Bar Basics Flashcards
Quick, must have bartender knowledge. (31 cards)
What does counting pours mean? How many counts is a 2 oz pour?
Bartending counts is the concept that each pour can be counted out in the maker’s head. It’s also known as free pour.
Bartending pour counts use one Mississippis as ½ an ounce. Doing this four times gets you to a 2-ounce shot of alcohol.
Is is a cocktail or a mixed drink?
A mixed drink is any beverage that combines two or more ingredients.
A cocktail is a mixed drink traditionally defined as a combination of liquor(s), a sweetener, bitters, and water (diluted ice).
What are Mixers?
Any ingredient—often nonalcoholic—that is added to a mixed drink. For example, syrups, fruit juices, bitters, sodas, etc., are all mixers.
What is a Dash vs. Splash?
A dash is typically smaller than a splash and used for ingredients like bitters that have strong flavors.
A dash of bitters.
A splash of soda.
What is a Call Drink?
If you “call out” a specific brand of liquor, you’re ordering a “call drink.”
What does Neat mean?
That a spirit is directly poured into a glass, not chilled, and there are no extra ingredients.
What does Up mean?
The bartender will pour whiskey in some ice long enough to chill. The ice is removed and that’s how a whiskey served up.
Example: You want to order a neat whiskey but don’t want it at room temperature.
What does Straight Up mean?
These are mixed drinks that are chilled with ice and then served without.
Classic examples of drinks served straight up are a martini, manhattans, sidecars, sazeracs, pisco sours, and grasshoppers.
What does On The Rocks mean?
Served with ice, keeping the drink cold and slightly diluting it over time.
What does Back mean?
A “back” refers to a drink served alongside and in a separate glass from the main drink. It’s often a refreshing nonalcoholic beverage like water or soda.
What is a Stick Drink?
A muddled cocktail.
Liquor vs. Liqueur
Liquors are distilled spirits. If an alcoholic beverage has gone through a still and comes out with a high alcohol content, it is a liquor. When that spirit is sweetened it becomes a liqueur.
What are the six basic types of Liquor?
Brandy, Gin, Rum, Tequila, Vodka, and Whisk(e)y
Whiskey vs. Whisky
Whisky (no e) refers to Scottish, Canadian, or Japanese grain spirits. Whiskey (with an e) refers to grain spirits distilled in Ireland and the United States.
Some distilleries like to use the ‘Scottish’ version. For example, Maker’s Mark spells whisky without the ‘e’ to pay homage to their Scottish-Irish heritage.
What is an Aperitif?
A low-alcohol drink consumed before a meal, typically to stimulate appetite.
What does Bruised mean?
This refers to a drink that has been shaken too long and has a shabby appearance.
What does Dry mean?
This references the addition of little amounts of dry vermouth or dry gin to achieve that “dry” taste.
What is a Flip?
This is a cream-flavored drink made up of sugar, eggs, spirit or wine.
I.E. Brandy Flip
What does Float mean?
When one brand of alcohol is resting atop another brand of alcohol in a shooter glass.
What does Fizz mean?
A drink that is carbonated or emits small bubbles.
What is Muddling vs Mixing vs. Shaking a drink?
Muddling is a method of lightly mashing fruit, herbs, and spices for cocktails.
Mixing Glass is a barman tool used together with a Bar Spoon and a Strainer for a cocktail preparation in stir & strain technique. It allows you to cool your drinks without diluting them.
Shaking thoroughly combines alcoholic and nonalcoholic ingredients while quickly chilling a cocktail and incorporating air.
What is a Pony?
This is a shot that is equal to 1 ounce.
What is Rolling?
The process of blending ingredients by repeatedly pouring from one vessel to another.
What is a Shooter?
This is a shot containing a mix of alcohol or straight liquor that is meant to be swallowed in one gulp.
