AI-Powered ‘Bartender’ Serves Up Cocktail Recommendations Via Text Message

(Photo: Weber Ranch)

Weber Ranch Vodka has reimagined the home mixology experience with an AI-powered chatbot dubbed Tex — a clever, perhaps unintentional mashup of “text” and Texas, the brand’s home state.

Users are encouraged to message the virtual bartender at 1-940-400-1902 for drink recommendations and recipes delivered within a few seconds’ notice. The brand is quick to note that Tex is functional, individualized and completely unscripted, responding with advice that ebbs and flows with the pace of conversation and personal preference. You can, in theory, even send a picture of the ingredients in your cupboard and immediately receive a specifically tailored recipe.

The model was created in collaboration with Cyphr, a New York- and London-based firm that prides itself on technology-forward fan experiences. The company previously worked with Spotify on in-app NFTs tokenized through virtual avatars and with LIV Golf on an interactive Score Predictor. This time around, the team has created a boozy bot that “will only continue to get better and smarter as more people engage with it.”

“Most bots just talk. Ours thinks,” James Penfold, co-founder and Experience Director at Cypher, remarked in a news release. “Tex isn’t just answering questions, he’s learning what you like and adapting. The more you interact, the more personalized your experience becomes – just like talking to your favorite bartender who remembers your favorite drink.”

We put Tex to the test. Unsurprisingly, our ChatGPT-powered buddy was keen to recommend cocktails that included Weber Ranch. Our request for a margarita was met with a vodka-centric Rancherita, while our query for a pineapple and coconut drink (*nudge nudge*, piña colada) yielded an unexpected, though thoroughly enticing Jalisco Heat. After a little back and forth, Tex even managed to convince us of a Vodka Old Fashioned.

[Update: As of Friday, Tex has been updated with non-Weber Ranch functionalities! Though he doesn’t mention other brands by name, Tex 2.0 is happy enough to recommend concoctions like Gin Lemonade and, after a little prodding, a Black Licorice Rum Punch.]

The recipes themselves were detailed and shockingly well-sourced. Tex’s favorite cocktail (or so it told us) is a Paloma Greyhound, a mixture of two parts vodka and one part grapefruit cordial, splashed with Campari and topped off with club soda. The chatbot cited a specific bartender in Waldwick, New Jersey, as the inventor of the drink. Considering the rampant plagiarism that plagues most AI models, I was impressed to see that Weber Ranch had done its due diligence with the finer details.

Tex and I also chatted, among other things, about: The nuances of additive-free tequila, music recommendations (Tex prefers soulful jazz) and helpful life advice (“always remember to enjoy the little moments and savor your drinks responsibly — life’s best when shared with good company”).

It’s a fun proof of concept — one that upper management evidently has big hopes for on the horizon.

“AI is replacing search, it’s the way that people access and consume information today, and Tex delivers on that in an entertaining way, while also staying true to our respect and appreciation for the professional bartender’s craft,” Lee Applbaum, President and COO of Texas-based Round 2 Spirits, the brand owner and creator of Weber Ranch Vodka, said. “Also, as we think about the future of Tex, and with the rise of Agentic AI, we clearly see a not-so-distant world where he not only makes recipe recommendations, but actually orders the ingredients for delivery to a consumer’s home, or makes restaurant or bar reservations to enjoy a Weber Ranch cocktail.”