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Drinkworks Home Bar

Something else bizarre for you. This time a cocktail maker – just like a coffee or tea
maker, only different!

AB InBev and Keurig have cooperated to make this. It is
capable of preparing cocktails, beers and ciders through
24 different ‘pods’ that contain blends of spirits and
natural flavours, created by in-house mixologists. The
Keurig coffee machine heritage is obvious.

The machine calculates the precise amount of water and carbonation needed for
each Drinkworks Pod, dispensing the spirits, water, carbonation and other
ingredients simultaneously into a glass to produce a drink.

Fifteen cocktails are available, including cosmopolitan, mojito, margarita, gin and
tonic, Moscow mule and white wine peach sangria. Two ‘flights’ of beer brand pods
are also available: an English collection, featuring brews from Bass, and German
beer styles from Becks. 24 pods in all so far with more to come.

Quote: “We started with a clear opportunity, consumers want to serve and enjoy
complex cocktails at home, but it is time-consuming, expensive and messy. We
iterated with users throughout the development process, and we’re confident that the
appliance we designed with them solves this perfectly.”

The machine is on sale now for US$299, but only in St. Louis as a trial or from their
web site. But, really? Half the fun of cocktails is making them. And I would bet you
can make them for much cheaper than buying the pods at $4 a pop – although this
is, of course, much cheaper than in a cocktail bar. However, at a cocktail bar, or at
home, you can ask the barman to make it sweeter, dryer, weaker etc. You cannot do
tweaks like this with this machine, although there is a control app so maybe one day
the software will let you do this.

David Smith

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