French spirits maker Pernod Ricard has unveiled Project Gutenberg, a web-connected cocktail-making concept that blends together alcohol, apps, and an unusual design. The distillery behind Absolut Vodka, Beefeater gin, and Malibu is experimenting with the cocktail maker as part of a focus on research and development. While the real Project Gutenberg aims to digitize books, this latest gadget creates its very own "liquor library" to mix together spirits for the perfect cocktail.

Not your typical Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg consists of six separate containers that look like books or aluminum external hard drives, depending on your point of view. Each container holds one of Pernod Ricard’s popular spirits, and a small pump dispenses the precise amount of alcoholic beverage required into a glass. The intriguing design is eye-catching, but the pairing of this cocktail maker with a mobile app is the truly unique part.

Others have created robotic bartenders, but Pernod Ricard’s prototype uses a mobile app to help guide on the required mix of alcohol from each pump. You can even monitor the levels of each container from the app, and then order refills online when you run out. The containers are designed to be recyclable, so when a replacement arrives it simply slots into the existing arrangement. It’s a neat little concept for cocktail enthusiasts, but it’s just a prototype for now. Pernod Ricard has no immediate plans to bring it to market just yet.