After years of pouring drinks bartenders can eyeball an exact shot of liquor and the long pour is a spectacular bar sight, but what about the careful measuring of cocktail ingredients, is that so important? There are benefits to using a jigger (or other measuring device) for mixing drinks. Many bars ask their tenders to use them to control the amount of liquor being poured (and control profits) and to ensure drinks are consistent inside the establishment. If you're mixing up drinks for a private occasion and you're partaking, using a jigger is smart. Have you ever noticed your free pour shots getting larger as the night goes on? Well, it's likely they do because your perception has been impaired and your drinks may be getting tougher than you bargained for. Then, there's the occasion of the finely balanced cocktail. Not talking about mixed drinks here, but those French Martinis, Monkey Glands and Tuxedos, which are sensitive to over and under pours of one ingredient or another.
© Colleen Graham
© Colleen Graham
Some bartenders swear by the jigger, some feel restricted by the control. Last week a story by Jeff Burkhart for the Marin Independent Journal titled Barfly: Jiggers are bane of bartender's routine tells one story about the "Great Jigger Debate."
Poll: Do you use a jigger to measure out ingredients?
- Everytime - it's the only way to get the perfect drink.
- Occasionally - for certain drinks only.
- Only when learning a new drink.
- Only when the manager's looking.
- Never, it's an unnecessary tool.
- What's a jigger?
Comments
At home the “perfect: drinks are made using jiggers, especially as the night wears on. In bars and restaurants it’s good to see a seasoned bartender make a good drink without using a jigger.
My mixology instructor was a very seasoned bartender with over 20 years experience and many accolades. She ALWAYS used a jigger. Guests can see experience and when a jigger is used they can also see that they are not getting jipped. Also for our final exam we had to pour and recite 45 drinks called in groups of five in 30 min using a jigger.
The school I went to for bar/beverage management also included the short bar-tending course. Every “semester” we had to do the drinks we learned, making them to perfection (glass, ingredients, garnish, etc.). The normal ones were 10 drinks in 5 minutes. Our final was 30 in 10. Sounds easy until you forget the lime or simple syrup, lol. And we were taught, anything 1oz and higher, to use a jigger, period. To this day, in the bar I manage, I use a jigger when its called for.
I learned about a year ago to use a jigger to keep the proportions of my ingredients consistent. Will I use it for a rum and cola or gin and tonic? No. But any cocktail worth making needs to have the correct balance of flavors and that requires measuring.