Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins/Futurism. Source: Getty Images
Beware, bartenders: Your jobs may be on the AI chopping block — at least if tech startup BreakReal has anything to say about it.
With CES 2026 in full swing, tech insiders and industry journalists are getting a first look at the crazy gadgets that research and development teams are introducing to the world. One of those devices is the BreakReal R1, a cocktail dispenser that its creators say packs the power of a large language model.
First look at the device From gizmodojames perrow It turns out what we probably assumed: The device is no match for a human bartender.
For starters, liquid possibilities are quite limited. Although the BreakReal website boasts that the R1’s “LLM-powered intelligence… transforms your cravings into special generic recipes through “unlimited AI generated recipes”, the device can only hold eight cocktail ingredients at a time.
Consider a scenario where you load up the ingredients for a pumped-up Manhattan—rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters—as well as a Vesper, which calls for gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc. You’re only left with two extra chambers for accessories, and those first six don’t exactly mix well with each other.
According to Pero’s report, the R1 is also “a little slow”, taking 20 to 40 seconds to dispense the cocktail, some of which was “coming out of the arm of the machine, not the nozzle.”
On top of all this, it is incredibly expensive. according to breakreal’s websiteThe R1 will retail for a staggering $1,299 when it launches on Kickstarter sometime in the future. (Currently, potential buyers can get an early-access coupon to knock $300 off that price, bringing it down to $999.)
Compare this to the non-AI powered Bartesian Cocktail Machine, a similarly trivial though much cheaper gadget currently available for just $349, and it’s hard to imagine a world where the R1 lasts much longer.
Still, for $999, R1 buyers will get a cocktail maker with “LLM-powered interactive conversations” and “mood-sensing flavor customization” — which at best sounds like word soup, and at worst like a flimsy brewing machine.
Luckily for those who want a connection with the cocktail-making entity, you can always go to one magical place: your local bar.
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