Cocktails By Spence Club is a unique cocktail subscription box that focuses on learning the craft of the cocktail in a fun and comfortable setting a.k.a. your home. Each box includes recipe cards and all the ingredients, except for alcohol, to make your cocktails. They provide enough ingredients to make four cocktails, and all of the cocktail ingredients are also handcrafted and curated for a great cocktail experience. Boxes start at $59.99 per month. The subscription also donates $1 from each box to the US Coast Guard.
DEAL: Get 15% off your first box! Use coupon code HELLO15.
The first thing you’ll see upon opening the box is the information card. The packaging has a very clean look and has a nice enough presentation to send directly as a gift subscription.
There’s a lot of squiggles in the box! The generous cushioning kept everything safe in transit.
Everything in the box! I’m ready for a cocktail party!
I like how they kept things simple. The insignia does give me a bit of a retro vibe, back to the days when the work day was finished with a cocktail instead of a microbrew.
There’s a letter from Spencer Taliaferro, the CEO of Cocktails by Spence Club. It shares a bit of his philosophy behind the box — creating proper cocktails that can be shared with friends and family, as well as elevating your home bare by providing professional quality bar essentials. I like the bit of background on sailors and their role in spreading the gospel of cocktails, as well.
They even provided a link to a how-to video, which is very convenient for people who are new to mixology. It will show you how to use the jigger, make your garnish, and shake your cocktails properly.
There are two cards. One has illustrations of the ingredients and the other has the instructions on how to make the Sailor’s Handshake cocktail. The inaugural cocktail is the Sailor’s Handshake, for which you will need 2 ounces of white rum. The recipe is essentially a mango daquiri. Though a couple airline bottles will be sufficient for making the four cocktails intended in the kit, I would suggest picking up a handle of this versatile spirit to start outfitting your bar.
The mango syrup comes in a sealed packet to avoid spillage in case of catastrophe.
Cocktails By Spence Mango Syrup ($3.99) Our syrup arrived safely! This bottle contains 4 fluid ounces, enough for four Sailor’s Handshakes.
They are consistent on the simple packaging. The syrup is a mixture of mango puree, pure cane sugar, and filtered water.
They also included 3 fresh limes to pump up the taste! Squeezing your own lime juice from fresh fruit always has a better flavor than pre-squeezed, as it is not only fresh, but you get a bit of the flavorful and fragrant oil from compressing the peel, too.
Jigger Shot Glass. The jigger is used for measuring liquid ingredients for your drink. It’s hourglass-shaped!
The smaller end has a standard 1 ounce measure.
The bigger end can contain a maximum of 2 ounces. The taper is wide enough to squeeze the lime straight in here! The jigger is sturdy and made of stainless steel — I accidentally left mine soaking, and it didn’t stain or rust at all. There are no internal measurement lines, but you can easily eyeball a half ounce, etc, when needed.
Handy Helpers Lemon Squeezer ($13.89) Speaking of squeezing lime, we also got an easy-to-use squeezer made from plastic.
It’s in bright yellow, so it’s easy to spot in my utensil drawer!
To use, just open the squeezer, place the lime (that has already been cut in half) or lemon and then close it. I like to give the fruit half a flip and squeeze both sides to get max juice. I am a little wary of this hinge, as it looks a bit frail, but it has held up nicely so far.
More cocktail making essentials! Spencer sent us a two-part shaker with strainer top.
Cocktail Shaker. This cocktail shaker is the best and easiest way to mix your beverage. Just put all the ingredients in the small shaking tin and seal it with the big shaking tin. Make sure it is sealed, then out a good grip on each end and shake it for a good 30 seconds. The tins seal together perfectly, so don’t fret about getting showered in booze! I like this style much better than the ones with a built in strainer and lid — much less fuss and easier to clean.
Cocktail Strainer. The strainer helps filter the ice and give you a perfectly mixed cocktail! I’m not sure why the design is so complicated, but it must have purpose, as it is industry-standard. It does fit well enough for secure single-handed operation, though the wire does entrap pulp and takes some effort to clean.
Put the strainer on top of the shaker and you’re good to go!
I cut a wheel out of the center of the third lime in half and made a garnish out of it, still able to use the ends for juice. I love the feeling of mixing your own cocktail. The recipe made a very pleasant drink, with good balance and a nice hint of mango, thought the strength of the lime cut into the intensity of the mango flavor.
Cocktails By Spence really upgraded our home bar situation to version 2.0, and I’m looking forward to more installments. The jigger and the shaker that came along with the kit are permanent additions to my bar, and they are great to have, as I can be creative as I can get in trying out new cocktails and mixes. Judging from the introduction letter, this subscription makes a wonderful introduction to the world of mixology, featuring a different liquor and classic, but updated, cocktail each month. I also like that they give back by donating to US Coast Guard – what better way to honor the contributions of sailors to the development of the cocktail!
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Comments
I feel like this would be a great box priced at $40, but at $60 with no alcohol included, it’s a bit much, even with the detailed instructions given.