At first blush this appears to be a simple cartridge game from the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Fond memories and nostalgia for the days when you had to blow on your games to make them work properly will fill anyone old enough to drink at this point.
I know my own childhood was occupied by an NES light gun pushed point blank to the CRT of my TV trying to nail rapidly moving pixelated ducks.
So when the kickstarter for Inkwhiskey.com and their NES inspired flask came out I was intrigued.
Their current line runs to at least 10 styles including tetraquila, Kegaman, Metal Beer and my own favorite CastleVodka.
The flask itself is a neat piece of design, the tab of the cartridge is rubberized and fits snugly into the flask generally preventing leakage. It also fits flush to the point where many many people have walked right by them thinking they were old games rather than barware.
It isn’t listed on the website but testing has shown the flask able to hold slightly more than 4 ounces.
As funny an idea as this is, the design still suffers from a number of flaws. Like many flasks you will need a funnel to fill it properly. The package includes a plasticized card which they claim can be rolled into a funnel. Experience shows this to be folly. The card is not a good funnel and often requires two hands to operate properly meaning you would need someone else to pour.
The opening of the flask is recessed into the tab slot, meaning you will need either a straw (recommended) or will need to put your mouth entirely over the cutout to prevent spillage. Pouring from the flask itself is also difficult as the opening isn’t really a pour spout and is hard to aim.
Finally the flask is entirely plastic. There is a reason most liquor bottles aren’t made of plastic and it has to do with the solvent properties of ethanol and the tendancy of plastic to leech unwelcome flavors and chemicals into the contents. Judging from the plastic type I’m not entirely worried about chemicals, but plastic flavors wearing over time could be an issue if the flask isn’t properly cleaned. Proper cleaning is another problem given the interior corners and unusual position of the spout.
For $20 I’m not expecting a great deal out of this item. It’s mostly for the wow factor of drinking out of a game cartridge in front of other geeks. If you’re actually trying to smuggle alcohol into an event or carry it with you there are many other more functional options.
Shaker and Spreadsheet 