In an era where it seems more and more of us want fancy food, drinks, and services at home — and instantly — it may come as a shock that Drinkworks is shutting down operations.
Drinkworks is a ready-made bartending machine that’s able to deliver custom cocktails at the push of a button. Despite the apparent ease of having a countertop mixologist, Drinkworks says it will no longer be selling new bar machines, and it will stop producing drink pods too, though it will continue to sell off stock on its website and through retailers until the supplies are gone.
Apparently aware that a legion of customers may be irate at having shelled out for a pricey machine ($300-350) that will soon cease to be able to execute its only function, the company is launching a reimbursement program.
“As the Drinkworks machine will no longer be able to be replaced or serviced, we are offering you the opportunity to receive reimbursement for your system,” according to to the Drinkworks website and a special reimbursement page. “This offer is valid until February 28, 2022. Please use your Reimbursement ID, found in your email, to submit a reimbursement claim.”
Drinkworks was a partnership between Keurig Dr Pepper (makers of the popular single-serve coffee machines) and Anheuser-Busch which launched back in 2018 and made a splash at CES when it was introduced. The company has numerous brand partnerships with the likes of Absolut, Jack Daniels, and Kahlua bringing big-name bar drinks to home sippers.
Naturally, if you’re still a die-hard believer in your mess-free custom drink mixing solution, you can snap up remaining pod stock and keep cranking out cocktails as long as that lasts. Drinkworks says the shutdown of machine sales was effective as of December 15, 2021.
