TECH NOW: Best party gadgets for New Year's
Contributor Jennifer Jolly demonstrates some of the latest technology to help you celebrate in style.
The Dreamcade Kegerator 60(Photo: Dream Arcades)
Story Highlights
- Dreamcade is a bar, TV and gaming arcade
- Mixology app has thousands of drink recipes
- GrowlerSaver cap keeps beer fresh
Whether you're planning a Super Bowl beer bash, New Year's Eve cocktails or an intimate winter wine and cheese tasting, you'll impress your guests when you're armed with the very latest gadgets for what we sometimes refer to as adult libations. Today's best "booze tech" offers something for every taste, from mixed drinks to beer or wine.
First on our list and guaranteed to impress: Pull a single glass of wine from even the most cherished bottle in your collection — without pulling the cork — with the help of the Coravin[1]. This astounding little gadget uses a needle inserted through the cork of an unopened bottle to extract a single glass of wine, replacing what it removes with inert argon gas (which is already used in the wine-making process). The cork naturally closes around the needle hole, leaving your wine to mature in its own time, unopened and undisturbed.
Sound incredible? It'll change the way you enjoy wine, without a doubt. At $299, it's not exactly cheap — but it's still a long shot short of this next item, the ultimate man-cave must-have, the Dreamcade Kegerator 60[2]. Is it a bar, a TV, a gaming arcade? Yep. All of 'em in one. Or to be more specific, a 60-inch HDTV, a built-in fridge, three beer taps, cupholders and more than 140 video game arcade classics including Ms. Pac Man, Street Fighter, Centipede and more. All of this more is yours, for the mere price of $5,000.
The Mixology app for iPhone or Android(Photo: Cocktail Recipes LLC)
MIXING IT UP
Aficionados of the cocktail party will want to download the Mixology[3] app for iPhone or Android. Mixology is the gold standard of cocktail apps. You get thousands of drink recipes, a search feature to locate nearby liquor stores and bars, drink suggestions based on what's already in your liquor cabinet, searches by ingredient and of course the ability to rate and share all these experiences with your friends online.
The Drinkboard app for iPhone or Android(Photo: Giftboard)
Speaking of sharing, you can send a drink to a far-flung friend with Drinkboard [4]for iPhone or Android. Drinkboard curates restaurants and bars in multiple cities, then coordinates the order and payment to let you instantly send a drink (or treat someone to dinner) and say "This one's on me."
FOR THE BEER OR WINE LOVER
If you love wine but the Coravin sounds a little too rich for your taste, the VinEdge[5] also helps preserve your wine's fresh taste for several days. Insert the spout into an open bottle of wine. As you pour, a disposable tube inflates inside the bottle, creating a vacuum and reducing the amount of oxygen in contact with the wine, helping your wine taste fresher longer.
To smooth out the taste of a less impressive vintage, you need the BevWizard[6]. Pouring your wine through the BevWizard alters the structure of the tannins, producing a smoother "mouthfeel" — a softer, fruitier taste many find less aggressive and easier to enjoy.
The Growler Saver(Photo: Growler Saver LLC)
Can't finish that oversized half-gallon glass "growler" of beer? The Growler Saver[7] cap keeps it fresh and provides a draft-like pour. Rugged individualists will appreciate the Randall[8], a Willy Wonka-esque filter contraption that runs draft beer through a system you fill with whole leaf hops, spices, herbs or fruit to infuse your beer with your own customized flavor.
The hand-held carbonator from Pat's Backcountry Beverages(Photo: Pat's Backcountry Beverages)
But what if you were looking for something more in the spirit of your New Year's resolution to get outside, exercise more and enjoy Mother Nature? We've got just the thing: an easy way to make your own beer on the camping trail. The hand-held carbonator from Pat's Backcountry Beverages lets you add fizz to your beverage of choice — and that includes beer made from brew concentrate packets[9] you've stashed in your backpack. Let it never be said you were unprepared to toss back a cold one at the end of a long day!
No matter how you celebrate, have a fabulous time, and remember be safe out there!
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY's digital video show TECH NOW. E-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[10]. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly[11].
References
- ^ Coravin (www.coravin.com)
- ^ Dreamcade Kegerator 60 (www.dreamarcades.com)
- ^ Mixology (mixologyapp.com)
- ^ Drinkboard (www.drinkboard.com)
- ^ VinEdge (www.vin-edge.com)
- ^ BevWizard (www.bevwizard.com)
- ^ Growler Saver (www.growlersaver.com)
- ^ Randall (www.hoppytrailsbeernews.com)
- ^ brew concentrate packets (www.patsbcb.com)
- ^ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (rssfeeds.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://twitter.com/jenniferjolly (twitter.com)