From metal mickey to getting mist on gin
Today I was accosted by one of those annoying banner ads that we all suffer in return for the wonder of the Internet. It proclaimed the delights of Royal Caribbean Cruises, and in particular their latest innovation, the robotic barman.
Imagine… your drinks served by a faultless technological marvel. The perfect pour every time, the perfect measure, all in perfect proportion.
Will wonders never start?
Because for me the very idea of a robotic barman, which basically comprises the kind of bionic arm you would normally associate with a car factory, is a nightmare akin to prohibition.
No barman! That means no Moe from The Simpsons, no Sam or Woody from Cheers, no Rick Blaine from Ricks Café American for god’s sake…
A robot… I mean really. Will it know the names of your kids? Will it help you drown your sorrows when you’ve been dumped? Will it tell you when you’ve had enough? Will it know what your usual is? Will it every take a drink as a tip?
Robots arms… great for bomb disposal, lunar explorers, hazardous waste and Steve Austin, the bionic man. For a bar? Forget it.
If you want technology in your bar, you’d be better off pursuing other avenues. Like the clever guys at Lick Me I’m Delicious are doing. Their crazy inventions are really pushing the boundaries of wild and wacky food engineering.
To start with they’ve developed the Edible Mist machine, which looks like something out of a science fiction film… with a neon light shining out from beneath a domed metal ‘head’. You wouldn’t be surprised if it said ‘Take me to your leader’.
It uses ultrasonic vaporization to create a micro-mist infused with the flavour of just about anything you fancy – including gin, whisky, vermouth, rum, brandy and lots more. It’s a really smoking invention… the only drawback being the booze flavours are just that – flavours and don’t actually contain alcohol.
But don’t panic. They have also created the amazing Levitron, which, as the name suggests, levitates tiny droplets of real drinks, such as a gin and tonic, into the air ready for you to pluck out and drink, like a spaceman in zero gravity.
Now’s that’s totally terrific technology. So, move over Martinis made by Metal Mickey, let’s give some love to Lick Me I’m Delicious.
Check out Lickmeimdelicious at