Drink of the Week: St. Agrestis Black Manhattan Bag-in-Box

It’s only getting easier to enjoy a great cocktail at the crack of a can or twist of a bottle cap. And now you can enjoy a quality drink at home poured directly from the box. That’s right, like several other savvy beverage companies starting to innovate within the totable drinks realm, Brooklyn-based distillery St. Agrestis is aiming bigger and better with its RTDs via three boxed releases: a Negroni, a Black Manhattan, and a Boulevardier. Just as many boxed wines did before them, these cocktails provide novelty, convenience, volume (20 three-ounce cocktails per box), and quality in a compact cardboard cover that fits neatly on the fridge shelf and stays fresh for three months.

Currently I’m seeing off the last days of winter with their boxed Black Manhattan, released late last year. The base is comprised of a sourced 5-year-old bourbon with a high-rye mashbill and the distillery’s own amaro, blended at a 2-to-1 ratio. It’s richly flavored with a spicy depth of clove and cinnamon that’s tempered by citrus, courtesy of the distillery’s orange bitters. The cocktail carries a light sweetness that lingers pleasantly toward licorice territory by each sip’s end. Sure, I’m ready for spring—but that doesn’t mean the last of my boxed Black Manhattan won’t be coming with me. $59.99/1.75L, stagrestis.com