The future is now: There’s a Keurig-style machine that, with the touch of a button, will make you a cocktail (or up to 300 different types of cocktails, actually) in just seconds. What is this magical mixologist? It’s called Somabar, and it can be all yours.
Originally launched as a Kickstarter, Somabar raised more than $300,000—with an original goal of only $50,000. The machine operates via WiFi and an app you download on your smartphone. Merely connect to your WiFi-enabled Somabar (told you, future = now), fill the reusable pods with your choice of liquor and press start. Within seconds, you’ll have a perfectly proportioned, hassle-free drink.
Somabar comes with a host of impressive features, included but not limited to six large, re-usable dishwasher-safe pods, a cleaning mechanism to ensure no cross-contamination between drinks, the option to make drinks lighter or stronger and the opportunity to create custom drinks within the app.
It’s not the perfect machine, though—well, not yet at least. You’ll have to add your own special touches like muddled ingredients and twists, and it can’t provide shaken cocktails. Also, you have to make sure to refrigerate the pods before mixing drinks (unless you like a room-temperature dirty martini).
The price tag, too, is quite high at $429, but when two mixed drinks can be upwards of $15 at any bar in a metro area, you’ll start saving money quite quickly. You can pre-order the Somabar in six different colors, and according to the Kickstarter page, the machines are currently in the process of being manufactured. While there’s no official ship date yet, hopefully the cocktail geniuses behind Somabar won’t keep us waiting too long.