Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Bartesian review: We have one perfect reason to buy the ‘Keurig for cocktails’

The Bartesian cocktail maker would be helpful to any party host

Nate Swanner
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the best parts about hosting holiday parties is making drinks everyone loves. One of the worst parts about hosting holiday parties is making drinks. Do you want to be stranded behind some bar cart or in the kitchen while everyone has fun and mingles?

We doubt it. So, what’s it worth to you to be able to mingle at your party but still have everyone getting the drinks they want? $366, maybe? The Bartesian cocktail maker may be what you need; it is a do-it-yourself Keurig-style cocktails machine that really does a very good job at (mostly) automating drink making.

Recommended Videos

Bartesian pods are dry mix cocktail mixers that pop into the machine like those ubiquitous coffee pods. Drop a pod in, select the strength of your drink, and the machine gets to work. The only “job” you’ll have is making sure the liquor – which you need to supply – stays stocked.

Related

You can use vodka, tequila, whiskey, gin, rum, and water. Bartesian pods are specific to the drink people want and even tell them which glass to grab. From Bartesian:

Bartesian capsules [contain] all the premium bitters, extracts, juice concentrates, and mixers that would otherwise need to be individually sourced, purchased, and stored. Once the Bartesian capsule is inserted into your Bartesian cocktail machine, the cocktail is immediately identified via barcode and suggests the proper glassware on the user interface touchscreen.

The machine identifies the drink via a barcode, then mixes in the proper amount of alcohol for each drink. Popular drinks like Whiskey Sour, Long Island Iced Tea, Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Sex on the Beach, and many more are optional. Guests can snag a pod, plop it into the machine, grab a glass, and let Bartesian do the rest.

The drinks are surprisingly good but could be better. Pods are concentrated add-ins, so an Old Fashioned made by a Bartesian machine likely isn’t as good as one made with bitters you made yourself. On the upside, you can choose the quality of alcohol you use, which goes a long way when mixing drinks.

We love Bartesian for gatherings, and it’s not a bad option for at-home end-of-day drink mixology. Bartesian even has a nice auto-rinse feature, so your Cosmo doesn’t taste like a Margarita someone made before you walked up to the machine.

You can order a variety of pod packs, or keep it limited to one drink. If your day often ends with a Lemon Drop, order a slew of Lemon Drop pods and wind down quietly while Bartesian does the mixing.

Bartesian isn’t for everyone. Some of us enjoy the hands-on activity of mixing drinks at the end of our day or hosting parties from behind a bar. For those who don’t want to exert energy or may not have the time to mix drinks, Bartesian is an excellent choice. We particularly like it for hosting holiday parties where everyone seems to have an extra drink or two.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Nate Swanner
Nate Swanner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nate is General Manager for all not-Digital-Trends properties at DTMG, including The Manual, Digital Trends en Espanol…
This tart twist on the Aperol spritz will be your favorite new cocktail — and we’ve got an amazing recipe
Aperol spritz alternative: Meet the rhubarb spritz
Sprtiz

If you live under a proverbial rock, don’t spend your days on social media, or simply aren’t up to date on the trending cocktails du jour, you might not know that the Aperol spritz is going through a renaissance right now. First created for Venetian palates back in 1920, this more than 100-year-old aperitif (before-dinner drink) is commonly made with prosecco (Italian sparking wine), Aperol (an herbal, Italian digestive liqueur), and soda water. While always popular in Italy, it’s become one of the most popular before-dinner, afternoon, or anytime cocktails of the last few years.

But while the classic recipe is an outstanding, refreshing, bittersweet way to whet your appetite before a nice lunch, dinner, or evening snack, it’s the kind of versatile mixed drink that shines even brighter when its ingredients are mixed and matched and even switched out for other complementary flavors. Today, we’re specifically talking about the addition of rhubarb. Who doesn’t love more rhubarb recipes, right?
All about rhubarb
If you didn’t know it already, rhubarb is the meaty, fleshy stalk of another plant called Rheum. Cooked, it’s used as an ingredient in pies and other recipes. It’s known for its almost celery-like consistency and flavors of tart, acidic citrus peels, and a light sourness. If you haven’t guessed it already, these flavors are perfect for a refreshing, crisp, easy-drinking cocktail. It’s a way to easily update your spritz recipes.

Read more
Our margarita recipe is the only one you’ll ever need, we promise
You'll want to drink this tequila cocktail all day, every day
Four glasses of freshly made Margarita cocktail decorated with limes on wooden table with shaker and limes.

 

When it comes to classic, flavorful cocktails, it’s tough to beat the appeal of the Margarita. It’s simple, fresh, and citrus-driven. It’s made with only three ingredients: tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. What’s not to love? The tequila's roasted agave, vanilla, and spices mixed with the tart acidity of the lime juice and sweetness of the triple sec make for a truly well-balanced, flavorful drink. This turbo-charged, agave-centered drink has been gracing menus all over the U.S. (and the world) since its inception in the early 1900s.

Read more
Up your cocktail game: How to make the perfect gin gimlet
This gin gimlet recipe is sensational — and easy
Gimlet cocktail in a coupe glass

When it comes to gin cocktails, there’s no debating the appeal of the classic gin and tonic. It’s crisp, refreshing, and perfect for a summer day (or literally any other time of year). But if your gin-based cocktail enjoyment doesn’t go past that popular cocktail, you’re really missing out on a world of floral, botanical, fresh mixed drinks. Especially the delicious, flavorful gin gimlet.

While we’re on the gin and tonic bandwagon from way back, we also love the simple, elegant gin gimlet. This herbaceous, piney, juniper, tart lime, and absolute refresher of a mixed drink is one of our favorites all year long from the breezy heat of summer to the frigid frost of winter.

Read more