Mood Mixologist: the tech fix for the bespoke drink nightmare

【This post is sponsored by DaVinci Gourmet.】

You’ve probably been in this situation before: a guest walks up to the bar and looks into your face expectantly. “Hello bartender! Can you make me a drink based on the way I feel right now?”

No matter how it turns out, making a bespoke drink according to the mood of a guest is always a major challenge. After all, bartenders are not mind readers. It’s hard to tell how people feel by reading their faces for three seconds or so. Besides, feelings are seldom one-dimensional: happiness might be mixed with melancholy; grief might be complemented by a touch of relief. You can’t simply express happiness with sweet drinks and sadness with bitter.

But now, DaVinci Gourmet is offering a hi-tech solution to the problem. With Mood Mixologist, a machine commissioned by the professional syrup brand, human moods can be detected and analyzed by one single photo of your face in front of a camera. Then the machine will recommend a cocktail for you according to your mood. 

Can’t wait to try it out? Mood Mixologist will make its debut at Above the Globe in Shanghai from April 13 to 22. Just step into the machine, take a photo and wait for your mood cocktail to pop up on screen. You can then show the recipe to the (human) bartenders behind the bar who turn it into a real drink.

Of course, behind the cool tech there are always human brains. All the recipes stored in Mood Mixologist have been created by the team at Above the Globe. And there are two reasons why DaVinci Gourmet has chosen to install the machine here: one, the Shakespeare theme at Above the Globe fits perfectly with the concept of mood cocktails; two, The Tailor Bar, its sister venue, has long been known for bespoke drinks.

If you want to be one of the first group of people to give the Mood Mixologist a try, just head down to Above the Globe this Friday. You might be surprised at how accurate the machine is at telling your innermost feelings!

Above the Globe

📍  7/F, 1013 Beijing Xi Lu, Jing’an District, Shanghai

☎️ 173 1736 9152

Designing cocktails for a machine – that’s a first for Eddy Young, preeminent mixologist and owner of Above the Globe and The Tailor Bar. Thanks to his experience with bespoke drinks and the characteristics of DaVinci Gourmet syrups, he accomplished the mission in less than two weeks. Here’s how: 

Was this the first time you had heard about combining machine and mood cocktails?

Yes, it’s a new concept to me. When DaVinci Gourmet came to me I was immediately reminded of all those “difficult” guests at The Tailor. They would say, “I want a drink to go with my horoscope”, or “Make me a drink according to the way I look.” So Mood Mixologist certainly satisfies their needs! And guests will be thrilled, because the machine is also entertaining and intriguing. The result might not be what they expect, but they won’t mind. It’s not the same as bartenders trying to read their mind.  

What do you think Mood Mixologist will bring to your bar?

I think it will probably change how our guests see cocktails. Usually it’s face-to-face communication between them and us, and bartenders are like superstars behind the bar. But now that’s changed. Guests order their drinks on the machine, and bartenders are a bit like chefs cooking in the kitchen. However, I’m not afraid we’ll be replaced by the machine. Guests won’t talk to the machine about their feelings after they get their drink. 

Is it hard to create drinks according to mood? How do you express different feelings?

Of course it’s difficult. Sweet drinks for happiness, bitter drinks for sadness – no, it’s not that simple. We need to think about the layers of flavour. For instance, we’re using fruitiness or subtle floral notes to express happiness, and herbal notes for the more intense feelings. We also need to think about how to showcase the different flavours of DaVinci Gourmet. 

Some of these mood cocktails are vividly coloured. Do you think colours and mood are closely linked?

Yes, they are. Deep blue might make you feel melancholy, and lavender purple is usually connected with being romantic. So we’ve definitely put colour into consideration. But we won’t add any colourings; the focus is to play with the colour of the DaVinci Gourmet syrups.

What do you think of DaVinci Gourmet? Any suggestion to bartenders on how to use these products?

I’m really impressed by the natural taste of DaVinci Gourmet. For instance, I found its Passion Fruit syrup tastes exactly the same as fresh passion fruit when they’re in season. Plus the colour of its syrups is natural too.

When we speak of syrups, the first thing that comes to mind is to increase the sweetness of the drinks. However, I’d recommend using DaVinci Gourmet for lifting flavours too, especially mango, passon fruit or peach. The secret is to combine the syrup with fresh fruit, because the latter can bring more fragrance.

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