I Tried a Cocktail Subscription Box: Here Are My Thoughts

In an era where you can subscribe to pretty much anything with the exception of a lifetime subscription to heaven (though that would be nice), I have definitely had my fair share of being swindled out of my $9.99-$40/month for everything including razors, shoes, panties, dinner and more by clever little advertisements. 

Tempt me with a subscription to booze? I didn't stand a chance. I'd been curious about how much I'd appreciate a service like this (since I am a self-proclaimed at-home master mixologist, of course), so I was excited to try American Cocktail Club -- because that sounds like THE club for me.  

It's a simple concept: you sign up on their site and opt-in for one of two box options and they send you a monthly box with everything you need to whip up your own cocktail at home. 

I received the August box that featured The Summer Belinni created by Gabby Cirigliano. The cocktail is sparkling wine-based and included two canned sparkling wines, some fancy cocktail blend by American Juice Company called Harriett Peacher Stowe, and a guava-flavored ginger ale. The box even included flower petals for garnish.  

I spent a couple minutes of my Labor Day mixing this very simple cocktail and enjoyed one while catching up on Sunday's episode of Insecure. I'd never heard of 2/3 of the ingredients, but it was surprsingly pretty tasty. A little weak, but tasty. 

Here are the pros and cons. 

Pros: 

• The box includes everything you need to whip up a cocktail at home 
• You get enough ingredients for about 4 cocktails 
• Makes a great date night activity 
• You have an option between the Everything Box (that includes the booze) and the Everything But the Booze Box (which doesn't include the booze)
• If you by your own booze, you can likely get more servings out of the ingredients 
• You get a cute little recipe card to add to your cocktail recipe folder
• You get a fancy an all-natural cocktail blend by American Juice Company in every box 
• The cocktail was pretty tasty 

Cons:

• While they say you get 4 cocktails per box, I managed to only get two (different strokes for different folks)
• Boxes aren't initially customized to you preferences 
• I'm not a huge sparking wine fan, and would've appreciated something a little more spirit-forward 
• The flower garnish that came in my box weren't as vibrantly colored as shown in the pictures 
• $44.99 is a little high for the Everything Box in my opinion 

I think the one thing I would change off top is the lack of customizing your box based on preference. It would've been awesome to take a short survey based on my drinking habits and tastes and then sent a box with those things considered. Their website says that after a couple of boxes, you will be able to provide feedback so they can better customize your box, but there's definitely a huge opportunity to do that upfront. 

All-in-all, there are few things I can appreciate more than having a box of booze delivered to my front door monthly. While I would've totally appreciated something a little more heavy-hitting than a belinni, I still enjoyed it for the most part. If you're open to trying a variety of different cocktails and have little preferences, or if you just want to hone in on your at-home mixology skills, I would totally recommend trying them out. 

I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend. Anyone else need an encore? 

Xo, 
Aquia

This post was produced in collaboration with American Cocktail Club. As always, thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting sponsors who keep content fresh on The Faux Fancy. 

Jackson Morgan Banana Pudding Cocktail

Happy Spring! I'm over the moon for this weather we've had in Texas the past couple of days. Blue skies and high 70º temps have their way of putting me in the best of moods. Speaking of good moods, I never knew how much a banana pudding cocktail on a warm Spring day could also contribute to said mood. But let me tell ya. 

I've had my eye on the Jackson Morgan brand for quite some time now. I love all things creamy, so when you take a creamy treat and mix it with whiskey? I'm sold. I've been dying to get my hands on the Salted Caramel flavor because salted caramel is hands down my favorite flavor combination of all time. But banana pudding isn't too far behind. 

Jackson Morgan Southern Cream can be served chilled straight up or mixed into a cocktail. I wanted to give this a real banana pudding feel so I served it shaken with a float of homemade whipped cream and garnished it with crumbled Nilla Wafers. 

When I tell you it was GOODT, I tell you no lies. Yes, good with a t for flavor. I knew I wanted a whipped cream float to sit atop of the shaken liqueur, so I didn't want to get the canned crap and spray it on. I've mastered the art of perfectly whipped cream from all of the Irish coffees I made over the holidays, so I took this route. 

Jackson Morgan is an American brand born out of the need for a craft whiskey cream. They have flavors such as peaches and cream, salted caramel, and orange whip to name a few, and they are all on my must try list. Check out their store locator to find a bottle near you. 

Check out the recipe below and try this boozy dessert in a cocktail glass. 

Jackson Morgan Banana Pudding Cream Cocktail

• 3-4 oz. Jackson Morgan Banana Pudding Cream
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 
• Nilla Wafers for garnish 
• Banana (optional) 

Shake banana pudding cream in cocktail shaker over ice. 

Strain into coupe glass 

Using a stick blender (very important for whipped cream), whip the cream on low until you get a loose, but thicker consistency. 

Using a spoon, pour whipped cream over spoon, into the glass to separate from the liqueur

Garnish with crumbled Nilla Wafers + banana slice

Enjoy!

 Xo, 

Aquia 

Disclosure: This post was produced in conjunction with Wax Cabin Candle Co. As always, thoughts are my own. Thanks for supporting sponsors that keep content fresh on thefauxfancy.com.