The 10 Best Cocktail Kits (And a Few Mocktails) To Shake Up Your Mixology Skills

Cocktail kits are a great way to expand your palate with new drink recipes, but the very best cocktail kit should also encourage you to get creative. Shaker & Spoon inspires innovation by sending you supplies for three themed cocktail variations, all designed around one spirit. Each month, subscribers receive house-made syrups, aromatic bitters, specialty sodas, and even fresh fruit to build 12 craft cocktails at home. Oh, and the darling garnishes don't hurt either. Step-by-step recipes are curated by some of the top bartenders in the world and are easy to follow, though there's also video tutorials to simplify it further. Just supply your own spirit (bartenders share a recommendation for each box), and you're on your way to serving four portions of three different bar-quality cocktails.  

If you sign up by October 31, you'll be all set to enjoy November's Fruits of Fall: American Apple Brandy Box with cocktails curated by the Big Apple's finest bartenders. Each of the three fall harvest cocktails orbits around apple brandy as the main spirit. Pear Necessities, served in a highball glass, infuses pear and vanilla to offset apple cider vinegar in a ginger beer base, while the Rougeoisie uses cranberries to brighten the apple brandy, along with bitters and freshly grated nutmeg. Then there's the Wolfe & Wehr, a spiced chai variation of the classic old fashioned. You can make all these cocktails and more at home—no going out necessary. Don't feel like subscribing just yet? Shaker & Spoon also sells à la carte mix-ins and single cocktail kits that make four drinks.  

To buy: from $40 per month; shakerandspoon.com

We've all tried our fair share of basic mixed drinks, but soda and tonic water aren't the end all, be all for mixers. Avec is upping the cocktail kit game through its line of canned mixers with multiple mixology possibilities. The simple concoctions make amazing drinks on their own but are also elevated with your spirit of choice (each can has three suggested booze combos). Avec currently offers five flavors of mixers: Hibiscus and Pomegranate, Ginger (a low-sugar alternative to ginger beer), Jalapeño and Blood Orange, Grapefruit and Pomelo, and Yuzu and Lime. Each flavor is all-natural, low on sugar and calories, and made with real juice. You can order mixers in a pack of 12 cans or try them all in the sampler pack, which includes three of each flavor. Planning a party? Avec also offers a party pack of 45 cans that's perfect for your next big event. 

To buy: from $36; avecdrinks.com

Bottled cocktail kits are great for their versatility, and bottled mocktails are just as strong in that department. Ghia is bringing class and culture to your bar cart with a Mediterranean-inspired bitter aperitivo, an alcohol-free twist on the pre-dinner drink used to spark appetites before meals. But you don't need a food chaser to enjoy this bottled mocktail. It tastes great on its own, and Ghia was quick to include multiple decadent mocktail recipes perfectly suited for the aperitivo. The Agrodolce is an herb-forward take on the classic Negroni, while drinks like the blackberry-based Dusk in the Garden and pink pepper Rosemerrymaking are totally original recipes. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Ghia's canned Le Spritz line of Ghia Ginger and Ghia Soda to take your mocktails to the next level. 

To buy: from $18; drinkghia.com

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It's no secret that any good party has plenty of booze on hand. Most cocktail kits only make a handful of drinks, and while still delicious, it likely won't be enough to keep your guests entertained through the evening. That's where Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Spirits comes in. Along with its refined selection of wines and liquors, it also offers curated cocktail kits complete with full-sized bottles. That means you'll have more than enough handcrafted cocktails to share at your next big gettogether. 

Whip up a Parisian Boulevardier cocktail with two parts Sazerac Rye whiskey to one part Alessio Vermouth and Gran Classico Bitters (with plenty of the latter left over). Want something a bit more tart? Try Bounty Hunter's Ginger-Lime Margarita cocktail kit, which includes Arette Blanco tequila, Vedrenne triple sec, and Square One's Spicy Ginger and Luscious Lime mixes, to create 30 to 35 cocktails. If you're looking for minimal effort, Bounty Hunter also offers big bottles of pre-made cocktails, like Crafthouse's Moscow Mule and Fred Jerbis's Negroni. Simply pour them over ice and enjoy as you would with any other craft cocktail. 

To buy: from $20; bountyhunterwine.com

Related — The Best Wine Subscription Boxes for Every Palate

Sometimes, using a cocktail kit is as simple as combining a spirit with juice and syrup. If you're going to go the easy route, you'll want to make sure your mixers are as good as gold. Cheeky Cocktails reaches that gold standard through its line of bar-quality cocktail juices and syrups, including 100-percent lemon juice and lime juice as well as the honey ginger and cranberry lemon syrups. Cheeky's cocktail kits are the best way to try its bottled goods. Each kit makes up to five drinks and comes with 4 ounces of both a juice and a specialty syrup. Add them together with 2 ounces of the recommended liquor, and you've got a craft cocktail made in less than a minute. 

There are plenty of cocktail kits to choose from, helping you make the likes of margaritas, mojitos, cosmopolitans, and more, without any of the fanfare. Instead of following intricate recipes, you'll simply mix the two ingredients in with your spirit and enjoy immediately. Oh, and it'll taste great, too.    

To buy: from $15; cheekycocktails.co