Glossary: Bar and cocktails
Terms from the bar and mixology.
A
- Aperitif
- A light, often bitter or dry drink before a meal, intended to stimulate the appetite.
B
- Barkeeper
- A person who pours and mixes drinks behind the counter; in German often used as a synonym for bartender.
- Bar spoon
- A long-handled spoon with a small bowl for stirring, layering and measuring small amounts, holding about 5 millilitres.
- Bartender
- A professional who prepares and serves drinks in a bar and knows ingredients, recipes and guest care.
- Bitters
- Highly concentrated herb and spice extracts added by the drop to cocktails to give depth and seasoning.
- Boston shaker
- A two-part shaker made of two cups that fit into each other, usually metal or metal and glass.
- Build
- A preparation method in which all ingredients are assembled directly in the serving glass, without a shaker or mixing glass.
C
- Clarifying
- A process in which cloudy particles are removed from a drink or juice so that it becomes crystal clear.
- Cobbler shaker
- A three-piece shaker with a cup, built-in strainer and cap, commonly used at home.
- Cordial
- A preserved syrup of fruit, sugar and acid used as a drink ingredient in bars.
- Crushed ice
- Finely broken ice that chills drinks quickly and dilutes them more strongly.
D
- Dash
- The smallest bar measure: a short squirt, usually from a bitters bottle, of roughly a fifth of a millilitre or a little more.
- Digestif
- A spirit or liqueur served after a meal, usually strong, herbal or high in alcohol.
- Dry shake
- Shaking without ice, usually for drinks containing egg white, to whip it and create a fine foam.
E
- Types of ice in the bar
- Different forms of ice such as cubes, crushed ice, large blocks or spheres that determine how a drink is chilled and diluted.
F
- Fat washing
- A process in which a spirit is flavoured with a fat that is afterwards removed again by chilling.
- Fine straining
- A technique in which a drink is poured through an additional fine mesh to hold back small ice shards and fruit fibres.
- Fizz
- A variation of the sour topped up with soda water, making it sparkling and refreshing.
- Flair bartending
- Show-oriented bartending with juggling of bottles and shakers, combining entertainment with drink preparation.
- Flaming
- A technique in which citrus oil or alcohol is briefly ignited for aroma and visual effect.
G
- Garnish
- An edible or decorative addition to a drink, such as a fruit slice, herb sprig or olive, that adds to its look and aroma.
- Garnish techniques
- Methods for preparing and attaching a drink's decoration, such as zests, spirals, fans or herb bouquets.
H
- Happy hour
- A period in which a bar or venue offers drinks at reduced prices, usually in the late afternoon or early evening.
- Hawthorne strainer
- A bar strainer with a coiled spring that is placed on a shaker or mixing glass and holds back ice and coarse solids.
- Highball
- A tall, slim glass, or a simple drink served in it: a spirit with plenty of mixer and ice, such as a gin and tonic.
I
- Infusion
- A process in which ingredients such as fruit, herbs or spices steep in a liquid to transfer their flavour.
J
- Jigger
- A double-sided metal measuring cup used to dose spirits and juices precisely in the bar.
- Julep strainer
- A spoon-shaped, perforated bar strainer inserted into a mixing glass to pour stirred drinks without ice.
K
- Clear ice
- Ice without visible air inclusions that looks clearer and usually melts somewhat more slowly.
L
- Layering
- A technique in which ingredients of different density are carefully poured on top of each other to form separate visible layers.
- Long drink
- A mixed drink of large volume, usually over ice in a tall glass, in which a spirit is lengthened with plenty of non-alcoholic mixer.
M
- Mixology
- The craft and science of cocktail making, combining technique, knowledge of ingredients and creative recipe development.
- Mocktail
- A non-alcoholic cocktail prepared with the techniques and care of classic cocktails.
- Muddling
- Pressing fruit, herbs or sugar with a pestle in a glass or shaker to release their aromas and juices.
- Muddler
- A stick-shaped tool made of wood, plastic or stainless steel used to press fruit, herbs or sugar in a glass or shaker.
N
- Neat
- A serving style in which a spirit is poured pure, without ice, water or mixer, at room temperature.
O
- Oleo saccharum
- A citrus-oil and sugar mix in which sugar draws the essential oils out of citrus peels.
- On the rocks
- A serving style in which a drink is presented over ice cubes in the glass, usually a tumbler.
R
- Reverse dry shake
- A variant of the dry shake in which the drink is first shaken with ice, strained and then shaken again without ice.
- Rim
- A coating of salt, sugar or spice on the glass edge that complements the drink's taste and look.
- Rimming
- A method in which the rim of a glass is coated with salt, sugar or spices.
- Rolling
- A gentle mixing technique in which a drink is rolled back and forth between shaker cups without being shaken.
- Stirring
- A gentle preparation method in which ingredients are chilled and diluted with ice in a mixing glass using a bar spoon, keeping the drink clear.
- Mixing glass
- A tall, heavy glass vessel with a spout in which drinks are stirred with ice rather than shaken.
S
- Shaking
- A preparation method in which ingredients are shaken hard with ice in a shaker to chill, dilute and combine them.
- Shaker
- A vessel for shaking drinks with ice, usually a Boston shaker made of two tins or a three-piece cobbler shaker.
- Short drink
- A small, concentrated cocktail of roughly 60 to 100 millilitres, usually served without ice in a stemmed glass, such as the Martini or Manhattan.
- Shrub
- A mix of fruit, sugar and vinegar used as a sweet-sour syrup in drinks or as a refreshment.
- Syrup
- A thick, heavily sweetened preparation of juice, sugar and flavourings used to sweeten or flavour drinks.
- Sour
- A cocktail family of spirit, lemon or lime juice and sugar or syrup, balancing sweetness and acidity.
- Spherification
- A molecular-gastronomy technique in which liquid is formed with alginate into small spheres with a thin gel skin.
- Splash
- An imprecise measure for a small pour of liquid, larger than a dash, roughly one to two bar spoons.
- Spritz
- A light aperitif drink of sparkling wine, a bitter aperitif or liqueur and a splash of soda, served over ice.
- Straight up
- A preparation chilled with ice and then strained, served without ice in the glass, usually a stemmed cocktail glass.
- Strainer
- A sieve that holds back ice, fruit pulp or herb remnants when a drink is poured out.
T
Z
- Centilitre and bar spoon measure
- The usual bar measure: 1 cl equals 10 ml. A bar spoon holds roughly 5 ml, which is half a centilitre.
- Simple syrup
- A simple solution of sugar and water, usually 1:1 or 2:1, that sweetens cocktails and mixes in easily.