Just dip the Rotgutonix pen into a glass of alcohol (no mixers, please), and let it soak for 20 seconds. The pen’s liquid-crystal display will tell you if you’re about to drink some real whiskey or some nasty rotgut, it’ll tell you. While I don’t usually frequent bars that serve things in a jug marked “XXX”, apparently the serving of nasty bottom-shelf stuff in the wrong bottle is a more common practice in Europe than it is here in the States. As a matter of fact, product designer Emilio Alarcón decided to create the gadget after he had a bad run-in with a couple of glasses of headache and nausea-inducing rotgut in Spain.

Unfortunately the device can currently only detect the chemical composition of 6 brands of liquor: Johnnie Walker, JB, DYC, Havana Club, Pampero and Brugal. So if you prefer Makers Mark, or something that starts with a Glen, you’re S.O.L. for now. The good news is that makers of the Rotgutonix are working on a future update that should allow it to detect up to 20 different booze profiles.

You can find out more about the Rotgutonix over at Curiosite.

So geek is ThinkGeek’s thinking that they even have a recipe for Pi-tini:

The Pi Symbol Ice Tray sells for $9 USD. If you can shake anything 3.14 times, then I salute you. You are a true nerd. Plus you have ultra-accurate muscle control.

[via UberReview]

I found this hand-etched Mario 1UP Mushroom glass tumbler ($15 USD) over on Placidrain’s Etsy shop this morning. While it’s great for any beverage, I like to think that whatever you put in there has to involve caffeine, guarana, ginseng, or in my case, a shot of whiskey. Unless, of course you think its one of those poison mushrooms, in which case Jagermeister would be more apropos.

If Mario isn’t quite your thing, Placidrain’s HI-O Kitty custom glassware line also features such unlikely delights as a Hello Kitty beer bottle and a World of Warcraft Horde tumbler. Huzzah!

The scale shown above, unfortunately, is not part of the set. Instead, you get a sweet rack, an Erlenmeyer flask with a glass mixing rod for extra class (and authenticity), four two ounce shot glasses shaped like test tubes, and a completely unscientific shaker. Not included: any actual drink-mixing ability, but at least with this set, it’ll be fun to practice. You can always drink the results!

Just be careful, and remember that alcohol does in fact burn.

[via Think Geek]

Mac modder Napes took an original bondi blue iMac, built it into a custom cocktail-format arcade cabinet, and transformed it into a full-fledged arcade gaming system. Thanks to the scan lines on the iMac’s bubbly 15″ color CRT, it’s the perfect display for that retro arcade feel.

The arcadiMac runs on a 233MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) processor, which may not seem like much by today’s standards, but it’s plenty powerful to run most classic arcade games (other then NEOGEO) using MacMame emulator software.

To get all the real arcade buttons and joysticks to work with the iMac, Napes wired them through an iPac USB controller interface, and set up all the key mappings with QuickKeys. The total cost for the entire project was under $200 bucks (plus several months of blood, sweat and tears).

Ready to build your own arcadiMac? Napes plans on posting a build guide over on MacMod so you can make one for yourself.

That’s just what these coasters do. Simply set one under your glass, and when your drink is nearly empty, it’ll get to blinking, alerting the bartender that it’s time for another shot.

The geeks over at Sentilla created these LED loaded electronic coasters that can automatically judge when there’s a drink on top of them, or if your glass is nearly out. Each one features an embedded mini-computer, running a custom Java application which handles all the smarts.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

According to the guys who built them, the coasters can even communicate wirelessly with one another, so they even could be used for interactive tabletop games.

About the only thing they won’t do is tell you whether your glass is half empty or half full. You’ll have to figure that out for yourself.

[via Switched via DVICE]

They’re the perfect companion to those Pac-Man shot glasses you picked up a couple of weeks ago. I think I’d prepare some Skylab Fallouts to pour into mine.

Seattle artist Missval had the set pictured above in her Etsy shop, but as quick as the pictures hit the Web, they sold. With a little begging and pleading, I think you can probably convince her to make you another set.

[wonderland via bbps]

The set of six 1.5oz glasses includes all four ghosts from the game: Inky, Blinky, Winky and Clyde, as well as Pac-Man and some delicious bonus cherries (but where’s my freshly salted pretzel?… or was that Ms. Pac-Man?)

clubNAMCO is only cranking out 2500 sets of these collectibles, so you’d better go plunk down your $29.99 and grab a set before they’re all gone.

The MyFountain computerized beverage machine sits on top of your counter and can automatically crank out booze, mixed drinks, soft drinks, beer and wine with the press of a virtual button.

Just press the appropriate button on the LCD touchscreen, and you’ll have your favorite beverage in just seconds. Their Virtual Bartender software lets you create your own ingredient lists and set all the proportions for your own custom concoctions. If you don’t know what to make, there’s even an online drink recipe generator that’ll help you out.

A small refrigerator sits below your countertop and holds up to a dozen types of alcohol and mixers. There’s also lines for beer, wine, water and carbon-dioxide for cranking out fizzy drinks. When it’s done pouring your drink, it even automatically sanitizes the drink lines with hot water, so your Cosmopolitan doesn’t taste like a Negroni and vice versa. The system also offers password protection to keep those who shouldn’t be pouring drinks from going to town.

Manufacturer Digital Beverages is still wrapping up the final production version of the MyFountain, but expects to have them available for consumers, restaurants and bars by Spring 2008. Prices are expected to start just North of $2500 USD.

[via PopSci via BornRich]