How a modular solution revolutionizes the process of making cocktails.

Cocktails are just bursting with fruity flavour. For many of us, these ice-cold beverages are part and parcel of any successful (summer) party, especially seeing as you don’t need alcohol to conjure up culinary masterpieces. All the same, making cocktails on a larger scale causes quite a few problems for event organisers and restaurateurs, with demand spiralling almost out of control during busy periods and intervals. Thousands of cocktails need to be mixed in an incredibly short space of time. Although preparing them in advance is an option, it’s hardly the best way of doing things. After all, you can’t plan exactly how many people will come to the bar. ‘Inventory shrinkage’ is another issue. Bottles fall onto the floor or a barkeeper is a bit too generous with a certain ingredient, and planning starts to fall apart. It’s all about getting the balance right. That’s why Timm Kasischke came up with a practical solution to such challenges that is patented throughout Europe. Raise a glass to the cocktail-box.

A conveyor belt of cocktails

Whilst he was still studying medical technology, Kasischke was keen to explore whether the idea of a cocktail machine was technically feasible. “There’s always lots of things that can go wrong when you make a cocktail. I came up with the idea of developing a machine that can make cocktails in large volumes at the touch of a button.” In 2006, the first prototype, developed in his parents’ garage, came into action at a student party. Although the cocktail machine has changed significantly since then, the underlying idea has remained the same. Thanks to the clever composition of the individual ingredients, cocktails of consistent quality are made at the simple touch of a button. Further experience at events and during his employment at a medical device company allowed Kasischke to constantly improve the cocktail-box and expand his company, which he founded in 2009.

This method of automatic cocktail production is based on a combination of a recipe database and a pump system. “In principle, every ingredient is allocated its own pump. The machine then dictates which pump is needed and for how long,” Kasischke explains. The individual ingredients, meanwhile, are stored in separate 5- or 10-litre containers inside the cocktail-box and only come together in the cocktail glass – ruling out the possibility of any cross-contamination that would impact on the taste. Depending on the cocktail’s recipe, the entire mixing process takes between four and eight seconds, meaning 300 to 500 cocktails can be made every hour. Users can conveniently control the cocktail machine via touch screen – there’s no need for any specialist knowledge. “At the heart of it, it’s as easy as pulling a pint,” says Kasischke.

A cocktail machine for all your needs

We’ve all got different tastes, and cocktails are no exception. That’s why the cocktail-box allows you to add as many recipes to the database as you wish. This flexibility is also the defining feature of the cocktail machine’s overall concept. The solution is based on modular one-metre-wide bar counters that are joined together, meaning you can attach as many extra counters as you like. Kasischke’s team opted for the profile technology of our MB Building Kit System to construct the frame: “We used to do business with a competitor, but they weren’t as good in many respects. item simply provides us with greater flexibility. We have customers that need something extraordinary or want to expand an existing bar counter. This is where item products are naturally fantastic, because of their modular design.” Customised lighting and a fully branded look can also be created.

But that’s not all the machine has to offer. Besides a mobile variant that has proved a big hit at trade fairs and other large-scale events, there is also a stationary cocktail machine. This variant is placed on top of an existing bar counter and thus doesn’t require any extra space, making it the perfect choice for restaurants or bars. There’s no need for design modifications, drilled holes or openings, either. “Some of our customers are restaurateurs who have already put our cocktail machine to fantastic use in order to take some strain off their employees,” says Kasischke. The mobile variant, meanwhile, has ventured even further – in the form of a cocktail machine integrated into an electric vehicle owned by the company StreetScooter. Who knows what other exciting ideas are next!

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