What if making a paloma, hot toddy or Old Fashioned at home was as easy as pouring the spirit of your choice into a jar? That’s the idea behind brands like Camp Craft Cocktails. Camp's jars come packed with pre-measured ingredients like dehydrated fruits, vegetables, herbs, cinnamon sticks, citrus-infused sugar and spices. So, all you need to do is add alcohol, steep, shake, strain and drink, according to Rhonda Stringfellow, co-founder of Camp Craft Cocktails. “Our kits are one-stop,” Stringfellow says. In addition to their simplicity, infusion kits also make for a low-waste drink option, according to Rachel Garcia, who carries Camp’s jars at her shop, Dry Goods Refillery, a zero-waste, plastic-free store in Maplewood, New Jersey. “You don't need to be running around buying a bunch of different ingredients,” says Garcia, which might go bad in a forgotten fridge corner or end up collecting dust on a bar cart. Garcia also loves that kits like these can be infused twice and make up to 20 drinks. By the time she’s composted any of the jar’s leftover contents and repurposed the vessel at home or in her store, she says, “I’ve wasted nothing.” Plus, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, going out to bars and restaurants or embarking on an impromptu trip to the store for specialty drink ingredients isn’t always safe or possible. But with the kits, “I have all the things I need for a delicious cocktail at home, right at my fingertips,” says Garcia. Other small businesses are offering creative takes on cocktail infusions, from jumbo-sized jars to refill packs. Here are some brands that offer opportunities for celebrating (or coping) at home, simply and sustainably. All you need to do is supply the alcohol.
