99

This is a big bottle of syrup! In addition to being used to make this month’s featured cocktail, the Reanimator, it can also be added to prosecco, gin, vodka, or rum. I also think it would be delicious poured over vanilla ice cream!

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Syrup2

Pink House Alchemy Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup (16 oz.)- $13

I couldn’t find this particular syrup available on the Pink House Alchemy website, so I’m not sure if it’s a seasonal flavor or if it’s just currently sold out. (I’ve based the price on their other syrups currently available for sale.) I’m a big fan of strawberry and rhubarb together, so I’m excited to give this syrup a try. It’s the only item in this month’s box that isn’t an ingredient in the Reanimator, so I haven’t cracked it open yet. I might try using it to make a Strawberry & Rhubarb Collins.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Charcoal

Viva Doria Activated Charcoal Powder (1.2 oz.)- $7.95

Activated charcoal is purported to have the ability to help detoxify the body, and it’s popping up everywhere from socks to juice cleanses these days. I’ve even read that it might possibly be able to prevent hangovers, so it’s pretty interesting to see it in a cocktail!

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Gourmet Sweet Botanicals Crystalized Viola (10 count)- $10

This month’s drink recipe calls for a crystalized flower garnish, which is such a creative flourish!

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Unwrapping he crystalized violas was such a delight. They were packed very well, and they all arrived in great condition.

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I just can’t get over how beautiful they are!

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Liquor1

Avua Prata Cachaça (750 ml)- $38.99 (on sale for $29.99)

Avua is a “small batch, single sourced cachaça expertly handcrafted by one of Brazil’s few female distillers.”

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The flavor is delicate with “hints of wildflower, lemongrass, and dried herbs.” I love that each bottle is hand numbered!

Reanimator

CraftedTaste-July-2016-CocktailRecipe

This month’s featured cocktail is called the Reanimator. It’s made with lime juice, ginger ale, cachaça, blueberry mint simple syrup, activated charcoal, and it’s garnished with a crystalized viola.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Cocktail1

I absolutely can not get over this cocktail. I mean, just look at it. It’s black! (Okay… maybe purple…) If this drink was ungarnished, it might look utterly terrifying, but the addition of the crystalized bloom somehow transforms it into something edgy and feminine.

CraftedTaste-July-2016-Cocktail2

Lime is at the forefront flavor-wise, but the blueberry syrup adds just the right level of sweetness, and the herbal, floral notes of the cachaça reference the edible flower on top.

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This cocktail is definitely a winner. It tastes incredible, and holding it makes me feel like a rockstar.

Verdict: I really enjoyed this box from Crafted Taste! The featured cocktail was super creative— definitely not something I would think to mix up on my own. I love discovering new cocktail recipes, and I appreciate that all of the ingredients Crafted Taste sends are interesting and gourmet. They're also great at including thoughtful, small extras. This month’s paper napkins were a really nice touch. In terms of value, the items I was sent total approximately $76 ($85 if I use the MSRP of the liquor and not the sale price). That falls short of the subscription cost. Since this subscription arrives in two shipments every month, it is important to note that shipping costs are probably very high. Still, it would be nice to see the value improve. Even though this isn’t a high-value subscription, I can’t help but love the incredible curation. It’s a delightful indulgence!

Have you tried Crafted Taste? What do you think of this month’s featured cocktail?

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Crafted Taste is a high-end subscription box for cocktail lovers. Each monthly box contains a different cocktail recipe taken from one of the world’s top bartenders. The box not only contains the best of the best in mixers, tools, and service items, but it also contains full bottles of the featured ... read more.
Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse
Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle.

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7 comments

Colleen

Is this the monthly box or the premium box? And how can I tell from the review? Thank you.

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Lindsey

This is a review of the monthly box. Apologies that wasn’t clear in the review! We’ll make sure the review is updated.

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Ann

I can tell everyone that Blue Sky is the best soda on earth. The cola is heavenly so I’ll bet the ginger ale is just as delish.

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Heather

This looks interesting! About how many servings of the included recipe do you think you could make with the contents of the box?

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Lindsey

Hi Heather! Since I received 10 flowers, I’d say 10 cocktails. (I think I’d probably have leftover alcohol, syrup, and charcoal, though!)

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BONNY ADAMS

The flowers are beautiful! Any problems with ” staining” due to the charcoal?

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Lindsey

Funny you should ask…

I experienced no problem with charcoal staining from the cocktail (both the glasses and my teeth were just fine after drinking); however, I used some of the leftover charcoal in a batch of homemade body scrub and my shower is now a mess! Oops!

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