It's New Year's Eve week, and you're probably thinking about cocktails. So am I.
But instead of browsing Pinterest for the same mojito variations, I ran an experiment: What happens when you ask AI to invent cocktails that have never existed? Not just generate pretty pictures - actually create new recipes, name them, describe the flavor profiles, and visualize what they'd look like.
As a chemist by training, I was especially curious what AI would do with "Molecular Mixology" - the category involving spherification, nitrogen foams, and techniques that require actual lab equipment. Would it understand the science? Would the recipes make sense?
Spoiler: It understood the theory beautifully. The execution instructions got... creative.
Here are 54 AI-invented cocktails across 6 categories. Some are genuinely brilliant. Some are recipes only a chemist could love. All of them look stunning.
The Six Categories
I organized the experiment into six visual themes, each with 9 drinks. The AI had to invent recipes, flavor profiles, garnishes, and glassware recommendations for each.
Tropical Exotics
Carved coconut shells, pineapple vessels, and colors that scream "I'm on vacation." The AI nailed this category - every recipe is plausible, and several are genuinely inventive. The Mango Lassi Margarita combines Indian yogurt drinks with Mexican tequila, and it actually makes sense.
Browse all 9 Tropical drinks →
Smoke & Fire
Flames, dry ice fog, burning sage garnishes. This is where the AI got theatrical. The Alchemist's Elixir uses butterfly pea flower to create a color-changing cocktail - purple to pink as you add citrus. That's real chemistry happening in your glass.
Browse all 9 Smoke & Fire drinks →
Vibrant Colors
Instagram-worthy, electric colors from natural ingredients. The Butterfly Pea Gin Fizz and Matcha Green Tea Cocktail prove that you don't need artificial dyes to make drinks pop. Beetroot, turmeric, dragon fruit - the AI found every naturally colorful ingredient.
Crystal & Ice
Hand-carved ice sculptures, crystal-clear spheres, elegant minimalism. The Diamond Ice Sphere Martini and Mountain Peak Manhattan showcase drinks where the ice is the star. If you've ever wanted to learn ice carving, this category will inspire you.
Browse all 9 Crystal & Ice drinks →
Garden Fresh
Herbs, edible flowers, farm-to-glass aesthetics. The Rosemary Grapefruit Fizz calls for a "12-inch rosemary sprig for dramatic effect." The AI understood that sometimes the garnish IS the drink.
Browse all 9 Garden Fresh drinks →
Molecular Mixology
And here's where my chemistry background got excited... and then amused.
Browse all 9 Molecular drinks →
The Hits - Actually Try These
Not every AI-generated recipe is weird. Some are genuinely brilliant. Here are three I'd actually make:
Mango Lassi Margarita
The fusion: Indian mango lassi meets Mexican margarita. Yogurt, cardamom, tequila, Tajín rim.
Why it works: The creamy yogurt tempers the tequila bite. Cardamom adds unexpected warmth. It's the kind of combination a human bartender might never try, but AI just went for it.
Ingredients
- 2 oz tequila blanco
- 1 cup fresh mango chunks
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz agave nectar
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- Tajín rim
The Alchemist's Elixir
The chemistry: Butterfly pea flower creates a deep purple base. Add citrus (lemon juice), and the pH change turns it pink. You watch the transformation happen.
Why it works: This is actual chemistry you can drink. The color change is dramatic, the elderflower adds sophistication, and you look like a wizard making it. (The geode vessel in the image is optional - no geology day trips required.)
Cilantro Jalapeño Margarita
The reality check: This is already on menus at high-end bars. The AI didn't invent something crazy here - it recognized a winning combination that exists in the real world.
Why it works: Bright green color, fresh herb flavor, jalapeño heat that builds. It's a legitimate cocktail that happens to photograph beautifully.
The Misses - Recipes Only a Chemist Could Love
Now for the molecular mixology category. As a chemist, I appreciated the ambition. As someone who owns a normal kitchen, I had questions.
"Use edible bubble solution kit"
The Champagne Bubble Sphere recipe instructs you to:
"Use edible bubble solution kit to create 3-4 bubbles (flavored with champagne)"
Where exactly do you purchase this kit? How do you "flavor" a bubble? The AI knows these things exist but treats them like common household items.
"Slowly pour liquid nitrogen"
The Liquid Nitrogen Mudslide casually mentions:
"SLOWLY pour liquid nitrogen into bowl while stirring constantly"
Ah yes, let me grab the liquid nitrogen from next to the milk in my fridge. The recipe does include safety warnings about "insulated gloves and goggles," which I appreciate. But the assumption that home bartenders have access to cryogenic fluids is... optimistic.
On the bright side, publishing this on Monday gives you two full days to contact your local liquid nitrogen dealer before New Year's Eve. You're welcome.
Finally, measurements I understand
The Gin & Tonic Caviar Spheres recipe includes:
"For spheres: 250mL gin, 2g sodium alginate, 5g calcium chloride in 500mL water"
As a chemist, this is the first recipe that actually makes sense to me. Specific gram measurements! Proper ratios! This would work. You'd just need to order sodium alginate and calcium chloride online first. And own a kitchen scale that measures in grams. And have 2 hours for the spherification process.
The Honest Take
AI understands cocktail theory beautifully - flavor profiles, ingredient pairings, presentation concepts, even the chemistry behind molecular techniques.
But molecular mixology requires equipment most people don't have next to the blender. The AI treats "spherification kit" and "nitrogen charger" like they're as common as a cocktail shaker.
As a chemist, I appreciated the accuracy. As a home bartender, I'll stick to the Mango Lassi Margarita.
The Images - The Unexpected Win
Here's what surprised me most: the images are genuinely beautiful.
Every one of these 54 cocktails has an AI-generated image that looks like professional food photography. The lighting, the condensation on the glasses, the garnish placement - it's all there.
Finding the right prompts and the right model took experimentation. I'm keeping the specific model mysterious for now, but the results speak for themselves. The images sell the drinks even when the recipes get weird.
If you're working on a project that needs AI-generated food or beverage imagery, feel free to reach out. Happy to share what I learned.
Try Them - And Tell Me What's Next
All 54 cocktails are live at mixology.codecrank.ai. Browse by category, read the full recipes, and decide which ones you'd actually attempt.
But here's what I really want to know: What would make this more useful?
This started as a creative experiment. If there's genuine interest, I'd love to hear what would turn it into something you'd actually use for your New Year's Eve party or home bar:
- Real ingredient substitutions for hard-to-find items?
- Difficulty ratings (easy / intermediate / "you need lab equipment")?
- Actual molecular techniques explained step-by-step?
- Shopping lists that link to where to buy ingredients?
- A "make me a drink" quiz based on your mood?
- Something I haven't thought of?
Drop a comment with your ideas. The best suggestions might actually get built.
Happy New Year
Whether you attempt the Mango Lassi Margarita or just enjoy scrolling through 54 beautiful AI-generated drinks, I hope this adds some fun to your holiday.
AI makes a great creative collaborator. It'll invent combinations humans might never try. It'll visualize drinks that don't exist. It'll even write accurate spherification instructions.
Just don't expect it to tell you where to buy liquid nitrogen.
Cheers to 2026.
Daniel Tofan is a software engineer and former chemist who builds AI-powered web applications at CodeCrank. The Mixology demo was built to explore AI's creative potential - and to see if AI understands chemistry as well as it claims.