New Cocktail App Released for Macs

By Roger Kamholz in Food on Feb 25, 2011 9:20PM

Pocket Cocktails launched a new app for Mac computers this week that aims to school the home bartender. It's not just a bunch of recipes, but also a primer on how to mix drinks with skill, illustrating techniques like layering and garnishing. The Toronto-based company has developed cocktail-centric apps for the iPhone before, most notably its eponymous "Pocket Cocktails" app; now that Apple has launched its Mac App Store, which sells programs for use on Mac computers like the iMac and Macbook, app developers like Pocket Cocktails are refitting and expanding on their iPhone apps for Macs.

The new app is called, uninspiringly, Cocktails for Mac ($4.99). The contents are based on a best-selling bartending guide (although the company doesn't say which one), and it includes 450 cocktail recipes via an interface sized for a large screen. The app also has a mixology guide, tips on selecting and using bar tools, and cocktail trivia.

If you're like us, you keep a few trusty cocktail recipe books within arm's reach of the bar at home, whether for quick reference or to flip through for fresh ideas. Can this new wave of digital cocktail resources really replace them? It's too soon to tell; we're still playing around with Cocktails for Mac, as well as a handful of other cocktail apps for the iPhone. (For one thing, books sure handle spills a lot better than your laptop.) Expect our full cocktail-app review in the near future.