Pocket Cocktails iPhone App Review

Pocket Cocktails iPhone App Review

There is no shortage of cocktail apps available for the iPhone, but many offer simplistic recipes and lame interfaces. Not only does Pocket Cocktails have full size photos of every cocktail, but it also has a separate section specifically for summer cocktails, making it a great summertime app.

Summer cocktails, martinis, shooters, and moreThe Pocket Cocktails app has a 60s style interface that is pretty cute, with a homepage divided into eight categories. These categories include martinis, classics, shooters, summer cocktails, and more. There even a mocktails category for those who prefer to skip the booze. The classics category includes all the cocktails you would expect, and there are a good amount of modern recipes in the martini section, including the Saketini and Pomegranate Martini.

Full screen pictures, which really should be standard on every recipe app, make it easy to determine what you be making. Each cocktail includes a text based recipe and list of ingredients; some also have tips or trivia. The recipes look similar to what we have encountered in the past, and the Pocket Cocktail app includes plenty of drinks that we never even heard of (Lychee Pinetini, anyone?).

However, the recipe and ingredient amounts are listed on separate pages, so you have to scroll between the two pages to follow the recipe this information should be consolidated to make for easier browsing. There also an option to add a cocktail as a favorite. (Hint: You access your favorites by tapping the olive in the martini on the homepage, something that took us an embarrassingly long time to figure out.)

Food wine pairingsThe Pocket Cocktails app also includes a Sommelier, which suggests wine to accompany different types of food. This section was much more detailed than we expected, with specific recommendations for individual types of cheese (brie, camembert, etc.) or cuts of beef (grilled rib eye steak, prime rib, etc.). The Tricks section is also pretty extensive. It includes articles on how to make simple syrup, construct a lemon twist garnish, or layer drinks.

Other features include a random recipe generator (just shake your iPhone to shuffle) and the ability to email cocktail recipes. This functionality all works fine, but we would like to see Twitter or Facebook integration for sharing recipes as well.

The Bottom LinePocket Cocktail is a solid app that has several things going for it. We really like the full screen cocktail photos, and the sommelier functionality makes this app useful for more than just drink recipes. Unfortunately, following the recipes is a little tedious because you have to switch between the ingredient and instruction pages. We also like to see Twitter or Facebook integration for recipe sharing. Overall rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

What You Need

The Pocket Cocktails app works with the iPod touch, iPad, and iPhone; an optimized version for the iPad, Pocket Cocktails HD ($4.99), is also available. Pocket Cocktails requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later, while Pocket Cocktails HD requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later. You must acknowledge that you are 17 years or older to download the app.

Download at iTunes

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