Mixel - Cocktail Recipes Reviews

by Ccmemtn

The functionality is great, but please use modern graphics. The novelty of the 8-bit digital wears off in about 23 milliseconds. Mixel hurts my eyes. I love the functionality, but I hate looking at Mixel. The moment another app comes out that duplicates this functionality (as well as depth of recipe database), I will drop this app and move to something that doesn’t cause me to lose my vision. In the mean time, I’m begrudgingly using this app.

Edit: Per the developer’s recommendation, I tried out Lush cocktails on Mixel Store. The recommendation was spot on as Lush is a much better executed app. It sounds like this app made a poor design choice early on and now they are stuck with it. Either way, I’m getting great cocktail recipes from Lush and it doesn’t hurt my eyes to look at!!

by Caring, Thoughtful Reviewer

The function of Mixel is very good. However the UI makes it difficult to navigate, time consuming to add recipients, make updates & other functions. The graphics could use a lot of improvement, not sure if it is intentional, but using better quality, would make it easier to use & see. I tried to use my IPad external keyboard with Mixel and it didn’t work. A web version that allowed you to use a computer with full function keyboard to add existing recipes would be a nice add.
I like Mixel , but the limitations and challenges for the user interface makes it difficult for me to recommend to others.

Hoping to see improvements soon.

by Sandswoman

Mixel is almost what I was looking for. It does a great job of keeping track of my bar inventory, however recipes are tedious to enter and if I don’t have an ingredient in my bar and it isn’t one of the preset items I can’t add it to the recipe without adding it to my inventory. Also when entering items into inventory there isn’t a category for garnishes or pantry items. These are the items that are not present and make it difficult to add recipes.

by SASD

The thing that drew me in was he art style, being a huge old school gaming nerd. What kept me interested was the usefulness and potential of Mixel . I look forward to obtaining more packs in the near future, both to support the developers and obtain more recipes, and in time making this the primary way I look up drinks.

I’m hopeful that with age this will be my primary resource for cocktail recipes. I do wonder if cocktails other users create or add will be available to the rest of the users. Fingers crossed!

by Mcor123

I’ve tried every bar app I could find. This is the best. I won’t go into all the things Mixel does well - that’s been covered by many others.

Instead, I’m going to mention the one thing that kept Mixel from a 5-star for me. Entering ingredient portions is too restrictive. For instance, you add 1/3 oz of an ingredient (which is a very rare measurement for mixing drinks), but you can’t add 3/8 oz (which, although uncommon, is certainly more common than 1/3 oz). That’s strange. And you can’t add more than 99 units of any particular measurement. So, for instance, if you’re wanting to save a recipe that calls for 120 grams of something (which is what I’m trying to do right now), you can’t.

I think this could be easy solved by allowing users to manually type in portions and units if desire. Leave the scroll bars for common measurements, but let me type in 120 grams or 1.5 cans (cans is not a unit option).

Add that, and this is a 5-star app.

by Trace Winter

Very inventive, I don’t need the other apps I downloaded to test out - this will do fine.
Mixel gives you all the freedom in the world to stock, learn, create and explore. It’s digital theme, sound effects and the ability to customize not only your digital bar but the little things like the font style, sound, and even the apps color options add a great touch - the little things add up. A great amount info and overall style, I love how we can build a collection of our own creations.
I really don’t drink much, but it’s very interesting to try new drinks and experiment here and there ...wether we’re good at that or not. Doesn't stop me from taste testing. Mixel makes it more fun.
And lastly Mixel was free but I see myself visiting their this app Shop soon to see what other ingredients are out there.

by Notchristopher

Love Mixel. Love the graphics. Only thing I would work on is the filter screen. I would like to filter by ingredient instead of pack. I guess I know why you didn’t add it, because there are hundreds of ingredients. And liquor isn’t separated. Hmm tricky. Only annoying because I was looking for gin drinks and Tom Collins isn’t in the gin pack.

Maybe add an option to hide partial ingredient recipes based on level. The filter screen is a little confusing.

But otherwise I love Mixel and can’t wait for more packs! this app Maximizer is really clever.

by DavyGbz

Love the 8-bit aesthetic and the intuitive usability, but most of all I love being able to search by ingredient.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a few random bottles and this app has come to the rescue with quirky recipes to try out. You can add the contents of your liquor cabinet and it will prioritize recipes for which you already have the right ingredients. Like your very own Nintendo bartender. Highly recommended!

by ClaudeJuarez

I’ve tried probably dozens of drink recipe and/or ingredient-tracking apps—I installed about four different ones, including this one, on the same day. I seem to gravitate to this one. When i need a quick recipe, or can’t decide what to make, this is the one I tend to open. I got a new liquor about a week ago, and realized I should add it to my “bar”—I opened Mixel and found that I’d already added it sometime in the last week. That was when I realized I was no longer testing Mixel, I was using it regularly and relying on it. Forget brand names, forget “Order Now!” buttons, Mixel will tell you what you can make and how to make it with what you have on hand. Simple mission, simple art, simple interface, simply useful.

by Ellectrone1

I’ve been spending too much money at the liquor store because of this. It’s super convenient, shows you what ingredients you have that are close enough to what you need for some drinks. Even shows you suggestions on what to get to expand you list of recipes. And it’s 8-bit, which looks really cool. It’s my favorite app I’ve ever downloaded. This might push me towards liver failure and that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

by Tenderbar69420

At first I couldn’t understand anything about Mixel but I kept coming back because I liked the idea. I’m glad I took the time to learn because Mixel is great for working bartenders or people with home bars. I can stock an imaginary bar with the same ingredients I have at the bar I work at. When a customer says “surprise me” I can check out Mixel for drinks that I could make with the ingredients at hand and tweak to make it my own. Recipes are from reputable sources in the industry.

by Wickedcor

I have many sources for cocktails, and out of all them, this is my absolute favorite. It’s easy to use, I can filter through flavors, ingredients and even sources. It’s amazing. I also love how it doesn’t always get too specific with the ingredients and if it does, it gives me a replacement suggestion.

Please keep adding recipes and new sources! Also some new color schemes for dark mode would be excellent.

Thank you!

by Rohanr0494

In the 10+ years I’ve owned an iPhone, I’ve never once written a review for an app. This is the first one, and it’s well worth it.

For years since I’ve started making cocktails, it’s always been a good bit of effort to look up recipes or scour through my resources to figure out what I could make with the ingredients I have. Mixel is so amazingly intuitive that it has everything I need to organize my cocktail menu based on what I have.

I can tell whoever made Mixel went through a great amount of trouble compiling all the recipes from the various resources out there. So I was very happy to pay the $12 to receive that very extensive library.

I can’t sing the praises for Mixel enough! Mixel definitely deserves the most amount of recognition among the other apps in this category.

Also, love the retro video game graphics. Nice touch 😃

by Chicago Prof

Mixel gets its right and also has a very extensive database of drinks (especially with the premium IAP) and ingredients and can categorize and sort the list well.

The only thing I’m missing right now is a little more control on the randomizer. It would be great to be able to say “show me a random recipe with base spirit X and where I have at least 90% of the ingredients on hand”. Future version? (Well, and maybe a way to mark a recipe as “don’t show me this one again” or whatever the opposite of favorite should be...)

by Sciencetini

I just downloaded this a few days ago, and so far I really like it. I saw some older reviews that said it was hard to use, but I definitely disagree. Very straightforward. Easy to enter things I have in my bar right now, and has a few staples already added. What I would really like to do is link to my friends and share recipes with them, and maybe the ability to make recipes public to share with a community. I need to try it out for a bit longer, but I am considering paying for the full version.

by Tle0001

Whether you only need to consult Mixel for an eggnog recipe once a year at the holidays, or you need an everyday companion, Mixel is perfect.

What if I told you that there was a way to tell you phone what is in your Bar and refrigerator, and it would store that information and show you drinks you can make currently, as well as drinks you might be able to make with a few more ingredients? Until this app, there wasn’t an elegant solution.

this app takes old school art and mixes it with helpful information to take you from a regular guy or gal to a top notch at-home (or full-time) bartender.

by Lpage160

I absolutely love Mixel!
It’s everything I have ever wanting in a cocktail app. Every single detail from seeing what you can make with what you have, the shopping list, and my personal favorite the little bit that lets you see how much more you could make by adding whichever ingredients you’re thinking about.
Also love how it tells you about subbing different things. Like in one recipe I saw it said I can use triple sec instead of having to buy cointreau.
Also the flavor filters are amazing.
Just all around a wonderfully done app and I definitely bought the entire unlock after fully exploring the initial options. Did not regret a thing.

by G0mikese

I love the database of drinks. It’s easy to add things to your inventory so you can see what you can make on hand and can’t. Some people won’t like the pixel art, but I often see apps with ‘photos’ that aren’t accurate so it’s a mixed bag where ever you go. Great note taking and filtering. The things I’d change if anything would be to hand the dev an iPad Pro with a keyboard and beg for landscape mode. Adding custom ingredients is greats, would be nice (likely hard) to allow saying “this custom ingredient can sub for this generic or other inventory item”. All in alll it’s becoming my go to for storing recipes and keeping track of what I’ve tried.

by SION_FixMSF

Ive been searching for a proper home bartending app for months, and I've finally found the best one.

It looks cool, has great functionality, and many features that are unique to Mixel. The only downside is i spend more on alcohol now after using the this app maximizer!

One piece of feedback - there should be some way of searching for user created recipes across this app’s database (definitely not on as a default in the search option, as otherwise you can end up with some not so great drinks); it would be cool to see what the community can come up with. Additionally, some users can get verified (so like professional bartenders, etc. and their custom recipes come with that verification note)

by Lavendercactus0

The extensive catalog of cocktail recipes and system for telling you what you can make (either with the proper ingredients or close-enough substitutions) is wonderful for discovering new drinks, and the this app Maximizer function is incredible for telling you what to buy next to give you the most new possible recipes. Mixel has played a central role in my own exploration of cocktails and makes this hobby so much more approachable than it would otherwise be without it.

by Kmartinez915

Disappointed that an app with so much potential would throw it all away with a gimmicky and ill-suited graphical interface approach that significantly degrades usability and function. Possible the regular UI is just as poor and not simply the fault of the cheap graphics, but I couldn’t even get far enough in basic utility with Mixel to test that out.

by Stephen87

Nice app. Some times it is unusably slow especially when it is first opened after a few days of being closed. Lots of good recipes. I wish there was a way to rate the drinks you have made instead of just making them as tried.

by ElSilverado

I’ve tried every cocktail app from Lush to Highball to Old Sport. this app is clearly a cocktail lovers app by folks who clearly care about cocktails. Since this is a PG channel I’ll avoid the positive expletives, and pare back to a simple air-five 🙏🏻

When you unlock the content, you’re going to have a good time.

Sure, some folks are going to make a fuss about the 8-bit graphics “not being for them,” but guess what? It’s cute. Great product photography is expensive for independent developers and (more importantly) completely unnecessary in this context. You have the recipe; just mix it (you’re clearly in need of a cocktail). Sure, for legibility, I’d opt for a single space font like Monaco, but that’s truly my only niggle.

Smart shelf. Smart ingredients. Smart shopping list. It’s a no brainer.

Well done to all involved.

by Daishi100

With amazing art and great feature set is immediately became my go to cocktail curating app. With the developer actively working within r/cocktail community it makes for a much more receptive experience.

Birdman thanks for listening to all of our feedback and I’m so excited for the new features and drink packs that are coming.

You already got me hooked on the premium within 5 minutes of opening Mixel !

by Picaman123

I found Mixel when my bartender at The Haymaker in Raleigh NC created a custom drink with Pimms for me called “A Sworthy Brit” and texted me a this app screenshot of the recipe. Wish we could see recipes from other users so I could see it in Mixel , but I get the “curated” thing. Anyway it’s a handy app. Love the design, and I easily input my home bar, unlocked everything in Mixel , and now have hundreds of great drink recipes. Well done!

by QCTiger12

Mixel is absolutely amazing for managing your bar and trying new recipes. I’d highly recommend paying for some of the premium recipes as they are great quality from highly renowned sources. I’ve tried a bunch of other cocktail apps and this one is hands down the best. Awesome devs who listen to the community. Highly recommend!

by Dgmtab

I paid for premium a while back. It shows so in the store, upon booting up Mixel I really only see the basic 80, if that. It offers to let me pay for premium or packs that should be available to install. :/

by Titanic413

Absolutely love Mixel. Extremely helpful for a new bartender as well as someone experienced looking for their next creation! I love the maximizer function as it allows me to know which ingredient i need to buy next in order to maximize the amount of cocktails i can make! 5 Stars!