In January, I continued my mixology education with Shaker and Spoon. The theme of the month’s box was “Rye Oh My!” and all the drinks featured rye whiskey.

No complaints here.

The box arrived with a little less fanfare than last time but was still exciting to open. I love finding and pulling out all the little bottles and syrups.

(Sidebar: the box also arrived the exact same day as my new portable photography light box so I immediately started experimenting with both.)

The first drink I tried was the East End Sour, mostly because I love reasons to use my coupes (see, I’m also learning the glassware terms!), and because it was easy to make. A good whiskey sour recipe is essential I think, and this one was pretty good. It had candied fennel seeds, habanero cocktail spice and spiced coconut syrup for an interesting twist.

Above is my absolute favorite of the bunch, the Sugar and Spice. I want this cocktail all the time. It’s a version of which was pretty much guaranteed to be a winner, but even more delightful with the fig-raisin syrup and bitters. I loved using all the little oils that came with to

This last drink, The Mystic Mule, was good but also my least favorite of the bunch. It involved ginger beer which I actually enjoy – but only in the moment. I find that there’s something about the sugar content in ginger beer that just makes me feel really sick the next day, even if I only had one cocktail! So while it was delicious and I’ll probably try it again, this one would not be a regular occurrence because of the ginger beer.

This one came with a method for making finer air, which I really wanted to try but just didn’t have time for. I’m saving the directions though for future reference, and if I end up trying it, I’ll update the post!

The verdict? I’m two for two, and thoroughly enjoying my Mixology education! Thoroughly looking forward to Death By Gin next month (which is the name of my box and not my drinking plan).