Digital Aisle

Cocktail Corner with Rob: Relax…

Let the Virtual Bartender plan your next party

Like plowing through a day’s worth of laundry, going grocery shopping is one of those bi-weekly chores that is unavoidable.   And if you’re like me, once you finally get to the grocery store, you realize you’ve forgotten that list you’ve been working on the last two weeks.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a personal shopper to help you? Someone who could ask about your likes and dislikes, whether you have plenty of milk or should pick up some more, and even recommend some recipes for that chicken, beef or fish?

While the supermarkets have yet to reach that level of service, a few local liquor stores are at the forefront of helping their customers with selecting the right beer, wine and spirit, while providing suggestions on quantity, brand as well as recipes for the home booze jockey.

It’s called the Virtual Bartender, and though it’s not available in every liquor store, it certainly is the most friendly and interactive electronic party planner we’ve encountered. For a firsthand account of the machine’s capabilities, we stepped up to a screen at Branmar Liquors on Marsh Road.

Virtual Bartender

It’s almost impossible to pass by the Virtual Bartender when you walk into one of the four Delaware locations that features the monstrous machine. The 32″ LCD HD monitor shines like a beacon to those looking for ways to creatively quench their thirst, while the on-screen mixologists beckon to help walk you through the touch-screen steps to better booze.

First, you will be asked to enter the year of your birth and gender, after which a list of topics will appear on the left hand side of the screen. These range from “drinks,” which gives you cocktail options, “occasions,” which recommends recipes and quantities of alcohol needed based on the amount of guests at the party you’re planning, and “brands,” which allows you to scroll through the recommended spirits, which can typically be found in the store.

Occasions

This is probably the most functional and helpful of all the Virtual Bartender’s options. After clicking on the “occasions” tab, the computer will ask you how many guests you’re expecting at the party, in order to suggest an accurate amount of booze you should be purchasing. From there, the computer will ask what percentage of your guests drink what spirit. For example, you might 30 percent rum, 30 percent vodka, 20 percent tequila, 10 percent gin, 10 percent whiskey.

Once finished calculating, the Virtual Bartender will come up with a number of bottles to purchase in each category, and will also recommend the proper amount of mixers and garnishes, so that you can walk around the store and collect your arsenal of products for the party.

Brands

The one minor drawback about the Virtual Bartender is that it is pre-programmed to recommend certain products, depending on the store.

For example, the computer might recommend Jameson’s over Bushmill’s,or Stoli over Absolut. But the advantage is that, more times than not, the alcohol recommended by the computer is available in that store (though it is not updated with that store’s individual inventory).

If you’re committed to one particular brand that the computer doesn’t recommend, however, it’s only a matter of going to that spirit’s or wine’s section in the store to find your alcohol of choice.

Conversely, if the computer recommends a spirit you just don’t care for, the store’s employees will most likely help you find an acceptable substitute.

Drinks

So you’re not planning a party, but you just want to try something new? Just head to the “drinks” tab, and the Virtual Bartender will take you to where you can enter your favorite spirit, so that it can make a suggestion for a cocktail. Or enter the name of the cocktail (if you know it, but are unsure of the ingredients), and the Virtual Bartender will list all of the ingredients and the measurements for each one.

Click on the “print” tab and you get your own little recipe receipt printed out, which you can take with you and add to your recipe book at home. If you’re the type who tends to lose little bits of paper, the Virtual Bartender also allows you to email the recipe to your home e-mail address, where you can bring it up later.

Original article by ROB KALESSE