Bartender Apps: A Review

It’s the season for entertaining and parties and many people like to keep the serving of libations as easy as possible, limited to beer, wine or liquor with a few easy mixers.

But, there are many who like to find an interesting new concoction or serve a classic and fun cocktail that takes some effort. Mixing drinks has become the liquid side of the foodie culture.

One approach is to do what the professionals do and browse recipes from the Gary Regan books, or go to Bartender.com and download some.

Then I came across an article in Gizmodo about The Best Drinking Apps and off I went looking for iPhone and Android apps. What I learned right off the bat was that in the iTunes store alone there are hundreds. So, the next stop was to scour the Internet and see what was being reviewed and recommended.

I came up with three and bought them for my iPhone for a test drive. Without further ado, here are my reviews of what I think are the top three. (All are $.99)

Top Shelf (iOS) – This app for the iPhone has everything including tons of recipes and is very customizable to the user. You can limit recipes to what you have on hand or even add your own variations. There’s also a place to store your favorites. It does the job but with no graphics/visuals, it’s a bit boring. Bronze.

Cocktail Flow (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) – Talk about customizing, this app starts with entering what’s in your liquor cabinet and even helps to organize a shopping list. A really nice feature is drinks for occasions such as New Years or The Big Game. But, you only get a few choices unless you buy that occasion package ($.99). Silver.

Mixologist/Mixology (iOS, Android) – Mixologist is the paid app and Mixology is free. Go for the buck, folks. The database is huge and customizable to what you have on hand. You can search by drinks, category or ingredients and much more. It has a store search feature and a home bartending guide. The app is comprehensive and easy to use. Gold.

If you try them, let me know what you think.

As for me, any drink with more than two ingredients is out, and, one of the ingredients better be a garnish.

 

1 comment

  1. I’m going to start bartending (on the side) for the American Legion in my hometown of Bella Vista, AR. I am going to try Mixologist and see if I can do a good job with it!
    I enjoyed reading about your work history! How exciting! I am an RN and am wanting to try something different in the world, so maybe I will get to have some colorful experiences as well. On to my next adventure!

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