Keep Calm and drink a cocktail 

Life is hectic, especially in the bar scene. When your place is busy, thirsty customers are calling for their drinks, almost baying for blood. Peter and Ricky, classmates from HKUST Mechanical Engineering, are problem solvers - of course they are - it’s an essential trait of being an engineer. The duo share a passion for mixing cocktails, noticing along the way a long-term shortage of manpower in the catering industry, especially during banquets, and the expense of hiring professional bartenders. 

Shaking things up 

The duo, who learnt the art of mixing from a professional bartender, thought they could combine their knowledge of engineering and love of cocktails to develop an automatic bartending machine and automate the complicated processes while reducing staff workload. “It was an audacious notion,” says Ricky, “the kind of thing you see in science fiction movies.” 

In 2021, they established Xoxo Beverages, and Peter started researching on the rooftop of his village house in Yuen Long, using a 3D printer to develop a cocktail machine. Soon, the duo had created Hong Kong's first Cocktail Machine, the X01, featuring a medical-grade precision pump, an instant cooling system to control ice dilution and temperature, and a research-backed vortex mixing mode to ensure a perfect tipple every time. “When we finished it I thought that it was pretty cool!” says Peter. “I simply couldn’t wait to try a cocktail from the machine,” he adds. 

The X01 includes seamless remote communication, data-driven cocktail suggestions, drink quality control, and enhanced calibration, requiring only one assistant operator to insert the bottle upside down. It makes cocktails in roughly 40 seconds, and can mix 500 recipes, including cocktails, mocktails, and layered shots. 

Fancy another round? 
The duo are now bringing their invention to corporate events, wedding banquets, and private parties, and on the corporate side, won Silver Award in the HKUST-SINO One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition and the Hong Kong Science Park Elevator Pitch Award 2022. Now based in Science Park, the team is shooting for the next big thing. “We have started to turn a profit despite the pandemic,” says Ricky. “It’s been a great time so far,” Peter adds. “As everything comes back, let’s help Hong Kong quench their thirst,” he adds.