Apps Are Coming for Your Happy Hour

As offices in London’s financial district clear out on a Friday evening, workers and students shoulder their way into Shoreditch Grind, a landmark of London hipsterdom in a once-gritty industrial zone. Some come for the hip-hop and indie-rock soundtrack, some for the burgers and smoothies. And this evening, many have come for a free cocktail courtesy of an app called Drinki. “It’s helped me discover so many new drinks and places,” says Alice Tuck, a 23-year-old psychology student who uses the app frequently on nights out. “It’s an absolutely great incentive to discover London without busting your wallet.”

About 250,000 people use Drinki, which has signed up spirits makers such as Pernod Ricard and Diageo. For millennials, it’s catnip: Those willing to disclose their age, gender, and email address get free cocktails at more than 100 pubs across England. They simply show the bartender a code and rate the drink when it’s bottoms up. Bars like it because distillers often foot the liquor bill and the patrons typically stick around and buy another round or two before moving on. And for producers in the $1.5 trillion alcohol trade, Drinki offers a wealth of data on hard-to-track millennials, helping to hone their product lineups and promotions. “We’ve seen some really good results,” says Sophie More, U.K. marketing chief at Scottish beermaker BrewDog Plc, which is working with Drinki to offer samples of its Punk IPA at 25 London pubs. “We want to get people out and trying their first pint” of the company’s flagship brew.