This 'Smart Coaster' Helps You Mix Over 2,000 Different Cocktails
Typically, about as smart as coasters get is when they have something like a public service announcement printed on them. But a new "smart coaster" hitting the market next month seems pretty ingenious: More than simply giving you a place to set your drink, this digital device can actually help you make your drink. Cheers, coaster!
The Barsys Coaster "turns customers into instant mixologists" by helping you weigh ingredients as they're added to a drink. Simply choose one of over 2,000 cocktails you want to make in the Bluetooth-connected Barsys app (you can sort by things like mixers or brands if you need ideas), place any glass (or if you're feeling frisky, any pitcher) on the digital coaster, and then follow the step-by-step instructions on the app. As you add each ingredient, the color of the coaster gradually changes from green to yellow to red to let you know when to stop pouring. For the record, the coaster itself needs to be plugged in to be used—so it doesn't necessarily work well as an actual coaster—but hey, you probably don't want to be using your high-tech mixology disc as a place to plop your beer anyway.
"Most people don't realize how many great cocktails they can make from just a few simple ingredients. All they're missing is the knowhow to put it together," Akshet Tewari, the founder and CEO of Barsys, said in the announcement. "With the Coaster, we set out to make serving a cocktail as easy as grabbing a beer or pouring a glass of wine. Cocktail-making requires a level of skill and precision that anyone can now obtain."
Possibly the Barsys Coaster's best feature, however, is that it's not some Kickstarter dream. Barsys is taking preorders now for $95 per coaster and says the product will be officially launched in December (with a suggested price of $149). Plus all pre-orders come with Barsys' electronic shaker that can literally mix your drinks for you, shaken or stirred. Meanwhile, this isn't Barsys's first rodeo: They're the company behind the Barsys automated drink mixing system, so it has dealt in this kind of tech before.
Will a $95 mixology coaster change your life? Maybe not. But will it make for a fun parlor trick during holiday parties? Sure! And let's be honest: With most new tech, a few hours of parlor trick time is all you can really ask for anyway. Not everything can be the iPhone.
