Drinkify: We Get Drunk To See If It Actually Works

​We at West Coast Sound love little more than good tunes and good booze. So, when Drinkify dropped earlier this month -- an Internet app that suggests cocktails to sip while listening to your artist of choice -- we were intrigued. So much so that we bought a whole shopping bag of elixirs and got to drinking.

Turns out that the site was created in 24 hours by a group of boozy nerds for Music Hack Day Boston 2011, and is powered by streaming services like Last.fm. But we didn't learn that until the next day, reeling from a steep hangover. What we discovered during our party/bout of journalism, however, is that the beverage suggestions range from straightforward staples (Wavves = PBR) to more unorthodox selections (Skrillex = 4 oz. marijuana, garnished with cocktail onions).

Some are spot-on (The Dead Kennedys = 10 oz. rum, fucking rum) while others are just wrong (mezcal for the Beatles, really?). In any case, some highlights from our experiment are below; you can be sure that we thoroughly sacrificed our livers and dignity to put this site to the test.

​Artist: Diplo
Drink: 1 bottle gin, 1 bottle Rose's lime juice, 1 oz. Talisker Scotch
Comments: "This is disgusting."
Consensus: The grotesqueness of this cocktail was on par with that of Major Lazor's Tim HeideckerEric Wareheim-directed videos, so in one sense this was an apt fit. We admittedly went too heavy on the scotch and too light on the lime. But in any quantity, it was quickly apparent that the combination of gin and scotch is about as delicious as ammonia and bleach.
A More Fitting Diplo Cocktail? Absinthe and an energy drink

Artist: DJ Quik
Drink: 8 oz. gin, 8 oz. grenadine, 1 bottle V8
Comments: "This is kind of piney. Foresty. I want to take this drink with me on a hike, maybe."
Consesus: Surprisingly delicious and inoffensive, but we ultimately couldn't reconcile the idea of Quik sippin' on a refreshing tomato-and-celery mélange.
A More Fitting DJ Quik Cocktail? Olde English

Artist: The Stone Roses
Drink: 12 oz. Red Bull, 12 oz. chili pepper Vodka, 12 oz. Monster Energy Drink, 1 bottle ginger ale
Comments: "I can't drive right now, not because I'm too drunk but because I'm too wired on sugar."
Consensus: An okay fit for rave-birthing festival anthems like "Fool's Gold," but too high-powered for most of their dreamy rock classics like "I Wanna Be Adored" and "She Bangs the Drums."
A More Fitting Stone Roses Cocktail? Zima and Jolly Ranchers, maybe, or else overpriced festival beer and a tab of ecstasy

Artist: Madonna
Drink: 4 oz. Vodka, on the rocks
Comments: "Like a virgin? Not for long."
Consensus: Appropriate maybe, but lacking Madonna-esque distinction
A More Fitting Madonna Cocktail? Depending on the era, kir royale or green tea-infused vodka