Bartending 101

Build

A bar term meaning to make a drink - starting with ice and then 'building' the drink by adding the other ingredients (i.e. alcohol, juice, garnish, etc).

Bar Spoon

long mixing spoon which often has a lemon zester or something similar on the other end.

Bitters

a herbal alcoholic blend which is meant to be added to other cocktails to enhance flavor (e.g a Manhattan is rye, sweet vermouth and a couple dashes of bitters). Angostura Bitters is one of the most popular brands and was first invented by a German physician for stomach maladies in 1824.

Blend

To mix up ingredients and ice in an electric blender. Depending on where you live, these could be called frozen drinks or blended drinks.

Call Drink

Refers to when the customer orders a drink by giving both the specific name of the liquor and the name of the mixer.

E.g. Tanqueray Ten and Tonic, Bacardi and Coke.

Chaser

In bar terms, anything that is consumed quickly after a shooter or straight (neat) shot of alcohol. Meant to ease the strength of the original shooter and / or to mask its taste.

Chill

To chill a glass add ice and then water to any glass and let sit for a minute or two (while mixing the drink in a shaker). Pour out the contents of the glass and strain the drink into the chilled glass. This bar terminology is often used for martinis.

Cocktail

A mix of alcohol and / or liqueurs combined with a mixer (like soda or juice) and often shaken.

Cooler

An alcoholic-based bottled beverage offered in a variety of different alcohols - vodka, rum, wine - which comes in a variety of flavors. (E.g. Smirnoff Ice, Wild berry cooler, Mike's Hard Lemonade).

Dash

A few drops or a very small amount of an ingredient.

Dirty

Adding olive juice to a martini which makes it a Dirty Martini. The more olive juice, the dirtier the martini. It's a dirty bar terms.

Dry

Very little vermouth added to a martini. Extra dry martini is a drop of scotch swirled around the martini glass and then poured out before adding the gin.

Float

when one alcohol sits on top of another alcohol

in a shooter glass. (E.g. a B-52 shooter contains Kahlua, Irish Cream and Grand Marnier. Kahlua is heavier than Irish Cream which is heavier than GM so each one floats on the other. This can be done by pouring very carefully down the side of the glass or pouring the floated alcohol over an inverted spoon, allowing the alcohol to trickle off the spoon in many directions).

Free Pour

To make and mix drinks without using a measuring device like a jigger or measured pour spout. To pour free of an measuring device.

Frost

To frost a glass, dip it in water, let it drain and then put it in the freezer. This creates a layer of frost around the glass and works especially well for beer mugs.

Garnish

A garnish is something added to a drink after the ingredients to enhance the presentation. Common garnishes are lemon slices or lime wedges, cherries, olives etc. Some garnishes are purely for looks and some are to add to the flavor of the drink.

Highball

Any liquor mixed with soda, served in a tall glass (often called a highball).

Jigger

A jigger is an hour-glass shaped steel measuring device - where one side measures 1 ounce (30ml) and the other measures 1½ ounces (45ml). However, jiggers come in many different sizes.

Layer

Layering a shot or drink is done the same way as floating. The heavier alcohol goes on the bottom and the next, lighter alcohol gets floated on top using a careful pour down the side of the glass or a pour over an inverted spoon.

Mixer

Mixers are the non-alcoholic 'mixes' that accompany alcohol in drinks. Mixers can be water, soda, juice, energy drinks etc (i.e. in the drink Rum & Coke, the mixer is Coke).

Muddle

To crush up ingredients with a special tool called a muddler. This is done for drinks such as the Mojito, or other organic cocktails. - where the muddling process extracts essential oils and flavors (ie from the mint leaves in case of the Mojito).

Neat

This ones important to know. If someone asks for an alcohol to be served "neat", they are asking for a shot straight out of the bottle. Neat means no ice.

Premium

Premium refers to premium alcohol or top shelf liquor (E.g. the well or bar rail gin is Beefeater and the premium is Tanqueray)

Rim

To rim a glass, first wet the rim with a lime, or the lime juice in a rimmer, then gently press the rim of the glass into a saucer of salt (for margaritas and Bloody Marys), celery salt (for Bloody Caesars) or sugar (for specialty coffees and cocktails).

On the Rocks

On the rocks simply refers to a drink with ice. Eg. Scotch on the rocks.

Sangria

A wine-based cocktail that contains wine, triple sec, orange juice and fruit. Many variations exist and some recipes may call for the addition of a different juice or may not contain triple sec but the basis of this drink is wine and juice.

Shaker Tin

A shaker tin is usually metal while the mixing glass is made from, well, glass. Used to mix cocktails, first ice and ingredients are added to the shaker tin, then the mixing glass placed on top (creating a seal) and shaken.

Shake

Fill a glass with ice, build the ingredients, then pour everything into a shaker tin and shake. Pour everything back into the original glass. Or, if you are an experienced bartender then you will be able to fill the shaker with ice and ingredients in perfect proportions.

Shake and Strain

Put ice and ingredients into a shaker tin, shake and strain into a glass. Often used for shooters and martinis.

Shooters

a shooter or shot is a 1-2 ounce serving of either straight liquor (like Tequila) or a mixture of alcohol (like a B-52 Shooter - Irish Cream, Kahlua and Grand Marnier) that is meant to be drank (or shot) in one gulp.

Sour

The term 'sour' refers to the sourness of sour bar mix, bar lime mix, lime bar mix or margarita mix (all different names for what are essentially the same thing), which are used in many cocktails (such as a Margarita). If someone orders a Vodka Sour, they want vodka and bar lime mix.

Speed Rail

This bar terminology typically means the long stainless steel shelf connected to the front of the sinks and ice well at bartender stations behind the bar. It holds the most commonly ordered liquor eg. rum, vodka, gin and whiskey, and possibly other popular liqueurs or mixes.

Straight Up

Refers to a drink, like a martini, which is shaken in a shaker and strained into a glass. In some areas, straight up is used interchangeably with 'neat'.

Strained

To drain the liquid out of a shaker tin.

Toddy

A sweetened drink of liquor and hot water, often with spices and served in a tall glass.

Twist

The rind of a lemon which is peeled using a special peeler. The resulting lemon twist is thin and long.

Virgin

refers to a non-alcoholic drink. Used to order common cocktails minus the alcohol. Eg. Virgin Bloody Mary, Virgin Pina Colada. (O'doul's in the case of non-alcoholic beer)

Well Drink

Last but not least for bar terms, Unlike a Call Drink, a well drink is a drink where neither the brand of the liquor or brand of the mix is mentioned (E.g Gin & Tonic, Rum & Coke).

Speed Rack

Also called "the well", most speed racks are set up in the same order,unless the bartender working at the time prefers it in a different order. It is called a "speed rack" because it is located at your work station,and contains the most commonly used liquors, the rest of your other liquors will be on the back tier or shelf depending on how the bar is set up.

Liquor Row

Vodka-Gin-Rum-Tequila-Triple Sec-Amaretto-Southern Comfort (the point of putting your liquors in order is for speed purposes.)

Non-Alcoholic Juice Row

Cranberry Juice-Orange Juice-Pineapple juice-Grapefruit Juice-Cream-Lime Juice-Grenadine

High 5 of Bartending

1) HAVE FUN.

2) WORK HARD.

3) RING EVERYTHING INTO THE REGISTER.

4) WIPE UNDERNEATH.

5) TAKE CARE OF YOUR REGULARS.

Cape Cod

Vodka and Cranberry

Vodka Tonic

4 counts vodka, Tonic, Lime

Fuzzy navel

Peach Scnapps four Count, Orange juice

Screw Driver

4 counts of Vodka, Orange juice, (Vodka and orange juice)

Madras

4 counts of vodka, orange juice and a splash of cranberry Juice

Scotch and Soda

4 counts of scotch, Soda, (no garnish)

Sea Breeze

Vodka, Grapefruit juice, Cranberry juice,

Bay Breeze

Vodka, Pineapple juice, Cranberry

Malibu Bay Breeze

Malibu Rum, Pineapple Juice, Cranberry

Rum and Coke

Rum 4 count, coke, garnish with lime

Tequila Sunrise

Tequila 4 count, OJ, Grenadine 2 count float

Black Russian

Vodka and Kahlua (4 and 2 counts)

White Russian

Vodka Kahlua (4 and 2 counts) cream, and shaken

(always rinse immediately after)

Kamikaze

Vodka, Triple Sec, Lime Juice (4 and 2 counts lime garnish)

Toasted Almond

Kahlua (4 counts)

Amaeretto (2 counts)

Cream

Shaken

Mudslide

Vodka, Kahlua and Baileys

4 count, 2 count, 2 count

Shaken

Godmother

Vodka and Amaretto

4 counts, 2 counts

Godfather

Scotch and Amaretto

4 counts, 2 counts

Rusty Nail

Scotch and Drambuie

4 counts, 2 counts

Sombrero

Kahlua (4 counts) and Cream (Shaken)

Sicilian Kiss

Southern Comfort Amaretto

(4 counts) (2 counts)

Soco and Lime (shot)

Southern Comfort and Lime

2 counts 1/2 count

Jolly Rancher (shot)

Peach Schnapps Apple Pucker Cranberry Juice

2 counts, 1 count

Sicilian Kiss (shot)

Southern Comfort and Lime

Sex on the Beach

Vodka Peach Schnapps Cranberry Orange Juice

WooWoo

Vodka Peach Schnapps Cranberry

Kamikaze (Shot)

Vodka, Triple Sec, Lime Juice

(2 count, 1 count, 1 count)

Lemon drop

Lemon Flavored Vodka (3 count), coated lemon wedge with sugar

Little Beer

Liqeuor 43 Baileys

3 counts (Chilled), layered on top

Mind Eraser

1 count Kahlua, Vodka 2 count, Club Soda

Slippery Nipple

3 count of sambuca 1 count of baileys

Liquid Heroin

Equal parts of jagermeister, rumble minze, and goldschlager

Crack Haus

3 counts of black haus 1 count of cranberry

Buttery Nipple

3 counts of Butterscotch schnapps 1 count of baileys

Martini Straight Up

1. chill glass (ice and water on top), 2. Shaker Tin with vermouth and Ice 3. Smirnoff vodka 10 count 4. shake 5. olives on top

Martini on the Rocks

NO Shaker

Dirty Martini

Olive juice, 8 count vodka, in shaker, olive garnish

Appletini

1. Green apple vodka 6 count 2. 2 count apple pucker 3. sour mix

Cosmopolitan

Smirnoff citrus 6 count, equal parts triple sec lime juice, lime juice, cranberry juice

Manhattan Straight Up

2 count sweet vermouth, dash of bitters, crown royal 8 count, Cherry garnish

Manhatten Perfect

equal parts sweet vermouth and dry; crown royal, dash of bitters, cherry garnish

Manhattan- Rob Roy

2 counts vermouth, Dash of bitters, 8 count dewar's, cherry garnish

Vodka Collins

4 counts vodka, Sour Mix, Shaker, Club soda, Cherry and Orange Garnish

Tom Collins

4 counts gin, Sour Mix, Shaker, Club soda, Garnish with cherry or orange

Sloe Gin Fizz

4 count sloe gin, sour mix, short shake, Ginger ale, straw, cherry garnish

Red Devil

sloe gin, amaretto, soco, vodka, triple sec, lime juice, top off with orange juice (shaken) RED DEATH = with Sambuca float

Long Island Iced Tea

Vodka, Gin, Rum Tequila, Triple Sec, Splash of Sour mix, Shaken, diet coke, lemon garnish (2 counts each)

Alabama Slammer

Sloe Gin, Amaretto, Soco, Orange Juice, Shaken

Margarita-On the Rocks

Tequila 4 count , Triple Sec 2 count, Lime Juice 2 count, 2 count Sour Mix, Salt on the rim, lime garnish

Margarita Straight up

6 count tequila, 2 count triple sec, 2 count lime juice, sour mix, (strained into glass)

Organic Agave Margarita

6 count corzo tequila, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, splash of water, shaken, lime garnish

Daquiri

Rum 4 count, teaspoon of sugar, 2 count of rose's lime juice, sour mix, shaker,

Daquiri Straight Up

Tsp of Sugar, Rum 6 count, Lime juice 2 count, top off with sour mix, shaken, lime garnish

Mojito

2 lime wedges, 4/5 fresh mint leaves, tsp of sugar, fresh lime juice, muddled well, 4 counts of baccardi rum, shaken well, top off with soda, top off with fresh mint leaves, and garnish with lime

Metropolitan

Same as cosmo, with berry vodka

Grey Goose and Tonic

Always add lime with tonic