Bar terms
14
same as 7&7
86
item is out of stock, customer has been cutoff
Against the Wall
pour ½ oz. of Galliano on top of the drink
Age
How long a whiskey, rum or brandy has been stored
Apéritif
A drink that stimulates the appetite
Back
A non-alcoholic drink or a small glass of beer served on the side of a shot
Bar Spoon
Long handled spoon with a twirled stem
Base Liquor The main ingredient in a drink
Bitters
Made from bark, herbs, roots and berries, gives a bitter zest to drinks
Blend
Use a blender to mix drink
Box
Pour into and out of a shaker, usually only once. Gives the drink a quick mixing without shaking
Call Drink
A liquor and mixer, of which the liquor is a defined brand. (ie. Tanqueray and Tonic, Bacardi and Coke)
Cobbler
A tall drink of any liquor served in a collins or highball glass with shaved or crushed ice and garnished with fresh fruit and mint sprigs
Chaser
A mixer that is consumed immediately after a straight shot of liquor to create a different taste
Cocktail
Any of various alcoholic beverages consisting usually of brandy, whiskey, vodka , or gin combined with fruit juices or other liquors and often served chilled
Collins
A drink akin to a sour which is served in a tall glass with soda water or seltzer water
Cooler
A drink consisting of ginger ale, soda water, and a fresh spiral or twist of citrus fruit rind, served in a collins or highball glass
Crusta
A sour-type drink served in a glass that is completely lined with an orange or lemon peel cut in a continuous strip
Cup
A punch-type drink that made up in quantities of cups or glasses in preference to a punch bowl
Daisy
An oversize drink of the sour type, normally made with rum or gin. It is served over crushed ice with a straw, and sweetened with a fruit syrup
Dash
A smidgen or a couple drops, approximately 1/16 oz
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
Ditch
drink with a water mix
Double
drink with double amount of liquor
Dry
No vermouth or a very small amount
Lace
Normally applies to the last ingredient in a recipe, meaning to pour onto the top of the drink
Eggnog
A traditional holiday drink containing a combination of eggs beaten with cream or milk, sugar, and a liquor such as brandy, rum, or bourbon
Fix
A sour-type drink similar to the daisy, made with crushed ice in a large goblet
Fizz
An effervescent beverage. (ie. that which is carbonated or which emits small bubbles.)
Flip
A chilled, creamy drink made of eggs, sugar, and a wine or spirit. Brandy and sherry flips are two of the better known kinds
Frappé
A partially frozen, often fruity drink. It is usually a mixture of ingredients served over a mound of crushed ice
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
Flag
Term used when someone has had enough to drink, also a garnish
Flamed
Drink is topped with high proof alcohol & lit
Float
To layer one ingredient on top of another, usually to top a drink
Frozen
Drink is blended in blender with crushed ice or ice cream
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 flavour of the drink
Grog
A rum-based beverage with water, fruit juice and sugar, commonly served in a large mug.
Highball
Any spirit served with ice and soda water in a medium to tall glass (often a highball glass)
Jigger
Shot glass for pouring about an ounce and a half
Julep
A drink made of bourbon, mint, sugar and crushed ice
Lace
same as Top
Layered
Using heaviest liquors first, each liquor is carefully poured on top of the other usually using a back of a spoon
Liqueur:
Same as a cordial, sweet drink made from berries, fruit or herbs
Long Drink
Term used for a mixed drink served in a Collins glass
Liquor
An alcoholic beverage, distilled spirits
Lowball
A short drink made of spirits
served with ice, water or soda in a small glass
Mexican (or Mex) Style
pour ½ oz of tequila on top of the drink
Mist
A liquor served over a glass filled with crushed ice, often a way of serving liqueur as an after dinner drink
Mixer
The non-alcoholic beverage you mix spirits with
Muddled
A drink served with mashed fruit like an Old Fashioned
Mulls
A sweetened and spiced heated liquor, wine or beer, served as a hot punch
Muddler
A wooden mallet used to smash fruit
Multiple
pour ½ oz/ of Frangelico on top of the drink
Neat
The consumption of a spirit as a straight, unaccompanied shot. Room temperature drink with no ice
Negus
A punch-like combination containing a wine, such as port, heated with spices and sweetened
Nip
A quarter of a bottle. Measurement for a little more than a jigger
Nightcap
A wine or liquor taken before bedtime
On The Rocks
A wine or liquor poured over ice cubes
On the side
same as a Chaser
Over
same as On the Rocks
Pick-Me-Up
A drink designed to relieve the effects of overindulgence in alcohol
Posset
An old british drink from which the eggnog was derived. It consists of a mixture of heated ale or wine curdled with milk, eggs, and spices
Puff
A traditional afternoon drink made of equal parts spirit and milk, topped with club soda and served over ice
Punch
A party-size beverage consisting of fruit, fruit juices, flavorings and sweeteners, soft drinks, and a wine or liquor base
Pony
One ounce.
Perfect
Sweet and dry vermouth added to drink & served with a twist
Press
- Nickname for a Presbyterian
- combination of half soda and half ginger ale
Premium
A step above call, but not top shelf
Proof
The alcohol content of spirits
Rickey
A drink made a liquor, usually gin, a half lime and soda water. It is sometimes sweetened, and often served with ice in a rickey glass
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). Be creative with your rim jobs - try to look for alternatives like crushed candy cane, flavoured salts or other more exotic spices that match well with your drink's ingredients
Rocks (On the)
On the rocks simply refers to a drink with ice. Eg. Scotch on the rocks
Roll (aka Box)
Not heard all to often in bar terms. To roll or box a drink, first build the drink then pour it once into and out of a shaker tin. This gently mixes the drink
Sangaree
A tall chilled and sweetened wine/liquor garnished with nutmeg
Screaming
pour ½ oz. vodka ontop of the drink
Shooter
A straight shot of whiskey or other kind of spirit taken neat
Shrub
Spirits, fruit juices, and sugar, aged in a sealed container such as a cask or crock, then usually bottled
Sling
A tall drink made with either brandy, whiskey or gin, with lemon juice, sugar and soda water. It is served both hot and cold
Smash
A short julep made of liquor, sugar, and mint, served in a small glass
Sour
A short drink consisting of liquor, lemon/lime juice and sugar
Squeeze
piece of lime that is squeezed over a drink, then dropped into it
Supercall
Also known as top shelf or super premium. The high octane, often higher proof alcohols, or super-aged or flavored versions
Swizzle
A tall, traditionally rum-based cocktail filled with cracked ice. A stirring rod or swizzle stick is quickly rotated between the palm of the hands to form frost on the glass
Syllabub
A beverage made from a mixture of sweetened milk/cream, wine and spices.
Shake
Add ice, then ingredients & shake in cocktail shaker
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
Short
A drink with just a little mixer in a short glass
Simple Syrup
Heavy sugar water
Splash
A small amount of mixer
Straight Up
Drink is mixed with ice & then strained into glass
Strainer
Wire gadget with a spring around it that fits over the top of your mixing
container so you can strain ice or pulp when pouring into a serving glass
Stir
Ingredients are poured over ice & bar spoon is used to stir
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
Sweet
add ½ oz. of simple syrup to a drink (before adding the mix
- or add extra ¼ oz. sweet vermouth to a manhattan
Toddy
A sweetened drink of liquor and hot water, often with spices and served in a tall glass
Tot
A small amount of liquor
Tall
A drink using a larger glass, like a Collins Glass, and containg more mix
Top
Ingredient is put on top of drink
Topless
a margarita without the salted rim
Top Shelf
The best spirits in the house
Twist
Lemon peel used to flavor rim of glass, then dropped in drink
Unleaded
see Virgin
Up
A drink served with no ice, either neat or chilled
Virgin
A non-alcoholic drink
Well Drink
A liquor and mixer, of which neither are defined brands. (ie. Gin and Tonic, Rum and Coke)
Wet
use more of the mix and less of the alc then normal
With a little English
pour ½ oz. of Gin on top of the drink