Updated October 2026
Most AI cocktail generators will happily invent a drink you can't make, in proportions nobody has ever tasted. COCKT(AI)L, the AI bartender inside the Cold Ones app, works the other way around: you describe what you're in the mood for, and it picks from the 56 recipes already in the app's cocktail book. Every drink it suggests arrives as a recipe card you can open, with a photo and the full method.
How it works
- Open it. In Cold Ones, go to Cocktails and tap the sparkle button at the top right.
- Say what you want. Type or dictate a mood, a flavor, an occasion, a bottle you want to use up or something you don't like. Dictation is processed on the phone too.
- It checks the book. The assistant turns your words into concrete criteria (flavors, sweetness, ingredients you want or have, things to leave out, even a city or a decade) and filters the 56 recipes by their real ingredient and flavor data.
- You get a short answer and recipe cards. A few sentences in the language you've set in the app (English, German, Spanish or French), plus usually up to three recipe cards. Tap one for the whole recipe.
- Keep going. Follow-ups work: “without coconut”, “which of those is the least sweet?”. The restart arrow at the top starts a new conversation.
Six things to ask it
- “I’m in the mood for something light and refreshing, but not too sweet.” This is the app's own “Try it” example. Seven recipes in the book are both light and low in sugar (Aperol Spritz, French 75, Grapefruit Gin Tonic, Kyiv Mule, Michelada, Mojito and Paloma), and you get up to three of them.
- “Something tropical, but no coconut.” That rules out the Pinacolada and the Malibu Sunrise and leaves exactly three: Hurricane, Mai Tai and Pornstar Martini.
- “What's the most bitter cocktail you have?” The Negroni, followed by the Boulevardier and the Old Fashioned. The order is the recipe book's own flavor ranking, not a lab measurement.
- “I have vodka, limes and ginger beer. What can I make?” Only drinks you can finish with what you listed. Here, that's the Kyiv Mule.
- “Something from the 1920s.” Ten recipes have a documented 1920s story, from the Sidecar to the French 75 and the Mimosa. It picks from those and adds a line of history, with a caveat where the story is disputed.
- “Why do some drinks get shaken and others stirred?” General bar questions get a straight answer, without recipe cards.
Why it doesn't make up recipes
The language model never writes a recipe. The app first selects the matching drinks from its own book and hands the model their real ingredients, method and history; the model only writes the short explanation. If the reply names a drink that wasn't selected, the app makes it try again and, if needed, shows a plain summary of the chosen recipes instead. If nothing in the book fits everything you asked for, it says so and suggests changing one preference.
Two honest limits. Every recipe in the book contains alcohol, so if you ask for a mocktail it tells you so and suggests asking for something light and refreshing instead. And the chat's start screen carries the app's own notice: “AI can make mistakes. Check its advice and ingredients, and drink responsibly.” Take that literally, especially with allergies. It is also instructed never to encourage heavy drinking, and anything that isn't about cocktails gets steered politely back to the bar.
Private and on-device, on supported devices
COCKT(AI)L runs on your phone's own AI model, not on a server. The conversation is saved only on your phone, so you can pick it up later, and it is even left out of device backups. You don't need an account.
The catch is hardware. On iPhone it needs a model that supports Apple Intelligence, with Apple Intelligence switched on and Siri set to the same language as the phone. On Android it needs a phone that supports on-device AI; some download the model once first, ideally over Wi-Fi. If your phone can't run it, or doesn't support your app language yet, the app tells you why. The ingredient finder works on every phone, in all four languages.
Free, ad-free and inside a party app
The recipe book, the ingredient finder and COCKT(AI)L are free, with no subscription and no ads. They live in Cold Ones · Party Game next to 11 party games, so the drinks and the rest of the evening are in one app. If your phone can't run the AI, start from what's already in your kitchen, or browse our guides to easy cocktails, cocktails for a night out and dinner party cocktails.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an AI that suggests cocktails from ingredients I have?
Yes. In Cold Ones, tell COCKT(AI)L something like “I have vodka, limes and ginger beer” and it only suggests recipes from its 56-recipe book that you can finish with those ingredients, in this case the Kyiv Mule. It runs on supported devices; on any phone, the ingredient finder does the same check without AI.
Is the COCKT(AI)L AI bartender free?
Yes. The AI bartender, the 56 cocktail recipes and the ingredient finder are free in Cold Ones, with no subscription, no ads and no account. The AI needs a phone that can run on-device AI.
Which phones does the AI bartender work on?
On iPhone, models that support Apple Intelligence, with Apple Intelligence switched on and Siri set to the same language as the phone. On Android, phones that support on-device AI; some download the model once first. If yours can't run it, the app tells you why.
Does the AI cocktail generator invent new recipes?
No. It only picks from the 56 recipes in the app and shows them as recipe cards, usually up to three per answer. If nothing fits, it says so instead of making a drink up. AI can still make mistakes, so check the recipe before you pour.
