Barsys Coaster: Bluetooth-enabled, app-controlled smart device, that helps create magical cocktails at home

To get started, download the Barsys Coaster app.

These are pandemic times, most of us are confined to our homes and quite a few among us are tempted to treat ourselves to a glass of wine, vodka or whiskey for a relaxed evening. Seasoned drinkers wouldn’t normally advise mixing your drinks (we all know how badly that can end, but cocktails are a rare exception and knowing how to make them can be a great way to enhance your status as an ace bartender in your friend and family circles.

You can make cocktails at home by mixing the drinks in a glass or large bowl; the more experienced lot rely on a proper cocktail shaker. However, it’s now time to let your home bar be the talk of the town with a new consumer-tech product. New York-based Barsys has introduced Barsys Coaster, a Bluetooth-enabled, app controlled smart device that guides the user on how to create a particular cocktail. By connecting the coaster to a mobile phone with the Barsys app downloaded, users can choose Barsys’ existing library of cocktails or input their own recipe. Once a cocktail is selected, the user can simply start pouring ingredients one by one— the coaster will light up when the correct amount has been added to the glass. This reviewer has been making judicious use of this machine and quite frankly, it offers a new way to enjoy cocktails at home in a simple manner, without any hassles or spills whatsoever.

Priced at an affordable Rs 5,500 and available through the Barsys India website (www.Barsys.io), the Coaster is a compact and portable device that precisely measures cocktail ingredients as they are poured, enabling users to prepare customisable drinks in the comfort and safety of their homes. The device is supported by the Barsys app (available on Google Play and App Store) which allows you to explore the world of mixology with various intelligent features like smart cocktail recommendations from its library of thousands of cocktail and mocktail recipes from brands and mixologists.

Furthermore, the user-friendly app discovers new cocktails you can make with the ingredients in your house and allows you to create and save your own cocktails and MixLists for virtual and physical events. The app aims to build a cocktail community and can be used with or even without the Coaster to discover the art of cocktail making.

How to use the Barsys Coaster is fairly simple: Users simply select the cocktail they would like to make on the Barsys Coaster app, place any glass on the Coaster surface, and follow the instructions on the Barsys Coaster app. The device vibrantly illuminates to indicate when to start and stop pouring each ingredient, making quality cocktails anywhere, anytime.

To get started, download the Barsys Coaster app. As mentioned before, Barsys is fully app controlled from your iOS or Android device. It comes preloaded with hundreds of cocktails and the ability to easily add your own signature drinks. The best part is, each drink is perfectly poured every time.

Let me explain its work methodology here. Barsys comes with a mobile app that communicates with the machine, thermally insulated containers that hold temperature for 15-18 hours as well as an interactive system that acquaints the user with the progress of their drink— all under 30 seconds. All you have to do is place your base spirits on top of the machine and your favourite mixers in the mixer containers provided with the machine. You can choose your cocktail from Barsys original recipes that will be recommended to you based on the liquor and mixers in the machine you may customise and make your own. Barsys will deliver your favourite cocktail within few seconds, by pouring each liquor independently and precisely.

Key takeaways: Barsys Coaster is quite a fun way to make an evening drink. I loved the app for its vast information and how it tells me what ingredients I need. Overall, a super useful and convenient creation from Barsys and a great way to try and discover new cocktails.

Estimated street price: Rs 5,500