A mixing apparatus, puncturing mechanism (50), and cartridge (6) are disclosed. The mixing apparatus has a housing and a drawer with a recess. Corresponding cartridges may be inserted into the drawer and slid into the housing to facilitate mixing a liquid with contents of the cartridge. Inside the housing of the mixing apparatus is the puncturing mechanism. The puncturing mechanism has a nozzle configured to puncture a lid (3) of a cartridge and inject liquid to mix with the contents of the cartridge. The puncturing mechanism is further configured to drive an internal puncturing unit (10) inside of the cartridge through a lower portion of the cartridge to allow liquid from the nozzle and contents of the cartridge to be dispensed into a receptacle. The system may be used in beverage preparation. The cartridge may include identification means such as a barcode or RFID.
