
Playing bartender within the comfort of your own home is made simple by various cocktail kits. (Photo by iStock/ahirao_photo)
Cocktails often seem best when crafted by a skilled mixologist and enjoyed at a bar—but that isn't always true! You can enjoy a top-notch cocktail from the comfort of your own home, even if you have zero bar skills. Enter cocktail kits, pre-made by professionals with all the fixins you'll need to do it yourself, from classics like the Manhtattan and Old Fashioned to original creations.Right now, many bars are offering cocktail kits as a way to serve their patrons while social distancing. Sometimes these kits include every ingredient—mixers, garnish, and more—except the alcohol, allowing at-home bartenders to choose their own. Others include the bottle in their kit, such as Chicago's Bar Biscay, which sells a Manhattan kit that comes with Evan Williams Bottled in Bond bourbon.Even if you aren't near a bar offering to-go cocktail kits, there are a slew of options you can order online (most of these require you to provide the alcohol yourself). Read on for more information, and then get to mixing!
The Manhattan kit from Bar Biscay includes everything you need to make multiple cocktails.Bar Biscay—ChicagoIf you're in the Chicago area, you can now pick up a cocktail kit or have one delivered from Bodega Biscay, the to-go outpost of Bar Biscay. The Manhattan kit ($57) includes a bottle of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond bourbon, a bottle of Angostura bitters, a bottle of vermouth, two lemons, and 12 cocktail cherries. And Whisky Advocate has full instructions on how to make a Manhattan.Blossom Bar—Brookline, Mass.Brookline's Blossom Bar is teaching its patrons how to be their own bartender, providing everything they need to do so. The website has instructions on how to craft a cocktail via shaking, blending, and stirring, and Blossom is selling everything but the alcohol, including fancy bar ice, prepared garnishes, and custom mixers. The mixers are released on a rotating schedule; follow Blossom's Instagram account to see when new ones are available.Employees Only—Los AngelesThe Los Angeles location of this bar mini-chain is offering its cocktails as DIY kits ($12) for pick-up and delivery. The kits come with all the ingredients—including alcohol—so all you have to do is add ice and shake. Try the EO Old Fashioned, which comes with bitters, brown sugar, an orange, and bourbon, and The Billionaire, which includes the bar's house-made grenadine and absinthe bitters, fresh lemon juice, and bourbon.Machine: Engineered Dining and Drink—ChicagoThis Chicago bar and restaurant is a launching curbside pick-up cocktail kit service that includes several items from its menu. The Caged Old Fashioned kit ($60) is 12 servings and includes a full bottle of High West rye, raw sugar, lemon oil, and two Angostura caramel cages that surround the drink and are meant to be smashed into it. For $19 extra, your order can include a pair of Coupe glasses and hammers. The new cocktail kits debut with Machine's Easter menu, which is available for pick-up April 12, but will be available on an ongoing basis.Seven Reasons—Washington, D.C.This Washington, D.C. bar and restaurant is offering takeout and delivery, including cocktail kits. The Seven Reasons Old Fashioned ($12) is made with Monkey Shoulder blended malt scotch, Santa Teresa 1796 rum, amaro, and fig, packaged in batches that come with instructions on how to prepare the cocktail that can also be found on Seven Reasons' Instagram account. Best of all, the venue's sales have been so robust that it's been able to re-hire laid-off staff, and it's putting 2.5% of all sales into an employee wellness fund.TenTen—Austin, TexasThis bar and restaurant is offering delivery and pick-up in the Austin area, with 100% of the profits on to-go orders supporting staff who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several cocktail kits are for sale, including multiple recipes that can be made with the customer's spirit of choice. The kits are available in an individual size for $12 and a six-serving size for $50.
PICK UP A COCKTAIL KIT FROM ONE OF THESE BARS
