Today there are 57 different bartender apps. We spent 48 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to make amazing cocktails.
What is the Best Bartender App?
- Perfect Drink — best of the best
- Highball — best for pros
- Cocktail Flow — best for beginners
- Distiller — best for shopping
- Liquor Cabinet — best free app
- Mixel — best user interface
- BarSim Bartender Game — best mobile bartender game
Our Verdict — Best Of The Best
Price: Starts with a free plan
Perfect Drink is an interactive cocktail app for bartenders with a smart, real-time integration with digital scales. We think it’s the best because of its real-time pouring guidance, extensive recipe database, and customizable recipe editor.
The Best Part:
Customizable cocktail menus. Create personalized menus for themed parties, weddings, and holiday celebrations, making it a breeze to keep a list of your go-to drinks for every occasion.
The Worst Part:
It may require additional hardware. Perfect Drink works best with its accompanying scales, starting at $39.99.
Get it if you need a smart app that takes the guesswork out of mixology and enables you to pour perfect drinks, every time.
I recommend you install the free Perfect Drink app.
(free plan)
Best For
Perfect Drink is best for everyone, from beginner to pro bartenders who want to impress others with expertly crafted cocktails on every occasion.
Top Features
- Real-time pouring guidance. Nail every cocktail with precise measurements using Perfect Drink’s smart scale integration, whether you’re making a classic martini or a fruity punch.
- Shopping list creator. Keep a list of your go-to drinks’ ingredients for your next trip to the store, so you’re always stocked up and ready to serve.
- Extensive recipe database. Guarantee you'll be a crowd-pleaser with Perfect Drink’s mixologist-tested recipes.
- Customizable recipes. Drag and drop ingredients and actions to help you create the perfect cocktail.
- Over-poured? Worry not. Perfect Drink automatically adjusts your recipe if you over-pour, rescuing your cocktail in the process.
Pricing
Perfect Drink offers three pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for bartenders looking for a comprehensive app to explore new recipes, manage shopping lists, and create personalized mixes.
- Buy PRO: $39.99 for bartenders who want to integrate the free app with a smart, interactive scale for precise drinks, with a free 500 ml stainless steel cocktail shaker.
- Buy 2.0: $99.99 for professional bartenders who want a smart, stainless steel scale featuring an LCD display, with a free 750 ml stainless steel cocktail shaker.
Try Perfect Drink today with the free plan.
2. Highball
Our Verdict — Best For Pros
Price: Starts with a free plan
Highball is an elegant mixology app, designed to fit the needs of professional bartenders looking to up their game. We think it’s the best for pros because of its swift sharing features, extensive drink library, and user-friendly design.
The Best Part:
Swift sharing. Highball makes it a breeze to share custom cocktail recipes with friends, colleagues, and even on your social media.
The Worst Part:
No Android version. Currently, Highball is exclusively for iPhone users, leaving Android users out.
Get it if you want a user-friendly mixology app that simplifies making stylish and delicious cocktails.
I recommend you get started with the Free plan.
(free plan)
Best For
Highball is best for professional bartenders who want an elegant and user-friendly app for creating, organizing, and sharing their cocktail recipes.
Top Features
- Extensive drink library. Dive into Highball’s extensive collection of classic and popular cocktail recipes, so you’re never out of new mix ideas.
- Shareable QR codes. Highball makes it easy for you to share your custom drink recipes with your friends, customers, or coworkers.
- User-friendly interface. Highball is an incredibly sleek, quick app that doesn’t require much of a learning curve.
- Custom drink image design. Personalize your custom drinks with your own images,
- Free with optional tipping. Enjoy Highball's features completely free, with the choice to tip the developers if you like the app.
Pricing
Highball offers five pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for professional bartenders looking for a sleek and robust app to create and manage cocktail recipes in style.
- Generous Tip: $0.99 one-time fee, for professional bartenders who want to support the developers with a $0.99 tip.
- Benevolent Tip: $1.99 one-time fee, for professional bartenders who want to support the developers with a $1.99 tip.
- Bounteous Tip: $4.99 one-time fee, for professional bartenders who want to support the developers with a $4.99 tip.
- Magnanimous Tip: $9.99 one-time fee, for professional bartenders who want to support the developers with a $9.99 tip.
Try Highball today with the free plan.
Our Verdict — Best For Beginners
Price: Starts at $3.99/month
Cocktail Flow is a user-friendly mixology app with a focus on cocktail recipes. We think it’s the best for beginner bartenders because of its extensive recipe library, personalized cabinet feature, and straightforward interface.
The Best Part:
Personalized cabinet feature. Cocktail Flow lets you input the ingredients you have at home, then gives you a few ideas for cocktails you can create without a last-minute store run.
The Worst Part:
In-app purchases. There are a bunch of add-on holiday-themed drinks that you gotta pay for, which can add up fast.
Get it if you want an easy-to-use bartender app that can recommend recipes based on the ingredients you have at hand.
I recommend you give the Free version a spin, then go for the 1-Year Subscription for $19.99/year.
(free plan)
Best For
Cocktail Flow is best for aspiring bartenders who need a handy app to help them shake, stir, and mix their way into impressive cocktails.
Top Features
- A drink for every event. Enjoy special occasions with themed collections, including Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Christmas.
- Favorites feature. Save your top drinks for easy access when you’re ready for another round.
- Advanced search. With Cocktail Flow's extensive database you can find the perfect cocktail, filtered by base drink, type, strength, or color.
- No more last-minute store runs. Keep track of your ingredients and uncover new cocktails you can create with the ingredients you’ve already got.
- Invitation bonuses. Unlock premium cocktail recipes for yourself and friends by sharing your invite code.
Pricing
Cocktail Flow offers eight pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for beginner bartenders who want to develop their skills.
- 1-Month Subscription: $3.99/month for beginner bartenders who want an ad-free experience and access to premium cocktails.
- 1-Year Subscription: $19.99/year for beginner bartenders who are committed to mastering mixology and want the best value plan available.
- Valentine’s Day Package: $0.99 one-time fee, for romantics who want to unlock love-inspired drinks to impress a special someone.
- St Patrick’s Day Package: $0.99 one-time fee, for bartenders who want to unlock festive cocktails to celebrate the luck of the Irish.
- Christmas Cocktails: $0.99 one-time fee, for bartenders who want to unlock the best cocktail recipes to bring the holiday cheer to their Christmas gatherings.
- New Years Package: $0.99 one-time fee, for party hosts and bartenders who want to ring in the new year with the best drinks.
- Big Game Cocktails Package: $0.99 one-time fee, for sports enthusiasts who want to unlock themed drinks for game days.
Annual plans provide a 58% discount.
Try Cocktail Flow today with the free plan.
Our Top Three Picks
Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:
- Perfect Drink — best of the best
- Highball — best for pros
- Cocktail Flow — best for beginners
Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:
Tool | Entry Offer | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
Perfect Drink | Free plan | Starts at $39.99 |
Highball | None | Free forever |
Cocktail Flow | Free plan | Starts at $3.99/mo |
Distiller | None | Free forever |
Liquor Cabinet | None | Free forever |
Mixel | Free plan | Starts at $1.99 |
BarSim Bartender Game | None | Free forever |
Here are the top 50 bartender apps we considered in this review:
- Perfect Drink
- Highball
- Cocktail Flow
- Distiller
- Liquor Cabinet
- Mixel
- BarSim Bartender Game
- EdApp
- Lush Cocktails
- Mr. Bartender Drink Recipes
- Bartender
- Modern Classics
- Drink & Cocktail Recipes
- Mr. Moody
- Cocktails Guru
- Untappd
- My Cocktail Bar
- 8500+ Drink Recipes
- PDT Cocktails
- Beachbum Berry’s Total Tiki
- Minibar
- Allrecipes Dinner Spinner
- BarSpoon
- Ginventory
- Shaken and Stirred
- Bartender Guide
- Speakeasy Cocktails
- BrewGene
- MIxologist
- See My Drink
- Top Shelf Drinks
- BarNotes
- Marth Steward Makes Cocktails
- The Photo Cookbook - Cocktails
- Drinkology
- Man Drinks
- InMyBar
- Nasty Drinks
- MONIN Ultimate Cocktails
- iBartender
- 101 Cocktails
- Amazing Drinks
- Drinks 4U
- Top Martini Recipes
- Girl Drinks
- SHAKE: Martini Recipes
- Drinks!
- How to Make Cocktails
- Bartender's Choice
- Mixology
Is there an app to tell you what drinks you can make with what you have?
Cocktail Flow is a fantastic app that allows you to input the ingredients you have at home and suggests drinks you can make without needing a store run.
This feature, called the "Personalized Cabinet," makes it a perfect choice for beginners who want to explore mixed drinks and make delicious drinks with their existing ingredients.
The app has an extensive list of cocktails, and its search bar allows you to filter recipes by spirit, type, strength, and color. Cocktail Flow is available for free, with premium features unlockable through in-app purchases. Other alternatives with the digital cabinet feature are Perfect Drink, Highball, and Liquor Cabinet.
What is the mixology app with the scale?
The mixology app with the scale is Perfect Drink. This interactive cocktail app offers real-time pouring guidance using its unique scale integration. Perfect Drink is suitable for both home bartenders and professionals, as it provides an extensive recipe database and a customizable recipe editor. To make the most of Perfect Drink, you may need to purchase additional hardware, such as the accompanying scales starting at $39.99.
How do you make a personalized drink?
To make a personalized drink, you can use apps like Perfect Drink, Highball, or Cocktail Flow, which offer customizable recipes, recipe editors, and sharing features.
With these apps, you can explore various flavor profiles, styles of cocktails, and bartending techniques to create your unique mixed drink. Experiment with different base spirits, mixers, and garnishes while following step-by-step instructions provided in the app.
You can also take inspiration from renowned bartenders like Sam Ross, Maxwell Britten, and Jeffrey Morgenthaler, or try modern classics and barrel-aged cocktails. Use the knowledge of ingredients, bartending skills, and professional mixologist tips provided by these apps to craft the perfect personalized drink.
Is there a free bartender app?
Yes, there are many free bartender apps such as Perfect Drink, Highball, Distiller, and Liquor Cabinet.
Liquor Cabinet is an excellent app for organizing your home bar and discovering new cocktails based on the ingredients you have. The app provides a wide selection of cocktail recipes, perfect cocktails for various occasions, and step guides to make your favorite drinks. It also offers a sleek design and well-designed recipe cards for easy navigation.
Even though it’s a free app, it provides a comprehensive library of cocktail recipes and extensive knowledge about spirits and bartending techniques.
Is there an app like Vivino for alcohol?
Yes, there is an app called Distiller, which is similar to Vivino but focuses on spirits instead of wine.
Distiller is designed for those who want to learn more about different types of alcohol, such as whiskey, rum, gin, tequila, brandy, and more. The app allows users to explore, rate, and review various spirits, discover new favorites, and get personalized recommendations based on their taste preferences.
With Distiller, you can browse through a vast library of spirits, read detailed descriptions and expert reviews, and find the perfect bottle to suit your taste. The app also provides information on flavor profiles, production methods, and background stories behind each spirit. Distiller is a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced enthusiasts who want to expand their knowledge and appreciation of alcoholic beverages.
The app is available for free on iOS and Android devices, with optional in-app purchases to access premium features.
The Bottom Line
To recap, here are the best bartender apps to try this year:
- Perfect Drink — best of the best
- Highball — best for pros
- Cocktail Flow — best for beginners
- Distiller — best for shopping
- Liquor Cabinet — best free app
- Mixel — best user interface
- BarSim Bartender Game — best mobile bartender game
