Show summary Hide summary
The Inspired Home Show in Chicago this weekend showcased a string of kitchen gadgets aimed at changing how people make and enjoy drinks at home ? from rapid cold-brew systems to countertop brewers and devices that mimic years of barrel aging in hours. For anyone who buys ready-made cold brew, bottled cocktails or pays for tasting-room pours, these tools could lower costs, expand creativity and bring lab-style techniques into the home kitchen.
| Device | Maker | Main promise | Typical turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shine Rapid Cold Brew & Tea | Tribest | Fast cold extraction using vacuum extraction | About 10 minutes |
| The Pinter | Pinter | App-guided, home keg brewer for small-batch beer | Days (yields ~12 pints) |
| Les Impitoyables tasting set | Peugeot | Shaped glasses + chilled metal base for tasting spirits | Immediate use |
| Ultrasonic Accelerator | iSonic | Speeds aging, aeration and infusion with ultrasonic waves | Minutes?hours |
| LUX Stainless Steel Carbonator | Drinkmate | Carbonates a wide range of cold liquids | Instant?minutes |
Fast cold brew that skips the overnight wait
Tribest?s new machine uses negative pressure to extract flavors from coffee or tea much faster than traditional immersion methods. The company?s engineering aims to reduce bitterness and increase antioxidant extraction while producing a clear, not cloudy, cold brew.
The appliance offers multiple strength settings so users can dial in anything from a mild iced tea to a concentrated cold brew. At the show, company leaders demonstrated that the same vacuum process can also infuse spirits ? a quick way to add fruit flavor to vodka without long maceration.
The Pinter: brewery-style home brewing made approachable
For those curious about homebrewing but put off by complex kits, The Pinter packages the process into an app-driven system. Users add ingredients and water, follow guided steps, and receive a sealed barrel that can hold roughly a dozen pints and stay fresh for up to a month.
The team behind the brewer says the vessel?s engineered shape and seal prevent oxygen exposure while dispensing pints under pressure, letting non-experts produce consistent beer at home. The company is also working with U.S. breweries to design regionally inspired kits, expanding the at-home options beyond basic ales.
Tools for tasting: Peugeot?s chilled whiskey set
Peugeot presented a tasting kit that pairs an elongated glass profile with a metal cooling base designed to keep the spirit chilled without diluting it. According to the brand, the shape concentrates aromas while the base increases the cooled surface area.
Positioned for home entertaining, the set emphasizes clean presentation and ease of use ? no ice, no extra washing ? aligning with a broader interest in tools that elevate at-home tasting rituals.
Ultrasonic treatment to fast-forward aging and infusion
iSonic demonstrated a device that harnesses ultrasonic energy to accelerate processes normally measured in months or years. The company says the machine can deepen whiskey characteristics in a few hours, aerate red wine in under 20 minutes and even speed cold-brew development into the half-hour range.
Its inventor acknowledged skepticism from consumers and trade attendees, noting that many react only after sampling the treated liquid. The technology is rooted in ultrasonic engineering rather than chemistry, and the developer emphasized reproducible sensory change as the key selling point.
Make anything sparkling ? even surprising choices
Drinkmate?s stainless-steel LUX carbonator stood out for its compatibility with a wide range of cold liquids. Unlike many home soda makers that limit carbonation to water-based syrups, this unit can add fizz to juices, iced coffee and, in some consumer tests, even milk or wine.
The maker framed the device as a playful appliance for experimentation: users can restore fizz to a flat bottle, create sparkling cocktails at home or simply try new textures with familiar drinks.
- Cost and convenience: Many of these appliances are pitched as ways to reduce recurring purchases ? bottled cold brew, bar cocktails or frequent tasting-room visits.
- Creativity and control: Home users gain more control over strength, flavor and carbonation, which matters for people managing sugar, caffeine or alcohol intake.
- Adoption hurdles: For some technologies ? notably ultrasonic aging ? taste testers and early adopters will need to validate claims before broader consumer acceptance.
What matters now is that these devices arrive as consumer appetite for craft and customization converges with improved, smaller-scale food technology. Whether you want to shortcut an extraction, produce your first keg at home, or add sparkle to unexpected drinks, 2024?s showfloor suggested that making bar-quality beverages at home is increasingly practical ? and sometimes quick enough for a weeknight experiment.
Raising Cane’s mobilizes food and drink relief for Texas flood crews
Grubhub’s top alcoholic drink of 2022: what customers ordered most
