New social app dedicated to drinks launches just in time for Tales of the Cocktail

The BarNotes app allows users to share their favorite cocktails with friends, and connects them to other drink aficionados and experts.

In conjunction with the Tales of the Cocktail kick-off this week, a local entrepreneur has launched a new app that combines two things that are dominating the New Orleans scene: cocktails and technology. The app is called BarNotes, and it’s the love child of Mixologist Drink Recipe app, Instagram, and Twitter, so you can upload, share, and search for new cocktail inspirations through the social media network.

In an era when cocktails have had a renaissance of sorts and the act of creating them has been dubbed “mixology,” the application is focused around the art of the drink. It connects users with people who are creating and sipping some tasty creations, whether it’s a classic New Orleans Sazerac, a Bacon Manhattan from Urban Stack in Chattanooga, or a new rum twist on a standard Manhattan.

The application allows you to photograph the drinks you love to create or just annihilate (preferably taken at an angle or filtered for an artsy affect), include a few notes on your concoction without a 140-character limit (history, where you had it, who made it, etc), and share the recipe with your followers. The latest updates and recommendations arrive on your activity screen via newsfeed, much like Twitter or Facebook.

BarNotes is a collaboration between New Orleans-based entrepreneur Peter Bodenheimer, founder of Flatstack and LaunchPad Ignition, and his pal Brandon Herring, founder of a digital branding firm in San Francisco. The idea was, not surprisingly, conceived over drinks two years ago during Austin’s South by Southwest conference, and then executed late last fall. The two cocktail aficionados used a recipe model that has been created on several other drink apps, and stepped it up a few notches with the social and photo aspects.

“We always wanted BarNotes to be something different and more engaging than the other recipe apps that exist,” said Podenheimer. “The app has a strong photographic focus and we want people to share their version of a cocktail, as well as share what a particular drink means to them. Often, it’s not even about the ingredients as much as it is the experience.”

The visually appealing application was launched Monday to coincide with the premier global cocktail event, Tales of the Cocktail, which will be kicking off Wednesday here in New Orleans. To get started, just download your app now, and start sipping and clicking this week at all the TOTC events around town.

Happy cocktailing, New Orleans!

BarNotes is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, and can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store by clicking here.

Adriana Lopez writes about the entrepreneurial community for NolaVie and Silicon Bayou News. She also showcases local start-ups through her non-profit organization GenNOLA.