Nowadays, food delivery apps are the holy grail for customers, but what if we told you about a liquor delivery service? Yes, you can get alcohol delivered to your doorstep in an hour.
Drizly is a liquor delivery service that brings an assortment of alcoholic drinks to you in less than 60 minutes. But, is it worth the hype? Does the service live up to users’ expectations? In this Drizly review, you will find the answers to all your burning questions.
What is Drizly?
Drizly is an alcohol delivery platform founded in 2012 that delivers wine, liquor, and beer for a number of local retailers to select areas. You can get the company’s features through the mobile app or online website.
Basically, it is like UberEats, except that you order alcohol instead of food. You can order anything from a pack of beers to a bigger order for a party or business gathering.
Part of the reason Drizly has become so popular among customers is that it does not take a cut off the companies’ sales. Instead, the company charges stores for using its fulfillment software monthly.
As a result, there is no markup on the alcohol price, allowing you to buy your favorite drinks at reasonable prices. At the same time, you can buy extras, including ice, mixers, and party supplies, from the same website or app, which saves you high shipping costs and hours of searching through stores.
How Does Drizly Work?
Drizly has an easy ordering process, which is straightforward enough for first-time users too. You can either use the online website or the app to place and track your orders.
Drizly Order Process
Here is how you can order alcohol from Drizly:
Step 1: Enter Your Address
Bear in mind that Drizly does not deliver to all areas in the country. So, you need to enter your address, and the website or app will tell you if the company delivers to your area. Plus, you will see the alcohol purchase options available for your geographical region.
Step 2: Shop
You can shop from a wide selection of well-known, local, new, and not-so-popular brands. Once you have chosen the wine or beer you want to purchase, click the ‘Order’ button.
Depending on the retailer, you may be required to place an order for a certain amount at a minimum. Meanwhile, some stores have a delivery fee. The fee differs across retailers but does not go above $5 in most cases.
Besides buying full packs, you can also buy drinks in singles, which is great if you want to try something new without committing to buying the whole 36-pack. As for containers, you can find everything from kegs and bottles to cans.
If you are using the Drizly app, you can also compare the prices of different drinks across brands and retailers. For instance, if you search for craft beer, you can compare their prices by seeing them in a list.
If you like a product, add it to the cart. Then, you can tap ‘Get It Now’ or opt for ‘Get It Later’ if you want it to be delivered to you at a later time.
Step 3: Kick Back and Relax
After you place your order, Drizly will tell you when your driver is approaching. You will have the drinks delivered to your place in less than 60 minutes.
Drizly Delivery Hours
While most other booze delivery services have set delivery hours, Drizly’s hours of operation depend on the retail partners. For example, if Bevmo closes at 7 pm, you will not be able to get their alcohol delivered in 60 minutes.
Therefore, Drizly’s delivery hours are variable. You can check the operational hours for the retail partners on the app and place your order accordingly.
What Does Drizly Offer?
Drizly lets you order a comprehensive range of alcoholic products, from beer to wine. Here is what the platform offers:
Beer
You can shop all kinds of beer at Drizly, including ale, lager, hard seltzer, craft beer, IPA, cider, and stout. Drizly stocks a number of beer manufacturers, so you will find something for your taste.
Since there are over ten thousand varieties for just craft beer alone, it can be difficult to scroll down the page and look for the one you like. However, the search process becomes easier when you use the filters on the page.
You can filter your selection by ABV, type, categories, features, country of origin, state of origin, brand, ratings, and brand ownership.
Wine
Like beer, Drizly has a lot of wine options, too, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, sparkling wine, white wine, red wine, rose wine, pinot noir, chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.
You can filter the search results by category, state of origin, country of origin, sweet-dry scale, body, food pairing, features, brand, ratings, and brand ownership.
For instance, if you are looking for vegan wines, the website will show you over nine hundred results. Similarly, there are more than 200 varieties of Kosher wines on Drizly.
Even as someone who does not have extensive knowledge of wine-food pairing, you can impress your guests by ordering from Drizly. When you filter the results, you can specifically search for wines that are served with pork, mushrooms, chicken, shellfish, beef, and other food items.
Similarly, you can choose between sweet, dry, or semi-sweet wines, depending on your taste.
Liquor
Aside from beer and wine, you can also shop for other types of liquor from Drizly, including vodka, tequila, whiskey, mezcal, gin, rum, brandy, and liqueur.
Extras
If you are throwing a party and do not have the time to go out and shop for the necessities, you can count on Drizly to deliver the extras to your house in time. Here are some available options:
- Bitters
- Mixers
- Ice
- Juice
- Energy drinks
- Party supplies
- Soda
- Food and snacks
So, when it comes to alcohol and fun, Drizly has it all.
Drizly Order Types
Drizly boasts itself in being convenient for users, making alcohol accessible at all times. On the Drizzly app, you can place five types of orders, depending on how soon you need the drinks delivered to your home:
- Get It Now: The on-demand orders are delivered in 60 minutes to your doorstep. Before you place this order, make sure that Drizly offers its on-demand services in your region. You simply have to type your zip code or address into the search bar to find this.
- Get It Later: These are scheduled orders. You can place an order now, and it will be delivered to you at a later time of your choice.
- Pickup Orders: These orders are ideal for people who are just on their way and do not want to wait in a queue when they get to the store. You can place a pickup order and take your alcohol from the store that they would have already packed for you.
- Shipments: If you place an order for a rare alcoholic drink or one that’s out of stock, it will be shipped to you at a later time through FedEx, UPS, and other shipping services.
- Drizly Connect: This order type is currently only available in Washington DC and Boston. You can select from a wide range of warehouse goods and they will be shipped to you later or delivered in an hour, depending on the products you have ordered.
As evident, Drizly provides you the ease and liberty of placing different kinds of orders, depending on your needs. Even if you are not at home, you can place your booze order and pick it up on your way back home or get it delivered in the evening.
Drizly Alternatives
Another alcohol delivery service that is quite popular among consumers is Saucey, which actually delivers your booze in just half an hour. Let us take a look at how Drizly compares to Saucey:
- Alcohol Type: Both platforms offer liquor, wine, and beer. So, you can choose from a wide range of alcohol products. However, Drizly also has some extra options, such as mixers and bitters.
- Other Products: Drizly has a ton of other products, including party supplies, ice, mixers, and more. On the other hand, Saucey’s other products are limited to snacks, tobacco products, and mixers.
- Delivery Time: While Drizly delivers your order within 60 minutes, Saucey takes the lead by bringing booze to your doorstep in just 30 minutes.
- Delivery Fee: Saucey is liked by customers because it offers free delivery. On the other hand, the delivery fee for orders on Drizly is determined by the company’s retail partners.
- Tipping: On both platforms, tipping is optional. However, it is recommended that you tip the driver, especially if they delivered your order way before time.
- Minimum Orders: On Saucey, there is no minimum order limit. On the other hand, the minimum order on Drizly is determined by the company’s retail partners.
- Drivers: The drivers on Saucey are hired by the company, just like UberEats or GrubHub. Meanwhile, the drivers on Drizly are third-party couriers or employees of liquor retailers.
- Operational Hours: Saucey delivers alcohol from 12 pm to 11 pm from Monday to Thursday, 12 pm to 1 am from Friday to Saturday, and 12 pm to 10 pm on Sunday. On the flip side, the hours of operation on Drizly differ based on the schedule of the retail partner.
Having said that, you can now decide which of the two is better for your alcohol preferences.
Pros of Drizly
Here are some things that set Drizly apart from other alcohol delivery services or buying booze from a store:
- Quick Delivery: With Drizly, you do not have to wait for a day or two to get your drinks. If you are throwing a party or simply need something to drink while watching the game tonight, Drizly is your best bet. It delivers alcohol in 60 minutes.
- Wide Selection: Drizly has thousands of alcoholic drinks, ranging from beer and wine to all liquor options.
- Efficient Filters: Scrolling through tens of pages of alcohol options can be laborious. Thankfully, Drizly allows you to filter your search result so that you see exactly what you want to buy.
- Impressive Interface: Drizly’s app and website have a user-friendly interface, making it easy for you to place orders and select your desired drink. You can also compare prices.
- Reasonable Pricing: As discussed, Drizly does not take a cut from the sellers and rather makes money from its fulfillment software. Therefore, there is no markup on alcohol’s pricing. As a result, you can get your booze at pocket-friendly prices.
Cons of Drizly
Although Drizly can be your savior if you do not want to head out to grab a pack of beer, it also has some shortcomings:
- Retailer-Dependent Timing: On Drizly, there are no set timings for when you can get alcohol delivered. The timings are dependent on the retail partners, so you need to keep track of their operating hours.
- Delivery Fee: The retail partners on Drizly charge a delivery fee that could be up to $5. Some other alcohol delivery services offer free delivery.
- Minimum Order: Some retailers also have a minimum order limit. So, you cannot always add a single bottle of beer to the cart and call it a day.
Who Is Drizly For?
Drizly is ideal for people who are above the drinking age and want to shop for alcohol from the convenience and comfort of their own homes. Moreover, if you are on the search for unique liquors or lesser-known brands, you will most probably find them on Drizly.
The platform is also ideal for people who want to support small liquor businesses in their locality.
However, if you do not want to pay the additional costs, such as delivery fees and tips, you should try Saucey or buy alcohol from the store yourself.
Final Verdict
When you place your first order on Drizly, you get a $5 coupon as a welcome gift, which already prepares you for the convenience and perks the platform offers.
Overall, Drizly is a remarkable option for people who want to order alcohol to their doorsteps or are too lazy to go booze shopping for the upcoming party at their place.
But we have to warn you, the delivery fees can add up, depending on the retail partner.
