Ah, the power of the internets! Without them, how would I ever have discovered The Mixilator?
The Mixilator is hosted by The Internet Cocktail Database. It presents you with a form asking you to specify your cocktail variety, hour, strength, level of complexity, and special characteristics. It then returns with a recipe for a cocktail.
But, the recipe that is returned to you is not a pre-existing coctail from the CocktailDB. Oh no, it is much more wonderful than that! The Mixilator randomly generates your cocktail recipe using an algorithm based on the theories set out by David Embury in his 1948 book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.
We are indeed living in a new age of wonders!
But we who care about science are not satisfied with the algorithmic implementation of a theory. We are the reality-based community. We seek empirical data!
So, for my readers of legal drinking age*, I beseech you:
- Load up the Mixilator and enter your specifications.
- Hit the "Create your automatic cocktail button" (and ignore the annoying femmebot voice announcing the arrival of your cocktail).
- Keep hitting the "Have another like this one" button until the recipe contains only ingredients you have on hand (unless you really feel like letting the algorithm generate your shopping list).
- Mix the cocktail according to the instructions.
- Sample the cocktail.
- Collect your observations. Is it drinkable? Yummy? Does it conform to the specifications you entered?
Report your findings here, in the comments. Once we have enough data, we'll work out whether Embury's theory of cocktails (and/or this automatic implementation of them) holds up.
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*Philosophers corrupt the youth, but we don't need alcohol to do it. We're all about dangerous ideas not dangerous potables.
I have a decent bar (Vodka, Bourbon, Rum, Scotch, Tequila, some wines & beers, Drambuie, Goldschlager and a few more,) and it didn't give me anything that I could make in a dozen tries (even checking subs.) It at least needs a "never use" list -- I can't drink Gin and a good 1/3 of the recipes had that.
OK, finally got one that I can make after another dozen.
Looks like a dry Manhattan variation. The liqueur will be Drambuie. Give me a few hours to get home & mix for my review.
My entire (slight) alcohol inventory is made up of vodka and beer. Something tells me it's not going to come up with anything for me. Or if it does, it's pretty raunchy...
What the heck! They expect you to have a full bar in your house. Who has port, ginger wine, or chocolate-flavored liqueur sitting around? I'll just stick with my simple drinks.
Oh, my goodness! Why does everyone always want to mix up everything to where there is no identity, taste, judgement, ethic, to boring nothingness and now randomly even in drinks? Like black and white, light and darkness, good and evil, male and female, corn and beans, etc.
Why not keep things simple, with some identity. Pure beer, wine, spirits, quietly sipping with moderation, taste, and contemplation as the ever so slight alteration of consciousness occurs. There is plenty of diversity within each class.
Polly A.
It makes for hilarious reading. I have a pretty extensive bar and several drink cookbooks and I've never seen anything like these. Most look undrinkable by the way. He seems to like to use ingredients that are regional and not exported. And where do you get arctic icicles anyway?
Oops, forgot to report back. Tastes like a dry Manhattan. Mostly bourbon. I was not surprised. I did sub Sake for the Pinot, since I didn't have any white open.
Hmmph. I just bought half-fifths of Jim Beam and Southern Comfort. That's my liquor supply for probably the rest of the year. (I usually get one whiskey and one liqueur, for different moods.)
And that's why I didn't bother with the Mixilator -- Bourbon and vermouth? (Ooh, gotta be "bianco" vermouth!) What the heck is Pinot Grigio? And then they don't care which liqueur you add? (Hey, it's only 3 drops.) And Michele, did you really get something calling for "arctic icicles"? Ye freaking gods of debauchery! Why not ask for "tears of Bacchus", he's probably crying anyway.... ;-)
I find it's much more useful to do a recipe search based on igredients and preferences. What to do when it's the height of grapefruit season but you dont drink vodka? Have a Palm Beach of course:
http://cocktaildb.com/recipe_detail?id=4758
(Also try the Aviation)