Amazon Prime Now Alexa Update Adds Orders For Booze

With a range of skills at its disposal, Amazon's Alexa platform is capable of a lot of things. Strangely, one thing Alexa hasn't been able to do is place orders through Amazon Prime Now. You'd think we would have seen that kind of functionality early on, but in any case, it's arriving today, letting you place same-day orders through Amazon's service.

Launched all the back in May 2015, Prime Now allows Prime members in major metropolitan areas to order items with two-hour delivery. It's been slowly expanding ever since that roll out, and it's possible this new compatibility with Alexa means that Amazon is getting ready to focus on launching it in other cities around the US.

Using Alexa to order through Prime Now is basically like using her to order through Amazon proper. For instance, if you need to order tissues, all you need to say is "Alexa, order tissues from Prime Now." Alexa will then recommend a brand from the Prime Now catalog and ask if you want to add it to your order. She can also recommend other items based on what you've already picked out, which is a nifty little feature.

Just like standard Prime Now, you'll need to meet a minimum order threshold for delivery, but if you find yourself short, you can always fill in the rest with some booze. Yes, the ability to order alcohol through Prime Now is also arriving today, though its launch is limited to just a few cities. In Seattle, you'll be able to order cold beer, wine, and spirits, while you can order beer or wine if you happen to live in Cincinnati or Columbus, Ohio.

Of course, you'll need to be 21 in order to command Alexa to dispatch some alcohol to your location. Lying on your Amazon account isn't going to be an effective workaround either, as the delivery driver will ask to see your ID before they hand over the goods. In other words, don't get any ideas if you're not quite legal drinking age.