A Cocktail Kit interview pt 1

What gave you the idea to do cocktail kits?

Oh my gosh where to begin! This has really been a fun hobby focused on connecting friends. I have been missing the social element of being behind the bar, telling the stories behind the drinks I create and getting feedback and reactions in real time. When I first started allowing myself more creativity at home during the lockdown, I wanted to be able to share it with friends and have fun, complex drinks together despite being apart. The majority of my friends have zero bar equipment and consider squeezing a fresh grapefruit over whatever spirit is in the cupboard a win. They needed help. I needed my creative outlet back. Figuring out a way to share craft cocktails with only the supplies already found in their kitchen was the ultimate goal of these kits.

How's it going?

Originally this started as my immediate circle simply reimbursing me for whatever was used from my home bar. One of my goals is for me and my husband to take an immersive Old Testament study trip to Israel in 2022, and a few friends tossed on some extra cash with a note saying it was “a donation to our Israel trip.” From this spawned the idea of selling the kits to raise money for our trip, leading to a load of research into WA state liquor laws and distribution licensing. I have made numerous calls and emails, gone so far as to read prohibition journals from the 1920s, reached out to subscription box companies for insight, and ultimately been frustrated to find that there seems to be no work around of the laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol outside of its original sealed container. Of course the fun ingredients I wish to use and manipulate do not come in individually measured bottles. So I am discouraged to report that it seems unlikely I will be able to turn this into a real business (though I have not given up).

For now the kits are all for fun, and solely for donation. I do list a suggested donation amount that covers the cost of sharing my bar ingredients, but there is no obligation to reimburse or donate extra. I am ultimately gifting a kit to whoever wants one, including outside of our friend circle, and am asking for whatever donation a recipient wishes to contribute to our trip. It has been a fun exciting process, and I wish I could turn it into a true side business, so we will see if any laws can be changed, or a work around is still out there to be discovered.

You have created a beautiful cocktail menu, what is the story behind the drinks?

1. You know, I feel like I have truly found my creative outlet in the art that is craft cocktails. I’ve never been “artistic” in the usual sense of the word, preferring the rigid rules of math and science. But here, I have discovered a place where I can express myself in a way I have never been able to in ‘typical’ creative art. It is a space where each invention is clever and uniquely personal, yet there is an understood logic and structure that is true for all bartenders.

Creatively, for me, a cocktail is about the emotion it evokes. It's more than just a yummy drink. It’s smell and taste, everything from the glassware, to the color, to the name should transport you to the same place emotionally that I was while creating it. I’m still learning and trying new things, and my bar at home is limited, but I’m excited to be able to tell you what went on in my head for a couple of these kits.