Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

The Barman helps you create the perfect cocktail

Mike Flacy
By
barman
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Recently passing 75 percent of the product’s funding goal on Kickstarter, the Barman is a lifestyle gadget that combines a digital scale, LED lights, Bluetooth and a smartphone application to guide anyone through the process of pouring a tasty cocktail. To get started, the user places a glass with or without ice on top of the Barman. Using the accompanying smartphone application, the user selects a drink recipe. The Barman instantly prompts the user to pour the first ingredient in the cocktail in addition to illuminating the glass in a pale blue light. 

barman-pouring-vodkaAs the user pours each ingredient, a progress indicator appears on the LCD display of the Barman. In addition to checking the progress meter, the user can also watch for the blue light illuminating the cup to switch to a shade of red. This is a visual indication that enough liquid has been poured and the user should stop.

Recommended Videos

The Barman will then prompt the user to pour the next ingredient and so on until the drink is complete. Rather than mess with jiggers or shot glasses when attempting to measure out the correct amount of alcohol for a drink, the Barman allows the user to pour directly from the bottle. 

Related

While the Barman iOS or Android smartphone application will be filled with tons of drink recipes, the user can choose to alter the ingredients in a recipe based off their personal preferences or input entirely new recipes. After a drink has been completed, the user has the option of sharing news of the drink creation on Facebook and Twitter. If one of your social network friends also owns a Barman, they can download the same drink recipe and try it out themselves.

barman-smartphone-appPowered by a simple 9-volt battery, the current prototype version of the Barman has a polished wooden shell. However, the creator of the Barman plans to transition to “impact resistant, high gloss, black tempered glass” in order to avoid any form of water damage due to drink spillage or condensation from the glass.

Regarding battery life, the current version of the Barman has been tested consistently over the last month and the original 9-volt battery still seems to be working. The scale used within the Barman uses software and hardware that’s similar to a commercial-grade postage machine. This allows the scale to ignore the weight of different glasses as well as varying amounts of ice prior to helping someone mix a drink.

While a device like the Bartendro completely automates the process of making drinks, the Barman allows the use of carbonated mixers, offers a much smaller form factor and costs significantly less than other automated solutions. Early backers can purchase the Barman for $49 for the base unit or spring for a more expensive backer level in order to score some additional bar gear like a drink shaker, liquor pouring caps or cocktail glasses. According to the Kickstarter page, the developers of the Barman plan to ship the device by September 2013. As with all Kickstarter projects, be aware that manufacturing delays can easily delay shipment of the product beyond the target launch date.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Flacy
Mike Flacy
Contributing Editor
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
Get Alexa’s help with your next cocktail thanks to SideChef-Bacardi collaboration
perfect pour a comprehensive guide to cocktail measuring tools 6 jpg

On Monday, SideChef, a cooking and meal planning app that won the Google Play Editor's Pick for "Best Apps of 2017," announced that it is collaborating with Bacardi to create curated cocktails for the SideChef platform. Users of SideChef can now find easy, step-by-step drink recipes developed by Bacardi on the app. Bacardi is the largest privately held spirits company in the world and the first spirits brand to partner with SideChef, though the app has partnered with companies like Electrolux, LG, GE, Haier, V-Zug, and Bosch Home Connect in the past.

"The SideChef smart recipe format’s user-centric design is optimized for cooking education and the unique needs of food preparation. The collaboration with Bacardi creates new possibilities for home cooks to interact with the platform beyond food preparation and explore the future of at-home mixology," the company said in a press release.

Read more
The most common Google Home problems and how to fix them
best google home compatible devices hands on 4652

Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home make up the three biggest smart home platforms on the planet. Google Home is popular thanks to its lineup of Nest products, which includes the Nest Hub Max, Nest Doorbell, and Nest Cam, along with many other devices. Best of all, Google Home supports a wide array of third-party products, giving users an easy way to link all their gadgets together and control them from one streamlined app.

But, as you'd expect, getting all these devices working seamlessly isn't always as easy as it sounds. The Google Home platform is also susceptible to the same issues as other smart home platforms, which include various connectivity hiccups and problems with voice commands. Solving these problems is usually pretty easy -- that is, once you know where to look.

Read more
The most common Echo Show problems and how to fix them
Amazon Echo Show 10.

If you're looking to add a smart display to your home, the Amazon Echo Show is a great option. Bringing the best of Alexa into the visual realm, the Echo Show allows you to tap into real-time video from your home's smart security system, have video calls with friends and family using Alexa's Drop In feature, stream from Hulu and Prime Video, run photo slideshows, and so much more.

But glitches happen, and the Echo Show is not without its small trail of troubles. Fortunately, many of these issues have straightforward fixes. In this deep dive, we'll be taking a look at the most common Echo Show problems and how you can fix them.
Echo Show screen is flickering
This issue has been with the Echo Show since the first-generation model. What we're talking about are pulsating horizontal lines stretching across the screen. Sometimes, the malfunction appears closer to the bottom of the display, where Alexa's indicator is, or up and down the entire display. Some Echo Show owners experience this infrequently, others all the time. If your own Show is flickering, there are a few things you can try.

Read more