Drinkworks Home Bar review: Is it like having a pro bartender in your house?
The automatic cocktail maker of your dreams has landed in the UK
My coffee machine gets a daily workout. Every morning, I’ll pop a pod in (biodegradable!) and out pops a perfect double espresso.
However, despite how good it is, I still really enjoy the experience of going out for a coffee.
Is the same true for cocktails? I’d rate myself as a pretty decent amateur mixologist. I know my Old Fashioneds from my Negronis, and my Margaritas from my Mojitos. I also LOVE going out to cocktail bars, bothering the bartenders way too much, and trying all kinds of exciting concoctions. Especially the strong, short, smoky ones.
But 2020 has put a bit of a spanner in the works of all that, on both the coffee and the cocktail front. We haven’t just been able to pop out for a coffee and spend a few hours sitting in a cafe, and we definitely haven’t been able to do the same in fancy cocktail bars.
While I’m happy to delve into my spirit collection, it’s not so likely I’ll have all the juices, garnishes, bitters, and other things I need to whip up a whole menu full of cocktails. Sometimes, I also just can’t be bothered with the faff, hassle and washing up you get from making several rounds of different cocktails.
Cue, the Drinkworks Home Bar launching in the UK – aka the automatic cocktail maker you’ve been dreaming of.
Is it like having the skills of an award-winning bartender on tap, 24/7, minus the stimulating conversation (I guess you could chat to it if you want, I heard it’s a good listener)? Or is it like moving back in with my first year friend from uni who insisted she would ‘make the drinks’, and then presented me with some ghastly concoction called ‘Summer Lovin’’ that was basically blue WKD mixed with extra sugar and Blossom Hill rose… Let’s find out.
What is the Drinkworks Home Bar?
The Drinkworks Home Bar is basically like a fancy coffee machine that makes your beverage at the touch of a button… but instead of an Americano, you get a perfectly mixed Mojito.
I’d heard about the Drinkworks Home Bar launching in the US in 2018. It started out as a pilot launch in St Louis, before spreading to a couple of other states. In June 2020, it was announced it was going nationwide. And now, we’ve got it in the UK! It’s only available through the excellent Master of Malt. For the machine alone, it’ll cost you £399, or you can save some cash with the various available bundles.
The Classic Cocktails bundle comes with Old Fashioned, Mojitos, Long Island Iced Tea, Moscow Mule, Kentucky Sour and Gin & Tonic with Elderflower pods (four of each), along with the machine and starter pack for £394.70. So yes, maths lovers, it’s definitely worth buying a bundle (and saving £100).
The Refreshing Serves bundle comes with Vodka Soda with Lime, Gin & Tonic with Elderflower, Rose Spritzer, Vodka Lemonade, Peach Cooler and Lemon Bubbly (four of each), along with the machine and starter pack for £394.70.
And the Party Pack bundle comes with Mojito, Long Island Iced Tea, Gin & Tonic with Elderflower, Peach Cooler, Moscow Mule and Rose Spritzer (four of each) along with the machine and starter pack for £394.70.
How does the Drinkworks Home Bar work and how do you set it up?
In short, you pop a liquid-filled pod into the machine, press the button, and you have a perfectly chilled, well-balanced, fizzy (where needed, naturally) cocktail in less than a minute. Done. That’s quicker than any bartender I’ve ever met, and definitely quicker than me, even when I’m really on top of my game.
To set up the machine for the first time, you’ll be guided through the steps partly by the machine, and partly by the manual, which has all the info you might need. If you’re more of a visual learner, there are some handy videos as well.
Open the back of the machine and install the CO2 pack (you get two in the starter kit), fill up the reservoir with water, put a decent-sized bowl or something under the nozzle and run the first-time rinsing process. This gets out any residue from the manufacturing process and means it’ll be ready to make you some speedy drinks.
If you want to turn off between uses, it’ll take around 25 minutes to chill the water and prime the CO2 system when you turn it on, but if you always want easy access to cocktails, you can keep it plugged in. The colder your water is when it goes in, the quicker it’ll be ready, and you can always add some ice to the water at this point too. There’s a bit of a hum while it’s on, but overall it’s quiet and the sound won’t intrude on your life and ruin your kitchen zen.
It looks just like a coffee machine, including down the black and silver colour scheme, and is a similar size, so won’t look out of place anywhere in your kitchen, whether you’ve gone for a country kitchen vibe or something super modern and sleek. Overall, it is easier to use than I expected it to be.
What about these Drinkworks Home Bar pods then?
Pick. Your. Pods.
Currently, in the UK, you can choose from Mojito, Fruit Punch, Moscow Mule, Old Fashioned, Peach Cooler, Lemon Bubbly, Kentucky Sour, Rose Spritzer, Vodka Lemonade, Long Island Iced Tea, Gin & Tonic with Elderflower, Vodka Soda with Lime, Chambord French Martini and a Gentleman Jack Manhattan. There should be something to tickle your cocktail fancy in that list. There’s also likely more on the way soon, as you can get even more in the US. A pack of four pods costs £15.95, or £17.95 for the Chambord/Gentleman Jack pods.
Each pod contains everything you need for your drink: premium spirits, bitters, juices, so other than the water and possibly the fizz from the CO2, you don’t need anything else.
Once you’ve got your pod of choice, place your chosen vessel onto the stand (only a little bit of judgement if you want to whip out your plastic pint glass from that beer festival you went to 17 years ago), adding ice if needed, pop your pod in, wait a couple of seconds for the machine to work out what it is (it reads a barcode to determine what drink it’s making, which is really cool), and then it’ll let you know when it’s time to press the button. Out comes your drink.
What do cocktails taste like made with the Drinkworks Home Bar?
So far, I’ve tried six different pods:
Moscow Mule (booziness 2/5, sweetness 3/5); Old Fashioned (booziness 4/5, sweetness 2/5); Mojito (booziness 2/5, sweetness 3/5); Rose Spritzer (booziness 2/5, sweetness 2/5); Red Sangria (booziness 2/5, sweetness 3/5); and Lemon Bubbly (booziness 2/5, sweetness 2/5).
Each pod has a ‘booziness’ and ‘sweetness’ rating on it, and so far I’ve found these are pretty accurate. They are perhaps a little on the sweet side of life, but the Drinkworks Home Bar mixes up a very tasty tipple.
What’s good about the Drinkworks Home Bar
It’s an all-in-one cocktail making machine! And who doesn’t want one of those in their life? The only other thing that exists similar to this is the Bartesian (not available in the UK), and with that, you have to add your spirits separately. If you’re catering to people with lots of different tastes, or hosting a party (when we’re allowed to do that again), it will save you considerable time and effort, and score you some serious hosting points.
It’s also considerably less messy than having an entire bar set up at home. I know I always end up getting a bit sticky if I’m on a cocktail making spree, as well as the rest of the kitchen, and ending up with a load of washing up. None of that’s a problem with the Drinkworks Home Bar.
What’s not so good about the Drinkworks Home Bar?
Although it doesn’t take very long to make cocktails, it’s not the neatest process. While your bartender might carefully spend time pouring your drink cleanly and perfectly into the glass, you’re going to need to wipe down your cocktail from the Drinkworks Home Bar. There will be splashes!
Personally, I’m not sure yet whether the drinks the Drinkworks Home Bar mixes up are better than I could make myself – clearly more testing needed – and are generally a little bit sweeter than I’d make. But that is very much personal taste, and I always go for short and strong drinks mostly featuring booze, and booze only. Also, I can make a cocktail, which a lot of people out there can't, or won't, or don't want to.
It’s also a bit of an investment at nearly £400, plus your constant pod stocking! I know there’s a recycling scheme available in the US, but no news about that in the UK yet.
Should you buy a Drinkworks Home Bar?
If you’re someone who loves a cocktail, but doesn’t have the space, skill or desire to have a constantly stocked impressive home bar that’s ready to go at a moment’s notice, the Drinkworks Home Bar will be PERFECT for you. I know I’ve spoken to lots of people this year who have missed having good cocktails in their lives, and the novelty and speed of the Drinkworks Home Bar would definitely appeal to them. As well as it mixing up a decent tipple, or seven.
It’s not cheap at just shy of £400, and you will need to keep stocked with those pods, which work out around £4 a drink, but if you love convenience and gadgets, you will genuinely love this very cool piece of kit – as will all your friends and family.
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Comments (4)
Awesome party piece, when we can have parties again!
I would VERY much like one of these under my tree tomorrow 😍
Witchcraft 😂
This looks really neat, but it's definitely not for me. I enjoy a few different cocktails and am always wanting to try new ones, but most of my "go to" drinks are not so time consuming that I'd need a speedy machine to make them for me. I'd rather invest the cost of the machine into a couple of nice bottles of Johnnie Walker scotch whisky. 😁