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Did you know that Keurig, best known for coffees, teas, and espressos, also has a cocktail machine that perfectly mixes your favorite drink? Keurig Drinkworks is a unique model that uses Keurig technology in a completely new way. However, it has stiff competition from Bartesian. We’re going to compare Keurig Drinkworks vs Bartesian to see which is the best electronic cocktail machine.
We’re going to compare Bartesian vs Keurig Drinkworks based on capsules, controls, ease of use, and customization. Read on to see which model wins.
Keurig Drinkworks | Bartesian Cocktail Maker |
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Keurig Drinkworks vs Bartesian: Capsules
Any cocktail lover knows that you traditionally have to mix spirits, mixers, and other ingredients to create the perfect cocktail. It’s great when you get it right, but all too often many home mixologists either get the wrong ratios or they don’t want to follow all the steps (who knew making a drink at home could be so complicated?).
If you’re tired of all that work but still want a delicious cocktail at home, then you need a drink machine. In our Keurig Drinkworks vs Bartesian review, we found that both units use capsules or pods.
Both offer classic cocktails like martinis, margheritis, Long Island iced teas, and old fashioneds.
While they are similar in this regard, we found that Bartesian vs Keurig Drinkworks use very different types of capsules. The Drinkworks Keurig pods contain all the ingredients and spirits needed right within the pod itself. Bartesian capsules only have the mixing ingredients, they don’t include the spirits.
This is a big difference, but we don’t want to spend too much time on it here. It makes a major difference between both models that we will touch on in the following sections (especially Ease of Use and Customization).
However, we can say that both cocktail capsules are simple to use, convenient, and ensure you get the perfect drink every time.
Bartesian vs Keurig Drinkworks: Controls
Both drink makers are simple to control when it comes to Bartesian versus Keurig Drinkworks. They start exactly the same by inserting the pod into the machine. However, the controls differ slightly from here.
Keurig has a start button, that’s it. Insert the pod and press start. Couldn’t be easier. The Drinkworks from Keurig reads the pod, mixes the appropriate amount of water and carbonation, and delivers the perfect cocktail.
What about Bartesian? The controls are nearly as simple, but there is one extra function that we think you’ll enjoy. Bartesian gives you strength controls. You can choose mocktail, light, regular, and strong. That’s perfect for those who want their drinks either on the lighter or stronger side. You don’t get that with Drinkworks by Keurig.
If you like your drinks on the regular side, then we can’t really determine a winner here with Keurig Drinkworks versus Bartesian since they’re roughly the same. But, if you want control over how strong your drink is, then Bartesian is the superior model.
Ease of Use
Which cocktail maker is easier to use? As we illustrated in the Controls section, neither machine is difficult to use, they’re both simple. However, one is definitely easier than the other.
Keurig Drinkworks couldn’t be easier. Much like Keurig coffee makers, this model has a water reservoir that it pulls from when making drinks. The 50oz reservoir allows you to make many cocktails without refilling it. It also comes with CO2 cartridges that carbonate the water, which is perfect for gin and tonic.
Not only that, but Drinkworks by Keurig has all the ingredients right inside the pod. You don’t need to worry about pairing the right spirits with the cocktail ingredients. Everything is right there for you. Keurig mixes it all perfectly so that your cocktails are the best they can possibly be.
While Keurig has more parts that you’ll need to change down the road (such as water filters and CO2 cartridges), it’s overall use is incredibly easy.
How does Bartesian stack up? Nearly the same, but just a little more difficult. Unlike Keurig with its single water reservoir, Bartesian has four glass bottles that stand upside down and feed into the machine. These bottles hold your preferred tequila, whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, or other spirits.
Turning the bottles upside down is usually fine if you’re careful, but there is a chance of spilling the spirits. However, it’s a small chance as long as you’re fast.
There are also fewer parts to change. There’s no water filter or CO2 cartridges, but you will need to refill and replace the bottles as they run low.
Keurig Drinkworks is somewhat easier to use overall. However, the Bartesian cocktail maker isn’t that far behind. You shouldn’t have any problems with either of them.
Customization
Maybe you like your drinks stronger than most people, or maybe you prefer using a different spirit than what is generally recommended for a certain cocktail. If you’re mixing by hand, then this is easy. Just use the ingredients you want. It’s a little harder with cocktail makers, but one of these allows for some customization while the other doesn’t allow it at all.
Keurig Drinkworks scans the cocktail pod when you place it in and it mixes the ingredients along with the appropriate amount of water and carbonation. Sounds great, but the problem is that it mixes it the same way every time. It doesn’t matter if you want the drink stronger, weaker, or with other spirits. There’s no way to customize the drink here.
Bartesian gives you some wiggle room for creativity. As we mentioned in the Controls section, you can change the strength of your drink by making it either weaker or stronger. You can also place your favorite spirits in, which allows you to choose a specific spirit that you like.
It’s not quite as much customization as if you were making the cocktail by hand, but Bartesian affords you some creativity while Keurig Drinkworks forces you to have the same drink every time.
Keurig Drinkworks | Bartesian Cocktail Maker |
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Final Thoughts
With all that said, who makes the best cocktail machine: Keurig Drinkworks or Bartesian. If you want the perfect drink every time and you don’t want to customize the drink at all, then we suggest Drinkworks by Keurig. However, if you want to adjust the strength of cocktails or use your own spirits, then Bartesian is the better of the two.
Both use similar pods and the results are delicious. So, which drink maker do you choose?