Admittedly, although I have a bar constructed in my basement, I am still quite an amateur tender of it. I know that Vodka goes well with pop, juice, triple sec and fruity water, but beyond that, my knowledge level is very basic. Thank goodness for the Bartender Mix Genius app - sort of.

While I initially anticipated that this app (available for free for iOS and Android) would be part game, part educational resource, it proved to be more of the former than anything else - not that I'm really complaining or anything, because the amusement factor is enough to keep me engaged.

The deal is that the user is initially provided the services of a bartender that sports a Rollie Fingers-like curly-ended mustache, and a continuous look of contempt upon his face. Behind him is a collection of liquor and mix options, along with ice and lemons to the left of the screen. The player's mission, if he chooses to accept it, is to dictate how the tender makes his alcoholic concoction: a splash of vodka here, a dash of orange juice there, a smidge of triple sec, and a mitt full of ice, for example.

As this concoction is being built, the gamer is shown an icon that indicates how full the glass is getting. Eventually, it tells the person that nothing else can fit into the glass - it is then time for Rollie (my assigned name to the bartender, not the game developers'), to shake, pour, sip and evaluate.

At this point, a number of things can happen. A really strong, crippling drink can result in Rollie getting ill, pulling upon a rope so that a giant weight falls upon him, or he can ultimately die on the spot. If the drink blows his mind, he will express his enthusiasm by, for instance, putting on a wicked air guitar performance, or holding the drink up to what looks to be a holy light.

If a drink is just okay by his standards, the user will receive a little nod of approval, or a half-hearted blow on a noisemaker.

In terms of scoring, obviously the better the drink is, the more points the gamer will ascertain. What encourages one to continually build better drinks for better scores, is that a higher scores lead to different types of liquor bottles becoming available.

As noted, I'm a weak bartender. I discovered with Bartender Mix Genius that I am as ‘good' at drink making in a digital setting, as I am in a physical setting. Therefore, I unfortunately still haven't managed to unlock all of the available bottles and can't yet say what happens once everything is unlocked. Hopefully, you can get to this point and let me know what's what.

All told however, this is a game that I'm going to dedicate way too much time to in an attempt to conquer it. While I can complain a bit that it doesn't tell you how many ounces of X, can be mixed with Y, before finished product Z burns our bartender's mouth, I have to bite my own tongue for a second and realize that true drink-making aficionados can likely eyeball this kind of stuff as well in an app, as in real life. So really, I just need to be better.

Until then, I shall drink, be merry, and hopefully soon be victorious on Bartender Mix Genius. Maybe being able to see two of everything on the screen will improve my luck.

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