The Drink Cart: Delightful Liquid Glass

The only newsletter guaranteed to slap the cocktail out of your hand and say “Even iOS 7 had more rizz than this one.”

Dear marketing fans, people still clinging to the idea of Apple superiority and translucent UI enthusiasts.

The gift for our feeds this week is most certainly the showcase of the new iOS 26 from Apple at their hallmark developer conference, WWDC25. And you know that because their very first headline about the new design update on Apple’s website is simply, “Stunning design. Stellar experiences”

Except that the community felt differently. That maybe or possibly this was a return to Microsoft Windows 7 vibes or maybe even an Android UI from 12 years ago depending on who you ask.

The iOS 1 to 26 arc is proof that design trends loop just like bell bottoms and corduroy. They’re back in, then out, then back again. This new fresh take? It’s where we started, before we spent over a decade draining the soul out of design. One commentator rightly asked, “infinite loop?” while posting this helpful comparison.

So are we back? Or are we cooked?

Apple thinks so. They dropped the word delightful multiple times and and then hyped up this liquid glass feeling which frankly gives mildly Terminator 2 vibes if you think about it. Then they watched the social network commentary take off.

Keep in mind, it’s June and this update isn’t really available to fall, so people losing their minds over a beta is pretty standard. if I’ve learned one thing over the years watching others invest time into the beta, it’s not worth it. I’m sure by November we won’t believe we lived before liquid glass. it’s just so damned delightful.

A new design with Liquid Glass delivers a delightful experience across devices.

One thing that did seem truly magical was the call screening demo. “Call Screening automatically answers unknown callers without interrupting you. Once the caller shares their name and the reason for their call, your phone rings and you can decide if you want to pick up.”

Here’s another good example of what you deal with when rolling out a massive design overhaul. Nearly 8M people saw that they had changed the finder icon. And they were not happy about that. While people were celebrating and debunking the idea of liquid glass UI, some were just celebrating that they left aligned text. Sometimes it’s the small wins in a design roll out this big.

Do you ever get the feeling that iOS updates might just be a prettier pair of handcuffs? Yes, we keep applauding (I mean, after the trashing of it on social for a few days) for things like a renovated Pizza Hut. I mean is it better? Is the same pizza but now the store doesn’t even look like a hut? All I know is that this might one of the last updates my delightfully retro pre-Covid iPhone can handle. My trusty iPhone 11 is now last on the list. Next stop unsupported. That’s just how it goes.

Drink Cart Approved™ agency discussion topics

• if you’re tired of idiot Stormtrooper AI videos. There are now Veo 3 AI rockumentaries. You have to watch The Prompt Floor.

• Since I’m heading to the Canadian Gaming Summit next week, this incredible vibey video of horse racing in Hong Kong seems timely.

• AI is beating real drone pilots now. Do with that what you will.

• The Waffle House night light is a next level of brand merch. Also they have their own Amazon store now.

• What do we think about humans with millions of McMillionaires who racked up 1,000,000 points on the app.

Ad History: Ericsson (1996)

In a time with no liquid glass UI, Ericsson said we’d all be hooked. Spoiler alert: This wasn’t just harmless marketing puffery. It was a shot across our bow and underpins the parasite that our phones are now.

Imagine being happy that you could “talk longer than a lunch hour you never get to take.” Yep this bit of easy-breezy 90’s nostalgia was hiding the beta-testing of our digital leashes in plain site. A trojan horse if you will.

Think about this: Barely 30 years later and Apple is having to invent new features that won’t distract us.

Unintended Ad Consequences: Gambling Edition

This was fascinating in the feed as this poster rightly pointed out, “Every time I pass this billboard I laugh cause someone with a gambling problem is gonna take 80-20 odds all day.”

Last call: The Drink Cart Summertime Orange

I made the mistake of walking into Do West Fest fest last week. While I failed on my mission of trying all the places from various walks over the last month, I still managed to cross one place off my list.

This was Project Gigglewater. The only way we got a spot was being the lame people who sat inside. I call that feature not a bug.

This bar prepared for this festival like it was a battle. They had a menu featuring 5 cocktails, named simply for colours. Green, Blue, Purple, White and Orange. They had pre-batched them up and if you were outside you got them in takeaway plastic cups.

The staff said they were set to sell maybe 500-600 of them. The Orange one was very good. Kind of like a creamsicle seltzer without any of the ridiculousness of having to haul out the old bottle of Galliano.

Orange drinks only make me think of John candy asking for Orange Whips in The Blues Brothers.

Here’s my take on the recipe:

• 1.5 oz gin

• 1 oz licor 43

• 1/2 oz Peach schnapps

• 1 oz fresh squeezed orange and 1/2 oz lime juice

• Hint of cranberry (like 1/4 oz)

• Shaken with ice and then served over a fresh couple of cubes maybe a float of soda on top. If you want to get fancy crushed ice would elevate this one

This week in 1927, The Baltimore Sun published this headline. That’s the fact-based and unbiased news we all need.

The Drink Cart Summertime Orange pairs well with cranking up the Tina Turner on the boom box and pretending you’re in a jet boat montage sequence from Miami Vice.

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The Drink Cart is your weekly fuel for pop culture brains and ad junkies. A cocktail of ad insights and hot takes that feel like you’re hanging at your favourite dive bar after launching your latest campaign.