Lovers of our last rye box might’ve picked up a tidbit or two about the spirit’s mid-Atlantic Appalachian origins in states like Pennsylvania and Maryland. Inch up a little farther on the map into Canada, though, and you’ll land in a place where rye whisky is just as cherished and rich in tradition. Canada arrived…
Tag: old fashioned
Begin Again
Once upon a time, there was a spirit so popular that it captured the city of London in a craze. Flash forward to the Prohibition-era US, nearly two centuries later, and a decade’s worth of bathtubs were overflowing with the stuff to satiate revelers roaring for a sip. A pair of big moments in history…
Sun’s Out, Rums Out
Many a conversation has kicked off with this clichéd but effective icebreaker: What would you bring with you to a deserted island? A hammock, boogie board, or good book would certainly fit the bill—but if the category is island drinks, then there’s a slam-dunk case to be made for perhaps the truest spirit of the…
Bring on the Bourbon
Our bridge to summer (aka the month of May) is within sight, and the time has finally come to throw open the windows, shout “Bring it on!” into the temperate wind, and allow a legendary spirit to shine. As veteran Shaker & Spoon sleuths out there may already know, previous bourbon boxes have produced some…
Añejo, Let’s Go!
We heart tequila! And did you know that this agave spirit from the great land of Mexico gets bolder than blanco and even richer than reposado? Añejo is the name and “gracing cocktails that are friendly to all seasons with an amber look and a more robust take on the tequila taste” is its game….
Fruits of Fall
When it came time for America to stake a claim on a spirit of its own—coincidentally during the decades surrounding its own founding—Northeastern pioneers and even presidents needed only to look up at the trees. An abundance of apples combined with a revolutionary thirst led to the first applejack, named for its process of “jacking,”…
Summer Scotch 2
When it comes to norms in the barroom, we like the one who sat like a sardonic sphinx over his beer with the gang on Cheers. What’s less amusing, though, are those passed-down, informal ones that dictate who should drink what, where, and when. Want to watch a snowstorm with a tiny-umbrellaed tropical drink? Go…
Out to Tennessee
With Beale Street, Music City, and the Great Smoky Mountains on our minds this June, we’re waltzing into summer with a storied spirit, the humble beginnings of which went on to take the world by storm. And we promise, wherever the season finds you, with Tennessee whiskey in your glass, you’ll be feelin’ finer than…
Steeped in Vodka 2
Longingly watching for budding flowers and robin redbreasts, dusting off one’s galoshes, savoring an extra minute or two of sunlight as the days lengthen—these are all things we find ourselves doing in the anticipation-filled days leading up to spring. As these and other preparations for better days ahead kick off in earnest, one bottle that…
Behind the Creole Sling
We sat down with Ryan Maybee to chat about his work, Kansas City Whiskey, and his cocktail for the All Eyes on Rye Box, the Creole Sling! S&S: How does the Shaker & Spoon style of single-spirit recipes affect how you create a cocktail for one of our boxes? How do you approach that? RM:…
All Eyes on Rye
The story of rye, both as a crop and style of whiskey, is one of resilience and heritage. As the long winter’s approaching and a farmer needs something to last the season and protect and enrich their soil through lingering low temperatures, rye’s a mighty fine go-to. When Prohibition knocked rye whiskey off the top…
Fall for Mezcal
It’s a lively time of year in Mexico, a period when the last cheerful shouts and mariachi chords of Independence Day parties fade out and attention turns to preparing for the more spiritual but equally as energetic and colorful Día de los Muertos. In these months they honor their country and its people, past and…
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