Bartesian Cocktail Maker review: we tested the cocktail machine to see if it can produce bar-quality drinks at home
COCKTAILS are always a treat on a night out, but most of us can’t be bothered making them at home.
They need too many ingredients, require the balance of flavours to be just right and, let’s be honest, are a lot more hassle than pouring a glass of wine.
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
Yet the Bartesian Cocktail Maker could change all that, whipping up drinks on demand with just the push of a button. Plus, it currently has a whopping £100 off its RRP.
Think of it like having your very own mixologist in the corner of your living room this Christmas.
It functions almost the same as a single-serve pod coffee machine – though the end result is a lot more fun.
Fill the included bottles with spirits, pop in a cocktail capsule and press a button for a bar-quality drink in seconds.
Yet at nearly £200, it’s also a lot pricier than a few bottles of pre-mixed cocktails, so I put it to the test (tough job etc) to see if it’s worth the investment.
Pros
- Lots of flavours available
- Good quality drinks
- Easy to clean and assemble
- A great talking point at a party
- The strength of drinks can be customised
Cons
- Expensive
- Need a space to keep it out on display
- Only worth it for someone who loves cocktails
- Capsules can be a little fiddly
Rating: 4/5
Bartesian Cocktail Maker review: how we tested
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
I used the Bartesian Cocktail Maker in my own home to see if it could do all a decent bartender can.
I set it up and sampled several cocktails produced by the machine to see if they were as good as ones served in a bar, testing various pods to find my favourites and even experimenting with the strength of each drink.
I also asked some very willing friends to help me test the results and see if the cocktail maker is a party game-changer.
They tried various drinks and even used the machine themselves to see if it could be comfortably left out for people to help themselves at a party.
I considered how easy the machine was to use and clean afterwards, how it looked out on my worktop and if it worked out as good value for money in the long run.
Bartesian Cocktail Maker review: quick summary
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
If you love the thought of a perfectly crafted cocktail at the end of a long week without having to go out to a bar, this machine will be a dream come true.
The Bartesian Cocktail Maker has been described as the “Keurig for cocktails” and really does look and function just like a pod coffee machine.
It was invented by a former bartender and has already been praised by the likes of Oprah Winfrey.
Instead of measuring ingredients yourself and mixing them in a shaker, the Bartesian Cocktail Maker does all the hard work for you.
It comes with five 900ml glass spirit bottles with labelled lids for filling with vodka, whiskey, rum, gin and tequila, and no one will know whether you’ve used spendy top-shelf spirits or supermarket own-brand.
These don’t need filling every time, so the machine will need to be left out on display for easy use whenever you fancy.
Add a cocktail capsule, choose your strength then press a button and you’ll be sipping a perfectly-mixed cocktail in less than 30 seconds.
You won’t need to buy several mixers that never get finished or invest in a huge range of ingredients to make different drinks as each pod has everything you need for a single-serve cocktail, bar the alcohol.
You can even choose the strength of each cocktail or opt for a mocktail if you prefer an alcohol-free option. There’s a huge range of pods available to buy including amaretto sours and espresso martinis.
It’s a doddle to use and simple to keep clean and the drinks are exceptional quality.
It would work especially well if you love entertaining guests as they could easily help themselves to their favourite cocktail and the machine is bound to be a big hit at any party.
Though pods are an ongoing cost, drinks are a lot cheaper than they would be in a bar, and just as good. You will need to drink quite a lot to recoup the original cost of the machine, of course, but there’s worse problems to have.
Bartesian Cocktail Maker review: full review
First impressions
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
You’ll be party-ready in moments. The sturdy machine comes ready assembled so I simply lifted it out of the box and plugged it in, before filling the bottles with spirits.
Like a coffee machine, the cocktail maker also needs to be filled with water, as the ingredients in the pods are concentrated.
I was surprised just how good it looked out on display in my home. It’s a little wider than the average coffee machine so you will need to make sure you have space to leave it out, but its matte chrome finish and sleek design mean it won’t be an eyesore.
If you already have a cocktail trolley in your home, it would be the ideal addition, but it’d look just as good in the kitchen or living room for on-demand cocktails whenever the urge strikes.
What to expect
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
The machine comes with an instruction book but I barely needed to consult it as the cocktail maker is super-simple to operate. All the parts do need washing before use, but then it’s cocktail o’clock.
The machine has a touch panel screen that leads you through all you need to know. Options that can be selected include a self-rinsing cycle if the cocktail machine won’t be used for some time, and a mode to clean the machine if spirits are swapped to prevent cross-contamination.
Though the machine comes with five glass spirit bottles for whiskey, tequila, gin, rum and vodka, only four can be installed at one time. It will still operate if all four aren’t filled, so if you only drink gin and vodka, there’s no need to rush out and buy a bottle of whiskey.
It’s also recommended to fill the water reserve with bottled or filtered water for the best-tasting cocktails, but I tried this and also used regular tap water and honestly couldn’t tell the difference.
You will of course need to buy pods for the machine. There are over 60 available from Long Island ice tea to whiskey sours and these are all made of real juices, bitters and extracts.
They start at around £2.40 per drink so there is an ongoing cost to owning the machine, but if you’re a dedicated cocktail drinker, it’s far cheaper than buying your favourite tipple in a bar.
How it works
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
When the water and spirit bottles are filled, the cocktail maker works just like a coffee machine. Insert a pod and lower the handle firmly until the latch clicks into place.
Once the capsule is punctured, the drink must be made immediately and it’s important to line it up correctly in the machine. I foolishly punctured my first before putting a glass underneath and it did drip a little onto the tray below.
The machine reads the barcode on each pod and the display shows what type of glass to use and if ice is recommended. You can then choose the strength of the cocktail, including mocktail, light, regular or strong, before pressing the ‘mix’ button and waiting for your drink to be served.
The control panel tracks progress but each drink takes a matter of seconds to make. The machine uses the relevant levels of the required spirit, water and the contents of the capsule for bar-standard cocktails without any faff.
I found it really fun to use, and even my children had a go testing out the mocktails, which generally got the thumbs-up.
The drinks were consistently excellent and much better than any pre-mixed can I’ve tried.
My favourites were the lemon drop vodka martini and the pomegranate margarita, which were just as good as any I’ve drank in a cocktail bar. They weren’t overly sweet and didn’t taste watered down either.
I did find the strongest setting too overpowering for me, but the regular strength drinks were perfect.
The best way to get started is to buy one of Bartesian’s variety packs of capsules so you can try a range of cocktails to find your favourite. I loved the Classic Collection Favourites Variety Pack (£14.99 for six capsules) which includes a whiskey sour, margarita, old-fashioned, espresso martini, cosmopolitan and uptown rocks.
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
It was great to try different cocktails without spending a fortune in a bar and risk ending up with one I didn’t like.
There’s also a pricier Holiday Collection (£24.96 for eight) which has two each of four Christmas cocktails including (my favourite) The Grinch appletini.
While it will certainly upgrade the odd drink at home, I reckon the machine is best used when you have guests around. Mine couldn’t wait to have a go and were keen to try out the whole range of pods.
They all found it easy to use themselves and were shocked at just how good the drinks tasted.
It proved a real talking point all night and would be a great investment if you’re a regular entertainer to add a bit of pizazz to any party.
How easy is it to clean the Bartesian Cocktail Maker?
It couldn’t be simpler to keep the cocktail maker clean.
Once you’ve made a drink, the pod just needs removing and throwing away.
I also gave the outside of the machine and the capsule holder an occasional wipe with a damp cloth, while the water reservoir and drip tray need washing with hot, soapy water once in a while.
If the machine won’t be used for an extended period of time, it’s recommended that all the spirit bottles are emptied, washed and filled with water before choosing the ‘rinse/clean’ function on the touch screen. This cleans the machine and leaves it ready for use next time.
In areas with hard water, it’s also a good idea to descale the machine every one to two months, using the same rinse cycle and a mix of white vinegar and water.
Really, it’s no more high maintenance than the average coffee machine, though.
How much does the Bartesian Cocktail Maker cost?
Take advantage of the current offer and you’ll be making cocktails in your kitchen for £199.99, £100 less than the usual price.
Just be sure to pick up cocktail capsules at the same time. These are sold in a bundle with the machine or cost around £20 for a box of eight.
Then you can choose if you prefer premium spirits or (like me) just want to use up whatever you have lurking at the back of your drinks cupboard.
Where to buy the Bartesian Cocktail Maker
The cocktail maker is available from Bartesian’s own site, where it comes with free delivery and currently has £100 off.
The site is the best place to buy the full range of Bartesian capsules and accessories including a capsule drawer that sits underneath the machine and stores all the pods.
It can also be bought from the following leading retailers:
Bartesian Cocktail Maker alternatives
If you don’t mind putting a little extra work in, you could go back to basics with a cocktail shaker to make you really feel like a mixologist.
However, if only a machine will do, options are limited and just as expensive as the Bartesian Cocktail Maker.
The Bev by Black+Decker works in a very similar way and even uses Bartesian capsules, but uses a turn dial to choose strength instead of a touchscreen and has LED lights to illuminate the bottles.
It’s also still possible to buy the Drinkworks Home Bar Cocktail Machine for half the price of the Bartesian.
However, be aware that Drinkworks is no longer in business or making pods so the machine can’t be repaired if there’s a problem and you’ll need to stock up on pods while they’re still available.
Bartesian Cocktail Maker review: the verdict
Bartesian Cocktail Maker, £299 £199 from Currys
Of course, unless you’re a really dedicated cocktail drinker, you probably don’t need this in your home, but it’s a lot of fun to have if you can afford it.
It would also make a brilliant present, particularly for any cocktail lover, a couple getting married or someone moving into their first home.
It looks good on display, is extremely easy to use and clean, and will really wow your guests.
I can’t wait to use this at parties and know everyone will love using it, even those who choose not to drink alcohol.
With this at home, I don’t think I’ll ever order expensive cocktails in a bar again. The drinks are excellent quality and I loved the fact I could easily make just one when I fancied it, without having to buy and be left with lots of ingredients.
Plus, sipping a freshly mixed martini in the comfort of your home feels delightfully indulgent.
There’s no question the machine is expensive to buy, but the current £100 discount offers a huge saving.
Bear in mind there is also an ongoing cost to keep it stocked with both spirits and capsules, though this still works out cheaper than buying cocktails on a night out.