Tom Kraeutler: This is The Money Pit’s Top Products podcast. I’m Tom Kraeutler at the Consumer Electronics Show. One of the fun things about going to these shows is you get to see products that are on the marching path. And one that we found today that’s really exciting is called Bartesian. It’s kind of like a Keurig for cocktails. With me to talk about that is the COO Ryan Close. Welcome, Ryan.
Ryan Close: Thanks, Tom.
Tom Kraeutler: So tell me about Bartesian. How does it work?
Ryan Close: Yeah. Essentially, you nailed it. It’s very similar to how your espresso or your Keurig works at home. It’s a cocktail machine that has barcode technology on capsules, that uses the real, natural juices and real natural bitters, liqueurs, in those capsules. So you take the machine, you put your natural spirits, simple spirits, into those vessels, your containers, and then you add the cocktail capsule that you select. You press the button. You can have a mocktail, up to a triple. Hit OK. It works just like your Keurig and makes your cocktail ready to go, so you don’t have to mess around with buying ingredients, buying juices, bitters, liqueurs–it’s all there for you.
Tom Kraeutler: So how does it work with the alcohol? Is it in the capsules itself?
Ryan Close: Yeah. Actually, it’s non-alcoholic capsules so it’s basically the liqueurs and bitters before they have the alcohol in them. And the alcohol is provided by yourself. You buy the machine, there’s four empty containers. You fill them with vodka, rum, gin, and tequila. And those four alcohol make hundreds and hundreds of cocktails. We’re launching with six to start. We have margarita. We have cosmopolitan. We have a gin on the rocks one, martini on the rocks one. Sex on the beach, and a couple others.
Basically, we have about a hundred and fifty in the pipeline right now. And we have kits so, for Christmas, you’re having the family over, and you buy a Christmas kit where there’s a candy can martini and gingerbread rum drinks. You can have Mad Men era cocktails for the fellas that come over at poker night, or girl’s night in and have a whole kit for that. The possibilities are endless with this. It allows the user to really dictate what they feel like drinking and what the theme are.
Tom Kraeutler: This is a really cool idea because, if you think about it, when you go to make these cocktails you have to buy all of these ingredients. You have to buy the juices and the bitters and the cherries and this and that. And then half the time it ends up sitting around. You don’t use it when the party’s over, and six months later you throw it out. With this there’s really no waste.
Ryan Close: You’re exactly right. And in addition to that, if you’re like myself, I don’t necessarily want to go to a nice, fancy restaurant and spend fifteen/eighteen dollars on a cocktail. I’ve never tried. So, this product allows you, for under two dollars, which these capsules are retailing at, in a non-judgmental environment for, maybe, a guy who’s not going to order a sex on the beach, can try it at home and really enjoy it with their family and friends.
Tom Kraeutler: Or just not tell them, and they think you’re the greatest bartender in the world.
Ryan Close: Well, that’s it. People are spending half their lives in the kitchen, and trying to outdo themselves, right? So this allows you to go in and bring out world-class drinks. And we found in our testings that people love sitting around, trying the machine, testing it, and it’s visceral, it’s very exciting machine that people get to touch and look at and press buttons and they had a lot of fun. So it’s a point of conversation.
Tom Kraeutler: Ryan Close with Bartesian. Thank you so much for being apart of The Money Pit’s Top Products podcast, and good luck with the product.
Ryan Close: Thanks so much, Tom.
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