The best cocktail kits we tested
Best cocktail kit: Shaker & Spoon Totally Tequila Box
Best cocktail kit, runner-up: American Cocktail Club Classic Negroni
Best splurge-worthy kit: SaloonBox Martini Hour
There’s nothing like savoring a beautifully crafted cocktail at home when it’s made just right. Whether it’s a creative take on your favorite tequila-based drink or a sophisticated glass of something bubbly, you can taste a drastic difference when a cocktail is shaken and stirred with TLC (and knowledge).
At the end of the day, being your own bartender goes beyond the alcohol or ingredients you use. It’s about the attention to detail poured into every glass. However, many of us may not always have the stacked bar cart needed to make our favorite cocktails. This is why alcohol subscriptions and kits delivered straight to your door can be a godsend.
However, with so many on the market, landing on the right pick can feel overwhelming. So, we set out to test the best cocktail subscription boxes for your next happy hour, holiday party or foray into mixology.
We cleared our calendars and gathered our loyal team of editors to shake up and test a range of cocktails using subscription boxes from Shaker & Spoon, American Cocktail Club, Crafted Taste, Fountain Gifts and beyond. What did we learn? Aside from discovering our team can craft more than witty headlines, we found that cocktail kits are an out-of-the-box activity to build camaraderie and have a guaranteed great time. Here’s what we landed on:
Shaker & Spoon went above and beyond all the kits we tested. The monthly cocktail subscription comes with a creative range of beverages, namely the Totally Tequila box we couldn't get enough of. With fun recipes, high-quality ingredients, helpful tools and even a playlist pairing, this kit earned high marks across the board.
American Cocktail Club's thoughtfully curated kit won us over with its attention to detail. For starters, every kit is designed by Bob Peters, a nationally recognized and award-winning mixologist. Equipped with a healthy heap of pocket-sized Campari and vermouth bottles, we thought this box was worth the price — especially for negroni enthusiasts.
With so many variations on a martini, it's hard to land on just one. We always appreciate a three-in-one deal and SaloonBox's martini kit comes with everything needed to make a classic martini, a starstruck martini and a chai espresso martini.
Best cocktail kit: Shaker and Spoon Totally Tequila Box
Shaker & Spoon offers curious cocktail enthusiasts more than just a crafty box. Its site is overflowing with fun resources for budding mixologists, like barware, bitters and extracts, aromatics, garnishes and even books and merch. The wealth of creative products and bar cart must-haves didn’t go unnoticed but we stuck to ordering a handful of cocktail kits for our testing.
Shaker & Spoon works by signing up for a subscription or giving a kit as a gift. If there’s a particular cocktail that catches your attention, Shaker & Spoon has guides to all the necessary ingredients and where to find them. It’s important to note that each kit comes with everything you’ll need — except the alcohol.
For Shaker & Spoon in particular, each box includes ingredients enough for twelve cocktails, including the necessities like syrups, bitters, garnishes and aromatics. We consider this a plus; most of us wouldn’t have these specific additions at home. We also noted the high-quality look and feel of everything provided. All its house-made ingredients are crafted in small batches in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We appreciated this small business’s thoughtful mission to recreate the processes used in the world’s best craft cocktail bars. This includes hand-selecting its garnishes and cooking up syrups, then sealing and shipping the boxes in-house.
Each kit is based around one type of spirit, but again, it’s not provided in the box — which is the case for many cocktail kits. Tools, like stirrers or shakers, are not provided but are sold separately if you want to include them. However, the helpful recipe cards and how-to videos make up for this. Associate editor Jillian Tracy had this to say: “This is good for parties and I like that you can make several drinks with one kit.” She added: “The instructions were clear and beginner-friendly and I really liked the way my drink tasted. Even though you still have to provide spirits, glassware and tools, it’s nice to have the bar basics and try something new for a special event or occasion.”
Best cocktail kit, runner-up: American Cocktail Club Classic Negroni
American Cocktail Club dubs itself the “world’s best cocktail kits,” all thanks to its careful curation by world-renowned mixologist Bob Peters. According to its site, kits include a combination of mixers, syrups, bitters, and most importantly, alcohol; a rarity in our testing pool. After testing this kit, we can attest to the luxe quality of the garnishes provided.
Better yet, each kit comes with a detailed recipe card with a photo and instructions on how to craft each cocktail, which moved the needle for us. We also appreciated the simplicity of ordering exactly what you want. For instance, one-time purchasers can easily customize a box after setting up an account. But if you’re on the hunt for a subscription, American Cocktail Club offers a “subscribe and save” option based on the delivery interval and products chosen.
We will note ACC only has three kinds of cocktail kits: Espresso Martini, Old Fashioned and Classic Negroni. Our editorial director, Chelsea Stone, whipped up an incredibly delicious ACC espresso martini, beans and all, that we couldn’t stop sipping on.
Overall, the sophisticated Negroni kit felt thoughtfully curated and leveled up our experience thanks to the professional-grade stirring long spoon provided. Best of all, the garnishes sealed the deal: Nothing perfects a negroni like a dehydrated orange.
Best splurge-worthy kit: SaloonBox Martini Hour
Martini’s are having a comeback, so naturally, we couldn’t help but channel our inner James Bond when unboxing SaloonBox’s sophisticated Martini Hour kit. Though a simple drink in theory, a custom martini can go in many directions: stirred or shaken, gin or vodka, dry or wet and even the right garnish can stir up a debate.
That’s why we liked SaloonBox’s solution to the great martini divide. You can make three varieties, all packaged beautifully in one compact kit. Reviews editor Tobey Grumet Segal crafted a killer vodka-based martini with dry vermouth and olives (though there was lemon if you want to go for the twist). You can also try your hand at a starstruck martini, a fruity combination of vodka, passionfruit and vanilla. If you can’t resist an espresso martini, try SaloonBox’s recipe using vodka, espresso and chai.
This kit can go a long way: The Martini Hour makes 12 total servings or four of each recipe. Grumet Segal liked SaloonBox’s assortment of resources provided to craft the perfect Martini. “It comes with everything,” she noted. “I would use this again and even use my favorite vodka at home.” This kit can be purchased with alcohol, but note it will ship separately. According to SaloonBox, this kit can include one 750ml bottle of Tito’s vodka?or a bottle of similar quality and value if it’s not available in your area.
Remember, the beauty of a cocktail kit is that you can customize your finished product to your liking. So if you’re not the biggest fan of Tito’s, feel free to raid your bar cart instead.
How we tested
Though fun, testing a range of cocktail kits is no simple task. We researched a range of kits at various prices and offerings, from larger brands to independent sellers. We also considered the tools and products included in each kit, in addition to the kinds of cocktails each brand offered.
Everyone in our testing pool got to craft their own cocktail from a different brand, all the while taking notes on the instructions and guidance provided and the overall cocktail quality. Most importantly, we noted if we would try the kit out again. And yes, we did a walk-around to see what other creative concoctions everyone came up with.
We evaluated each kit based on the following:
- Price: We considered the value of each kit, factoring in what was provided and if it stood out from the bunch. Although most don’t come with glassware, alcohol or tools, almost all come with high-quality garnishes, bitters, syrups and most importantly, priceless guides. We noted whether each kit was worth the price or if we could simply DIY the cocktail on our own.
- Accessories: Again, we took the accessories provided into consideration. This included helpful products like jiggers, stirrers, shakers and strainers.
- Subscription model: We looked into the different kinds of subscriptions each brand offered and whether a kit could be gifted.
- Cocktail range: Although most kits are based around one kind of spirit, we considered if one kit could serve up a variety of cocktails in that specific spirit category.
Other cocktail kits we tested
Crafted Taste's Moscow mule recipe was unlike anything we tasted before. With actual lime, ginger beer, ginger cubes and even carrot juice for that much-needed health kick, we were impressed by the amount of zesty garnishes offered. However, this kit is on the expensive side of the kits we tested.
As the lucky Moscow mule tester, DaVonne Onassis Bacchus found it: “Straightforward and simple.” His favorite garnishes? “I loved that it came with apple juice, in addition to citrus offerings. They felt high quality.”
Sadly, this cocktail kit is no longer available on Cocktail Courier. However, overall we found Cocktail Courier's creative spin on classic beverages delightful, like the "Ace the Moment" tequila cocktail we tested. Although lacking shakers or measuring cups, tester Devin Zacchino found the kit "simple and straightforward."
Cocktail Courier also provides a fun range of non-alcoholic kits, like a mango habanero Stargazer, ginger-infused Fuji Toddy and Blood Orange Winter Fizz.
Although this isn't a cocktail kit, this necessary subscription provided one essential element to our testing that other kits lacked —?alcohol. We appreciated the glitz and glamour of Tipxy's "Flight Club," which came in a cheerful orange box, packed with impressive bottles.
Tipxy’s luxurious kits are broken down by spirit, so we used the variety pack to help us in our testing. Although there are several options available, the variety box can be subscribed to monthly for $200.
If you're looking for a trip to Margaritaville, Fountain Gifts is your answer. Unlike other kits we tested, Fountain Gift's helpful box came with real margarita glasses. Photographer and tester Molly Flores found the ingredients to be solid and appreciated the additional drinkware, but wished the kit came with instructions.
Other products we used
As useful as cocktail kits are, it’s important to note that many aren’t equipped with glassware or alcohol. We used reusable drinkware in our testing, considering we were in the office and hoped to be as sustainable as possible. That’s why we relied on reusable drinkware from Corkcicle.
Although we didn't use it ahead of our test, Corckcicle's swanky whiskey glass comes with a slow-melting ice wedge to elevate any cocktail.
We couldn't resist Corkcicle's 12-ounce double-walled Rocks glass in the glimmering "Prism" shade. Sleek and lightweight with easy-grip flat sides, the glass controls condensation to retain your drink's temperature.
It turns out many of the cocktails we made need good whiskey. We used Bruichladdich's floral, elegant authentically Scottish bottle to whip up a DIY Manhattan and Old Fashioned.
Why trust CNN Underscored
Here at CNN Underscored, we are committed to testing and using the products we write about to give our honest feedback. To us, that means getting hands-on with everything, taking detailed notes and factoring in a range of opinions from our staff.
And when it comes to cocktail kits in particular, that meant clearing out a table in our office and making some cocktails; sips, spills and all.
Like most on the hunt for cocktail kits, we aren’t bartenders or mixologists. Our team is curious by nature and eager to roll up our sleeves — that’s why our feedback is sincere.
FAQs
Carolina Gazal is an associate testing writer for CNN Underscored, where she writes best-of reviews in the lifestyle realm. When she's not testing products in the kitchen and home space, you will most likely find her on a coffee run or baking sweet treats.
