Comparison: Drink Recipe App Comparison

Oh, alcohol, how we love you so. Let us count the apps dedicated to mixing your fine substance with others… one… two… three hundred… Okay, there aren’t 300 drink apps for the iPhone. Yet. That was an exaggeration. That happens when you’ve been drinking. You don’t know me! What was I talking about? Oh yeah, booze. There are a lot of drink apps available, so you might want to know - no - you’ll NEED to know which is the best app available because you’re probably anxious to start drinking already. Been there, man… For your convenience, I’ve sampled five apps, Cocktails, 5800+ Drinks, Drink Pro, Pocket Cocktail and Drinks. I know there are several more. I know. And I know you’re going to tell me about it at the end. “Hey, you know (fill in the app) is way better…” I know this. And yet, I’m not deterred from trying to offer you my opinion on these particular ones. I can tell you this much… there is a VERY good one in here. So… whichever one I missed and you think is SOOOO much better than the winner… it’s not. Trust me. And enjoy!

Cocktails

    Cocktails App v2.0 | Published by Swiss-Development | Via App Store | FREE | Released: 08-04-08  

Overview

Like all of the drink apps I reviewed, Cocktails App features an alphabetical list of the drinks, a favorites page, a finder bar to directly search for the drink you want and the ability to email the recipe to your friends and loved ones. This app also features a newest 10 page as well as a top 10 page. It also features a special search based on your current emotion. Feeling sad? This app has a drink recommendation for you. (My suggestion would simply be to drink three times as much. But that's just me. I'm no doctor.) Cocktails App features over 2000 drink recipes. If you tried one drink each day it would take you nearly five and a half years to try them all. Better get started!

Bottom Line

The very first time you use this app, you're going to suffer a significant load time as the drinks downloaded to your phone. If you're incredibly impatient and need to drink right away, you'll probably want to get started without the app. Sorry. Otherwise, plan ahead. Only a handful of drinks had pictures. I'm not saying pictures are necessary, but they are a nice addition (as you'll see later). When I tapped on the More Details button, it sent me to a Swiss website for mixing drinks. Seeing as how my Swiss is rather rusty, it didn't help me much. (And by rusty, I mean I don't speak Swiss.) The emotion and taste searches are pretty neat, but overall, I wasn't too impressed. At least the price is right.  

Verdict: You Call This Happy Hour?

 

5800+ Drink & Cocktail Recipes

    5800+ Drink & Cocktail Recipes v1.21 | Published by Webworks and Applications, Inc. | Via App Store | FREE | Released: 11-23-08  

Overview

Okay, just like all the others, you can search for your drinks by an alphabetical index, add drinks to a favorites page, email recipes to your friends and search for drinks with via a finder bar. This app gives you a few other search options. You can search by ingredients and by categories, like beer, cocktails, etc. There's also a random drink option that chooses a drink for you. I guess that would come in handy at a bar, but it's not nearly as practical at home when you're kind of limited with whatever booze you have on hand. And finally another feature that is included though I'm not sure why- you can check off the ingredients as you add them to your glass. (Or maybe it's for shopping at the store, to make sure you get everything you need.) I don't see the point. Eh.

Bottom Line

This app features no photos at all, other than the pretty one when you load the app. It has over 5800 drink recipes, nearly three times as many as Cocktails App did. That's pretty significant. At one drink a day it would take you almost 16 years to try them all. Not too shabby. There are two versions of this app. I reviewed the free one. There are ads at the top of the screen. I honestly didn't even notice them after awhile. If this seems like something that would bother you, feel free to spend 99 cents on the ad free app. Overall, I liked this one better than the last. But not by much.  

Verdict: I'll Drink To That

 

Drink Pro

    Drink Pro v1.3 | Published by Helmes Innovations, LLC | Via App Store | $.99 | Released: 01-29-09  

Overview

Now this is a swell app. Like the others- search by name, favorites, email, random, finder, blah, blah, blah. You can search by categories or ingredient. Standard stuff. Here's where it starts to set itself apart from the others. You ready? You can rate the drinks and view your favorites on a top rated page. Not thrilled? Me neither. That was a test. Here's the good stuff. There's a unit converter so you'll always know just how much to pour. There's a bar locator so you can find a watering hole almost anywhere in the world. Can't go wrong with that feature.

Then there's the bartender info page. You can find out all kinds of helpful tips, like how to pour correctly, what kind of glass to use, how to use equipment and more. It's fun and informative. I learned that you're supposed to pour the fruit juice into your glass first, then add the alcohol. I did not know that. But I do now. And so do you! Isn't learning awesome?! Oh yeah, there's also a B.A.C. calculator. It's not meant to be taken as gospel, but it will help you out a little.

Bottom Line

I love Drink Pro. A lot. I like that you can edit the drinks to your liking (you can always restore if you happen to muck everything up.) I like that the app tells you what kind of glass to serve the drink in. That's classy as shit, right there. I'm not even kidding. If I had to find something bad to say about this app, it would be it's lack of pretty pictures. But again... they're not necessary. I just like pictures. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of all? There are over 20,000 drink recipes in this app. If you drank one drink a day it would take you 55 years to try them all. Damn! You'd better go on some serious benders if you want to try them all in your lifetime. In closing, I dig this app.  

Verdict: You Mix A Hell Of A Caucasion, Jackie

 

Pocket Cocktails

    Pocket Cocktails App v2.0 | Published by Rob Maran and Deidra Jones | Via App Store | $.99 | Released: 01-20-09  

Overview

Here we go again... same as all the others, search, email, favorites, finder, blah, blah, blah. (This was a strong caucasion I mixed... The Dude would be proud). Okay- this app is pretty sweet. There are photos for EVERY drink. Pretty photos too. Not the photos you see at those Chinese buffet restaurants where the food looks really gross. These make you want to drink each one of those drinks. Even the ones that seem disgusting! I know! Pocket Cocktails also includes the random drink finder- but with a twist. You have to shake your iPhone (the drink shaker) to start the random selection. That's fun. Not necessary- but fun. A beautiful feature is the sommelier, which selects the perfect wine to accompany whatever you're eating. (Unfortunately if your diet consists of only Goldfish crackers and Twinkies, this feature won’t be of any use to you.) I don’t know how many drink recipes are featured in this app- but if you start drinking now- let me know how many years it takes you to go through them all, and then we can do the math and get a total. Thanks! I appreciate your participation.

Bottom Line

This app wins the aesthetics award for having the best style. It doesn’t feel as bland and boring as the others. I just wish it had the same features as Drink Pro did. The sommelier is awesome though. I wish I had it my whole “drinking life.” No, I take that back, I wish I had it my entire life. You know how sweet it would have been to tell all the adults in the room what kind of wine they should be drinking with their meal? I could have been rolling my eyes when they chose a chardonnay with their grilled steak. Uncultured swine...  

Verdict: You Mix A Hell Of A Caucasion, Jackie

 

Drinks

    Drinks v1.1 | Published by Affogato LLC | Via App Store | $1.99 | Released: 02-04-09  

Overview

Drinks reminded me a lot of the first two drink apps I reviewed. It’s a very basic and bland app with similar features to the first two. It has all the searchable options you’d expect to find, by name or ingredient- but offers nothing as far as taste or mood goes. It features a random drink finder too. What sets it apart from the first two apps though, is the fact that you can edit the recipes. (It also tells you what kind of glass you should be using). But that’s about all of the features. I’m going to go off on a limb and say that there are not nearly 20,000 drink recipes in this app.

Bottom Line

No pictures… No style… No fun. I’m not entirely sure where they get off charging money for this app. And this is on sale?! For being more expensive than both Drink Pro and Pocket Cocktails (yes, I know it’s on sale, but it’s still cheaper as of this moment), I’d expect to actually get more from the app. But this really felt like a step backwards. It’s just so very standard. And if standard is your thing, you can get it for free, or for a dollar less.  

Verdict: You Call This Happy Hour?

 

The Final Word

    Let’s face it, when it comes to drink apps, the real winner is you! Because you get to drink! And that’s awesome! You may have noticed that I didn’t touch on the actual recipes, and there’s a reason for that… they’re all different but pretty much the same. People’s tastes vary and odds are you won’t actually get out a measuring cup to pour your drinks. (You are a square if you do.) One recipe may say 2.5 oz, while another says only two oz. You won’t know what you like until you try it. I will say though… that milk has no place in a white Russian. You use cream. Not milk. That’s gross. The dude would not abide, my friends… One app stood out high among the others. And I think you know which one it was. (Hint: I included twice as many pictures for it.) I do have to give Pocket Cocktails major props for their design and execution. You can’t really go wrong with either. You could actually buy both for less money than buying Drinks. (The app.) That will save you money to buy your precious alcohol! Sweet! Drink up, my friend. Drink up! Cheers.

The Winner

Drink Pro | $.99 Must Have  

Because Style Counts...

Pocket Cocktails | $.99 Must Have

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