There are literally millions of apps out there to download on your iPhone, iPad, or other device, but it can be difficult to figure out which ones are worth a download and which are a waste of time. We’ve done the hard work for you and narrowed down a long list of beer, wine, and cocktail apps to bring you the best of what’s out there when it comes to your favorite libations. Whether you’re looking for a quick cocktail recipe, a bar that has your favorite beer on tap, or the right wine to buy for your current mood, we’ve got you covered with these fun apps.
Cocktail Flow, Free
This app is great for learning about cocktails, making drinks at home, or choosing a cocktail when you’re out on the town. You can look for cocktails based on the type of alcohol, by category, or even by color. If you’re making something at home, tell the app what you have in your liquor cabinet (in a fun illustrated user interface) and Cocktail Flow will give you recipes based on what you already have. It will also suggest another list of drinks that you could make if you added one or two easy items to your home bar. We like the highly visual design of this app and the variety it offers.
Drinks and Cocktails, Free
This app is on the simpler side and is best used when you’re feeling spontaneous at a bar and want to try something new. The app uses a fun spinning dial to let users scroll through a hand-picked selection of popular, unusual, and classic drinks. Once you’ve landed on one, the app tells you exactly what’s in it and how to make it. If you’re the pickier type, you can search or narrow things down by type of alcohol, but we’ve had the most fun landing on random drinks and giving them a try.
Mixologist, $.99
If you’re a cocktail lover or a bartending nerd, it’s probably worth the dollar to get this app, which seems to include every possible feature we’ve seen in a variety of other cocktail and drink apps. This one has thousands of drink recipes, browsable by category or ingredient, ratings and comments, a top rated drinks section, the ability to add favorites or custom-made drinks, and more. We like that this app also includes recipe recommendations based on what’s in your liquor cabinet, and it even includes useful bartending terminology, tips and tricks, what glassware you should have, and a fun shaker to find a random drink listing.
BrewGene, Free
This app is great for picky beer drinkers who want to keep tabs on what their favorites are, where they can find those favorites, and new beers that they are wanting to try. Users can search from a catalog of over 40,000 beers for important stats on each beer as well as where to find it on a local map. We particularly like the “watch list” feature that allows users to keep a running list of beers that they want to try, and the fact that the app also gives out personalized recommendations of new beers based on those that you have already added as favorites.
Pintley, Free
This is another beer app that focuses on tracking your beer tastings and ratings wherever you go while also adding in a social aspect. Based on your own ratings, the app recommends beers that you might like and encourages you to rate any beer that you’ve tried, whether you like it or not. The app includes important stats for over 17,000 beers and also includes Foursquare, Twitter, and Facebook integration. Taking the social aspect one step further, there is a “news feed” page that allows you to see the beer ratings of your friends.
Blush for Wine, Free
On the wine side of things, we really love Blush because it keeps things simple, aiming to find you the perfect wine for your mood based on a few different questions like purpose (social, unwinding, with meal, etc.), red or white, whether you like spicy or subtle foods, and budget. After narrowing down your “wine mood,” it gives you just a couple recommendations for that particular situation. It’s a perfect simple tool for wine shopping when you want to pick out the perfect red wine for your meal, or the right white wine to help you unwind after a long day.
Hello Vino, Free
This app expands your wine options quite a bit and is great for those who either already know a fair amount about wine or those who want to learn. You can seek out wine recommendations based on occasion, region, taste preference, or even get a recommendation for the specific meal you are going to have alongside your wine. If you have a wine in mind already, the app also offers suggestions for food pairings for that specific wine. Users can search for wines, look up a wine by taking a photo of the label, and rate/save favorites. For a little dash of sommelier knowledge, we like that you can also hear short audio reviews for wines from knowledgeable sources.
Wine Spectator Vintage Chart +, Free
Last but not least, we have one for the wine enthusiasts out there. This app definitely won’t appeal to everybody, but if you are one to be concerned about vintage years and maybe even have a subscription to Wine Spectator magazine, we have the app for you right here. While it’s not the most fully-featured app out there, this one aims to give users a mobile version of Wine Spectator‘s Vintage Charts, which give information and prime drinking years for wines from different regions. This can help you choose a good wine or decide when to drink that 2006 vintage for it be at its prime flavor.
