In a sobering announcement for the Boston workforce, Uber Technologies Inc. is set to cut 168 employees tied to its alcohol delivery app Drizly, signaling a last call for a venture that once flowed with promise. The app, birthed in a Boston College dorm room in 2012 and dubbed North America's largest alcohol marketplace, will pour its final round by the end of March, as reported by WCVB.

Citing notices sent to Massachusetts officials, layoffs are slated to begin April 1 and could continue until September 1, the grim process coming less than three years after Uber's hefty $1.1 billion acquisition the service that saw its business boom during the pandemic, according to details provided by Boston.com. The transition doesn't come without a glimmer of hope for some employees, as an Uber spokesperson has indicated that a hand-picked few from the Drizly team might stir into Uber's own Beverage and Alcohol service, blending their expertise into the broader company mix.

Last year, the integration of Drizly into the Uber ecosystem saw around 100 people from Drizly staff cut loose, and now the remaining staff faces a complete shutdown that Drizly flagged as a "slow" closure process last month; customers currently in search of spirits and wines are now being directed to use Uber Eats for their libational needs.

"We’re grateful to the Drizly team for their many contributions to the growth of the BevAlc delivery category as the original industry pioneer," Pierre-Dmitri Gore-Coty, Head of Delivery at Uber, offered a toast to the departing employees in a statement obtained by WCVB, acknowledging the innovative spirit that once fueled Drizly's marketplace ascension as it now dissolves back into the broader Uber platform, its distinct identity diluting as the brand is uncorked for the final time.