Keurig Tests Cocktail-Pod Machine For Those Who Can't Be Bothered To Mix A Gin And Tonic

mphillips007/iStock
By  Gwen Ihnat

Lovers of the Keurig pod for their morning beverages may be excited about a new product more related to evening sipping. CNET reports today that Keurig and Anheuser-Busch InBev have partnered on a new cocktail-focused machine called the Drinkworks Home Bar. The machine will include a carbonation canister and have pods for cocktails like margaritas, Cosmopolitans, and Long Island Iced Teas.

Fair enough. But some of these pods seem a bit ridiculous. Sure, a mai tai can be a bit cumbersome to pull together, but how hard is it to make a gin and tonic? Or a lime vodka soda? Also, at $4-a-pod pop, you might finder a similar deal at a neighborhood happy hour.

That amount doesn't even include the $300 for the machine itself, as well as the two-packs of carbon dioxide canisters for $15 (each canister will be able to make roughly 15 drinks). The machine rolls out in a pilot pre-order program on Tuesday, with 24 drinks available including 15 cocktails, a Stella Cidre cider, English beers from Bass, and German-style beer from Becks. It will launch in St. Louis, according to CBS News, while cocktail fans in California and Florida can pre-order the machine. The rest of the country will have to wait until 2019. Although, let's remember that the Keurig soda machine, called Keurig Kold, fizzled after less than a year on the market; CBS reports "consumers complained about its $370 price tag and disappointing flavors."

While convenient (if a bit expensive), we can't help but feel that the Dreamworks machine kind of sucks the fun out of cocktail time. Isn't a vodka and tonic with a lovingly squeezed lime wedge for a friend more enjoyable than a red sangria from a plastic pod? And what if we feel like a light drink, or a double? It's one thing to stagger toward the magic coffee machine in the morning when you can't open your eyes without caffeine. But nighttime entertaining is quite another thing.

Recommended