Bartending Techniques

Question 1

Pours

Answer 1

Everyone gets the same pour size every time. Measure everything every time!

Any spirit drink receives a 2.0 oz pour, unless it is a cocktail where the recipe specifically says otherwise.
1:1 Mixed drinks (ie. vodka soda, whiskey coke) get a 1.5 oz pour
Shots get a 1.5 oz pour

Question 2

Jiggers

Answer 2

Use the jigger for every measurement for every drink.
The different required measurements are denoted on the jigger to make it very easy to maintain consistency.
1:1 Mixed drinks can be free poured.

Question 3

Building Drinks

Answer 3

Build ingredients in tin or stirring glass before adding ice
Build in order of lower to higher cost ingredients
Start off with the bitters, juice and syrups, followed by the mixers and the spirit
This way you don’t throw away a full pour of expensive spirit if you make a mistake in the cocktail building process

Question 4

When to Shake?

Answer 4

Shake anything with citrus or other juice, egg, or dairy
Ie. Gimlet, Margarita, Pisco Sour, Milk Punch
Exception: vodka martinis & dirty martinis

Question 5

When to Stir?

Answer 5

Stir anything that consists only of alcohol: spirits, liqueurs, bitters
Ie. Old fashioned, Manhattan, Negroni

Question 6

Shaking

Answer 6

Add ice and shake after fully building the cocktail. Depending on the type of cocktail different levels of dilution and temperatures are necessary to create the perfect product, which can be attained through different shaking techniques. Shaking a cocktail for 12 seconds makes it a full 7ºF colder than shaking it for 8 seconds, and 20ºF colder than shaking it for 5 seconds.

Question 7

Up (Shake)

Answer 7

Shake with a full tin of cubed ice for 15-18 seconds and fine strain along with hawthorne strain (double strain)

Question 8

On The Rocks or “Rocks” (Shake)

Answer 8

Shake with a full tin of cubed ice for 8-12 seconds and hawthorne strain

Question 9

Collins/Spritz/Crushed Ice (Sliver Shake)

Answer 9

Shake with a single cubed ice piece for 5 seconds and hawthorne strain over the club soda / prosecco / crushed ice (tiki) etc. (soda etc. in the glass first, not after cocktail is strained in)

Question 10

Sours (Shake)

Answer 10

Dry shake all ingredients for 4 seconds then add 4 cubes and shake for 12 seconds and fine strain along with hawthorne strain (double strain)

Question 11

Dirty Dump (Shake)

Answer 11

hake with a full tin of cubed ice for 8 seconds then dump entire contents of shaker tin into glass

Question 12

Stirring

Answer 12

Fill stirring glass with ice and stir after fully building the cocktail. Rotate the spoon in a rapid circle around the inside of the glass using your middle and ring fingers guided by your thumb. Depending if the cocktail is up or on the rocks more or less dilution from the ice is necessary.

Question 13

Up (Stir)

Answer 13

Add 2 ice cubes to stirring glass, crack 3 more ice cubes into stirring glass, and fill stirring glass with ice. Stir for 25-30 seconds and strain using julep strainer
cracking ice cubes allows the smaller pieces to melt faster and create the necessary dilution in a more timely manner

Question 14

On the Rocks or “Rocks” (Stir)

Answer 14

Fill stirring glass with ice, stir for 20 seconds, and strain using julep strainer

Question 15

Swizzle

Answer 15

Build the cocktail in the glass that it is going to be presented in. Fill the glass with crushed ice, put in a stirring spoon, and swizzle the spoon quickly, moving it up and down in the drink, for 10 seconds. Swizzling is spinning the spoon back and forth very quickly to create friction in the ice, and induce the dilution/chilling effect on the cocktail.

Question 16

Hot Toddy

Answer 16

Make sure the hot toddy is hot!

Build toddy in large tin
Fill toddy glass with hot water and fill small tin half-way with hot water
Place large tin with built toddy in it, into the small tin with the hot water
Spin large tin to heat the liquid
Dump out the hot water from toddy glass and pour built toddy into glass
Top off with hot water to fill toddy glass
Garnish

Question 17

Tasting Drinks

Answer 17

Straw taste drinks before you serve them, everyone will have their own metal straws specifically for tasting at their station. Not necessarily every drink, but definitely at the beginning of the night, stirred drinks, drinks that have batches, and drinks with house made ingredients. Straw taste in the tin or stirring glass to be sure that you have put together all of the correct ingredients. Stirred drinks are very delicate and even the slightest wrong addition or forgotten element can completely ruin them. Batches and house made ingredients may have been put together incorrectly, or gone bad, so make sure you are serving what is supposed to be served, by straw tasting.

Question 18

Classic Cocktail Specs

Answer 18

It is extremely important that all bartenders use these exact same specs for all classic cocktails. The reputation of the bar depends on a guest being able to come in and order the same drink from every different bartender, and always receive the exact same product.

Question 19

Martinis

Answer 19

Always ask… “Olives or a Twist (lemon twist)?”…. Unless it’s Dirty: Olives