Pursuits
Goodbye to Bartenders: Robots Could Soon Make Your Drink
The re-imagining of nightlife after the coronavirus pandemic now includes contactless cocktails.
“Toni,” an automated cocktail maker made by Makr Shakr, mixes a cocktail.
Photographer: Leon Neal/Getty Images
While there seems to be a new video every day of maskless youth blithely partying outside (and inside) bars, many people have actually been drinking less during the pandemic. Half of Americans say they aren’t excited at all about heading back to their favorite watering hole—or any bar for that matter.
Indeed, fear of enclosed spaces and sloppy, less-than-socially distanced crowds may change drinking culture for a long time to come. It’s already threatening the future of your friendly bartender.