Lookie what I got through the post… No, it’s not my “How to Pack Your Stuff and Leave Now” information set from the German government, it’s a mix-your-own cocktail set from Friedrichshain-based drink specialists, Drink-Syndikat.

With the tagline “Highclass Cocktails – made by you”, Drink-Syndikat mail you these beautifully put-together boxes that include pretty much everything you need to mix your own cocktails.

The box I received was their Summer Highballs set and contained the ingredients for three refreshing alternatives to the standard (but loved) Gin and Tonic. They were: Sloe Gin Fizz, Portotonic and Mint Meadow.

Sloe Gin Fizz
The Duke Munich Dry Gin
Gabriel Boudier Sloe Gin
Lemon Juice
Sugar Syrup
Goldberg Soda Water

Portotonic
Quinta Seara d’’Ordens Fine White Port
Aqua Monaco Green Monaco
Lime Wedges

Mint Meadow
The Bitter Truth Elderflower Liqueur
The Duke Munich Dry Gin
Ginger Syrup
Thomas Henry Elderflower Tonic
Cucumber Slices
Fresh Mint
Lemon Juice

The box contained enough ingredients to make two of each cocktail, perfectly pre-measured for you in these branded apothecary-style bottles. They even print the measurement guides on the sides of the bottles, so you’d have to be a real idiot to screw up the recipes (which I did…).

The fresh ingredients you’ll have to source yourself, but you can buy lemons, limes, cucumbers and mint from any half-baked superspäti.

Man, look at those bottles. When I first opened the box, it felt like Christmas. Every single part of it is put together so carefully and elegantly. I was honoured to be the person opening it. My first thought was ‘God, this’d make a good gift for my dad. My uncle. My best friend. That weird guy outside the Sparkasse. Anyone who drinks (or appreciates good design).

And the fact that you get a small taste of cocktail making could launch a real hobby in mixology. I remember talking to a really excellent bartender here in Berlin, asking how much it’d cost to start a basic drinks cabinet to start mixing my own cocktails. He told me that a basic one (a few spirits, vermouths etc.) would mean around a €€200 investment… but then he mentioned that as your tastes and ambitions grow, it’s very easy (addictively so) to spend more and more money on top-quality and rare booze.

With Drink-Syndikat’s boxes, you can get your cocktail-making fix each month without going overboard on the spending (or becoming an alcoholic with all those bottles lying around). My box was €€39.90 and contained six cocktails.

Drink-Syndikat is Erik Pfauth and Jens Hoffmann. They offer German’s first premium drink subscription service. Each month they get together with local distilleries and some of Berlin’s best bartenders to offer a new set of cocktail recipes. Sure, you can buy these boxes individually and they’ll deliver them free, but things get more interesting when you join the Drink-Syndikat and receive a new box each month at a discounted rate.

And a sneak preview of next month’s box? Drink-Syndikat told me it will be cocktails AND craft beer.

Drink-Syndikat
Finowstraße 14
10247 Berlin
+49 (0)30-2123 8379
www.drink-syndikat.de
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