As the at-home mixology trend gains traction, spirits-savvy consumers are searching for easy ways to create bar-standard serves in their own kitchens. We round up some of the best monthly cocktail kits in the US.

Shaker & Spoon secured a spot on our list

The rise of on-demand services means sociable imbibers are now able to host events at home that previously could only be experienced in their closest cocktail den.

Now there are a wealth of stand-out subscriptions promising to build up spirits collections, furnish back bars, expand skills and explore flavours.

Whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur or looking to build up a basic repertoire, we’ve got you covered.

Click through the following pages for our pick of the best cocktail subscription services in the US.

Saloonbox

Price per month: US$37.50

SaloonBox aims to rule the at-home mixology market by providing small, exact quantities of each ingredient – keeping the overall kit cost low while reducing waste and freeing up valuable cupboard space. The company champions ‘artisans’ – each kit comes with a letter explaining each ingredient and how it’s made, the founders and distillers behind each brand are interviewed for SaloonBox’s blog. Consumers are encouraged to get to know the brains behind the beverage; the bartender that created the cocktail has a little blurb printed on the back of each recipe card.

Cocktail Courier

Price per month: US$150

A little different to the usual cocktail subscription format – subscribers receive a rotating list cocktails from “the world’s best bartenders” as frequently or infrequently as they like. Bringing Sasha Petraske’s ‘Bartender’s Choice’ concept to the home, imbibers select their favourite spirit categories and the rest is left to the mixologist. Cocktail Courier then post out a box with all the necessary ingredients to create between four and eight servings of said drink.

Shaker & Spoon

Price per month: US$50

Each Shaker & Spoon package is built around a particular spirit, showcasing a variety of cocktail-making styles: shaking, stirring, muddling, and more. The box contains five cards; a box overview, three step-by-step recipes and a glossary of potentially unfamiliar bartending terms, and will include enough of every ingredient, other than the alcohol, to craft 12 cocktails. The speciality syrups are house-made, and citrus ingredients are included. While S&S do recommend a bottle to suit each serve, drinks are tailored to work across the board.

Crafted Taste

Price per month: US$150

Crafted Taste prides itself on offering modern cocktails, custom ingredients, full-sized spirit bottles (which means enough for sipping, recipe tweaking and plenty of scope for practice) and a wealth of recipes – classics, featured recipes and even food pairings. What’s more, the team work with subscribers to match their personal tastes, resulting in a dynamic home bar with no wasted cocktail supplies.

Twist Your Spirits

Price per month: US$29.95

Each “artisanal” kit contains cocktail-specific ingredients – a shrub, syrup or mixer – as well as bitters, a garnish, a jigger, coasters, stirrers and a recipe to make (approximately 8 servings) of a given drink. The corresponding spirit is not included, leaving imbibers to pick their favourite rather than risk using an unfamiliar brand. The company presently offers the Chile Spiced Old Fashioned Cocktail Kit, the Pineapple Rum Punch Cocktail Kit, and the Smoky Margarita Cocktail Kit.

Bitters + Bottles

Price per month: US$89

This bumper kit boasts bar-size bottles of “world class spirits”, with multiple recipes for each. The 12-month programme promises to help subscribers master a portfolio of essential cocktails as well as inventing their own creations through flavour matching – all the while building up a complete at-home bar. Each box provides, on average, 20 cocktails, starting with what they deem as “the most essential” (Bourbon) and becoming “progressively more exotic” as the months go by, ending with mezcal. Waterproof cards feature five classic cocktail formulas and 10 cocktail recipes; imparting a wealth of instructions, tips, tricks and twists.

Speakeasy Co.

Price per month: US$39.99

Formerly called Thirty3Club, Speakeasy Co. promises to deliver two craft cocktail recipes with step-by-step directions, instructional videos, and all the ingredients required to mix four drinks at home. The service is split into two options – Prohibition and Speakeasy – which are identical save for the Prohibition box arrives sans-booze.

Mixology Monthly

Price per month: US$60

Mixology Monthly offers a variety of boxes packed with glassware, bar tools, and ingredients – no alcohol – equipping cocktail newbies with both skills and equipment. Subscribers can pick from all manner of given themes, which historically have included the likes of ‘spiced’, ‘alchemy’, ‘cranberry-sauced’ and ‘the Old Fashioned’.