The cocktail app

is downloadable digital software, generally used on mobile devices such as phones or tablets, that disseminates information from drink recipes and cocktail histories to mixological tips and special deals at local bars. The cocktail app is the twenty-first-century equivalent of the bar book: a helpful, convenient source of information for bartenders and cocktailians, both amateur and professional.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, the easiest place to find a cocktail recipe was still a physical book, as had been the case since Jerry Thomas published his Bar-Tenders Guide in 1862. See Thomas, Jerry. Bars were discovered through word of mouth, local newspapers, and magazines or a look through the phone book. That all began to change with the advent of the World Wide Web in the 1990s. Cocktail sites such as CocktailDB and chatrooms like Robert Hess’s DrinkBoy became places for the global cocktail community to form, meet, and exchange information. See Hess, Robert, and DrinkBoy Forum. In the early 2000s, however, wireless internet access was rare, and computers were largely laptop or desktop affairs.

The introduction of Apple’s App Store for iPhone in July 2008 transformed how software was created and consumed. Apple provided a software development kit for users to create their own apps, which they could sell or give away through the App Store. The response was overwhelming; from an initial library of five hundred–plus apps, more than a million apps were available by 2013.

Cocktail apps sprang up quickly. Among the earliest were Cocktails (created by CocktailDB), Gary Regan’s Flip ‘N Drink, and cocktail blogger Jimmy Patrick’s 101 Cocktails. Presenting new and classic cocktail recipes on devices that were easy and quick to use, these apps made the world of cocktails newly accessible to novices and professionals alike, whether they were preparing drinks at home or behind the bar during a busy shift.

Over subsequent years, apps were created for virtually every aspect of the cocktail industry. Liquor Cabinet and My Bar, for example, keep track of which spirits users have on hand, recommend cocktails that can be made with them, and can suggest missing ingredients for additional cocktails. See Regan, Gary. Distiller can recommend bottles users do not own with reviews and descriptions written by top spirits and cocktail writers, while Thirstie, an on-demand alcohol delivery app, allows users to purchase those bottles without leaving their homes.

Cocktail magazine apps are an invaluable source for enthusiasts and professionals to stay on top of the latest developments behind the bar and in the spirits industry, from publications well known in print such as Imbibe and Saveur to iPhone- and iPad-exclusive publications like Bohemian Bar Magazine, which achieved a graphic look impossible to achieve in print.For all the apps aimed at amateur mixologists, many are designed for professionals and serious drink scholars. Apps like PDT Cocktails and Modern Classics feature recipes presented by established bartenders and cocktail writers for more serious mixologists, and charge accordingly ($9.99 per app, which is in the upper tier of paid apps). Apps are able to satisfy every niche in the cocktail community. By and large, however, inexpensive apps aimed at amateur mixologists are the norm in the app world.

Doudoroff, Martin. Email interview, July 25, 2016.

Friedman, Lex. “The App Store Turns Five: A Look Back and Forward.” Macworld, July 8, 2013.

Winship, Doug. “iPhone App: Cocktails Made Easy.” The Pegu Blog, March 30, 2009. https://www.killingtime.com/Pegu/2009/03/30/cocktails-made-easy/ (accessed February 25, 2021).

By: Tony Sachs