Ditch the Bartender: The Bartesian

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I got my husband a Christmas gift this past year that was a hit with EVERYONE–the Bartesian premium cocktail machine. Have you seen this amazing little cocktail maker? If you follow Oprah and her favorite things, then you heard the buzz.

We’ve had it for about six months now, and I thought it deserved another mention in light of our stay-at-home orders.

Our governor has closed our bars again to try to slow the spread. But he has kept liquor stores open since this whole thing started, deeming them essential businesses, because he’s cool, and understands the needs of his constituents. 🙂

So if you find yourself unable to visit your favorite watering hole, the Bartesian might be just the answer for you if you need a good stiff drink right about now, and who doesn’t?

In a nutshell, the Bartesian is a Keurig for alcohol. You put a pod in the machine, push a button, and the magic begins. No measuring, no pouring, nothing. All you need are the base spirits.This thing is FUN.

The machine comes with four labeled reservoirs that you fill with the liquor required. There is a reservoir for whiskey, tequila, vodka, and a gin/rum combo. You put gin or rum in the reservoir, and if you choose a drink that requires the other, it will tell you to replace it with the other liquor.

The machine also has a water reservoir that it uses to rinse the machine between drinks so that each cocktail tastes fresh.

You can choose the strength of your drink–light, regular, strong, and even mocktail! This is possible because the pods do not contain alcohol, but rather the other components to make the drink.

You insert the pod of your choice, and the machine tells you what to do each step of the way. It will tell you what size and type of glass or shaker to put under the nozzle, and whether or not to add ice, and when to push the Start button to make the drink. It tells you when the drink is ready, and is even cheeky sometimes, saying things like, “No need to leave me a tip.” 🙂 Or just “Cheers!”

There are so many drink options from which to choose. Each box contains six pods. There is the Classic Collection that includes one each of :

• Whiskey Sour
• Long Island Iced Tea
• Margarita
• Cosmopolitan
• Uptown Rocks
• Old Fashioned

This is a great way to get started and to try a variety of drinks.

If whiskey is your favorite spirit, the drink capsules that use it as the base are:

• Old Fashioned
• Whiskey Sour
• Sazerac
• Mint Julep
• Paper Plane

 

 

If you like gin, you can choose from:

• Gin Martini
• Uptown Rocks
• Gimlet
• Negroni

 

 

If you like vodka, you can choose from:

• Cosmopolitan
• Sex on the Beach

 

 

Rum lovers can choose from :

• Rum Breeze, which I made right off the bat, and it tastes EXACTLY like vacation. 🙂

 

Tequila lovers can pick from:

• Margarita
• Spiced Coffee

 

 

 

And if you like ’em all, you can always go for a Long Island Iced Tea! 🙂

In the months since we purchased our Bartesian, they have added many more fun drink pods, like:

• Boulevardier
• Rob Roy
• Rhubarb Spice Shrub
• Matcha Martini

And they have all of these fun drinks coming soon:

• Manhattan
• Lemon Drop
• Whiskey Smash
• Low-Cal Cosmopolitan
• Ginger Peach Iced Tea
• Mai Tai
• Kamakazi
• Northside
• Jalapeño Lime Shrub
• Spicy Margarita

Who needs a bar when you have the ability to make these drinks at home?

The thing we noticed about the different drinks we tried is that they are complex in taste. They don’t just taste like some liquor mixed with flavorings. They taste extremely good and very much like a mixed drink you would purchase in a bar.

So we are a big fan of The Bartesian. We can imagine that it will be a HUGE hit at parties, if we all ever get to have one again. I think Bartesian anticipates this too, because inside the instruction booklet is information on how to transport the machine. 🙂

When we first tried it out, we chose the “strong” option when making our drinks, and I will say it sucks down the liquor fairly fast with that option. Subsequent drinks have been made using the “regular” or “light” option, which goes easier on the liquor.

So if you’re thinking of using this at a party, consider maybe not using top shelf liquor. I wouldn’t say to use prison hooch, because you do want great tasting drinks, but maybe mid-priced is the way to go. I saw one review on Amazon that said their guests made 70+ drinks in one gathering. That’s a LOT of liquor.

But I guess the money you save not having to hire a bartender for your next gathering can be used on buying the drink pods and some good liquor. 🙂

If you love a good cocktail, this machine is for you. I’m a fan.

If you have tried the Bartesian, let me know how you like it!

And I’d love for you to follow me on Pinterest!