This Monthly Cocktail Kit Is the Best Gift I’ve Ever Given My Dad
He counts down the days until it arrives on his doorstep.
Dads are arguably the hardest people to shop for on planet Earth. Okay, brothers are tricky, too; but usually, sports merchandise or a new video game will tickle their fancy and you can call it good. Fathers, however, seem to live in the camp of “If I want something, I’ll buy it myself.” At least, mine sure does. So, when Dad’s Day rolls around each summer, I’m consistently stumped on what to buy for a Father’s Day gift.
However, for Father’s Day 2020 (in the thick of quarantine), I was living with my parents, and I began thinking about what we enjoyed doing together: play shuffleboard; build bonfires; listen to music; and often, during many of those activities, share an alcoholic beverage while we’re at it. We had been splitting bottles of pinot noir and cracking open IPA’s for months, but I knew that my father, a lover of Manhattans and other dark liquor drinks, missed bellying up at a bar and sipping a fancy cocktail mixed by a bartender. Enter: an at-home cocktail kit.
There are lots of cocktail kit subscriptions out there, all differing in frequency, price, and size. After some googling and review-reading, my sister and I landed on Cocktail Courier. Here’s how it works: You select the receiver’s alcohol preferences (gin, vodka, whiskey, etc.), choose either “a la carte” (a one-time purchase) or a recurring subscription (I picked monthly for four months), and violà: A box filled with fresh ingredients and the recipe for a unique cocktail will arrive at your doorstep each month, like clockwork.
Plus, Cocktail Courier sends an email to the recipient revealing the next cocktail before sending out the latest kit, so if the drink doesn’t sound appealing, you can request a different choice.
When my dad opened his first cocktail kit, he was over the moon. The thoughtfulness of the gesture was not lost on him, and he couldn’t wait to shake up the first drink with me and my sister. The first box featured the ingredients for eight servings of “Guatemalan Sunshine”: rum, limes, pineapple juice, chocolate bitters, Morita chile syrup, and even a bar of chocolate and a mini grater for garnish.
We had a blast mixing the cocktails together, feeling like real bartenders shaking them up and admiring the pretty (and delicious) final result. My dad loved the drink so much, he had a second kit shipped to Florida where he and my mom were meeting friends for vacation.
Every month since receiving his first box, my dad excitedly sends me photos of the latest cocktail kit when it arrives at his door, plus a selfie of him and my mom once they’ve made the drinks. Also, he has saved a few boxes when he knows I’m visiting soon, so we can whip up the cocktails together. It’s hands down the best Father’s Day gift that I’ve given him.
If you’re looking for a unique Father’s Day gift that inspires bonding time with dear-old dad, look no further than one of these cocktail kits.
Best cocktail kits:
With a Shaker & Spoon subscription, you’ll receive three recipes by top bartenders and everything you need to make four servings of each recipe, for 12 drinks total. Opt out of any boxes that don’t tickle your taste buds.
If your dad is into all-natural living, this is the cocktail kit for him. American Cocktail Club offers low-calorie, low-sugar juice blends for natural and fresh cocktails. Each box contains four servings of drinks created by award-winning mixologists.
Calling all bookworms: The Intoxicated Intellectual is both a cocktail kit and a book club subscription in one. Monthly, your dad will receive a classic book paired with a literary-inspired cocktail. What could be better?
Every season, The Jolly Hour releases five new craft cocktail boxes based on the freshest ingredients available at that time. Choose your three favorite boxes month-to-month and whip up 12 cocktails at home.
If you opt for a SaloonBox subscription, boxes will ship on Tuesdays and Thursdays each month. Ingredients inside the boxes will include alcohol, bitters, syrup, dry fruit, honey, juice, seltzer, and more fresh picks.
Cheers! Find more experience gift ideas here.
