Ok Kinsey point taken on my friend pouring 4 ml and me pouring 6 ml. I do also realise that when we speak in terms of a group in general, the vast majority of bartenders’ "free pouring" is a joke. But getting back to our hypothetical machine, we have agreed that it would not replace a bartender because of the human element. If a perfect machine can not replace us, (touch wood god forbid) what is it that makes it a better drink? Would we go out to a bar that has the ingredients for a widows kiss, premixed in a bottle and perfectly balanced measured to a 0.0001 ml per drink. If all the bartender does is pour it in your glass, I guess not. If this is the norm we could just as well say that every bartender should have a book in front of him when he is busy lest he forget an ingredient from the recipe, which I can virtually guarantee could happen under pressure in real world conditions. Lets face it more than half the argument for jigging is the showmanship, it looks (when done properly) fantastic in the right establishment for the right drinks. The same can be said about “free pouring morons”. My customers like it when I free pour, They can see I put my heart and soul in the effort, they can see I have a passion for my job and I try to make Every drink the best one I have ever made, I’m not saying they don’t see it when I jig but THAT is the human element and it is my style. Just as free pouring has its place behind the bar so does jigging, neither is a sign of a better bartender nor experience nor results in the significantly better drink. IMHO PS: One night 3 years ago I did a temp shift in Peppermint Dubai. They had this drinks machine that made 50 “cocktails”incl cosmos martinis manhattans etc, while not perfect it was a scary thought. Secondly I found jigging more challenging than free pouring especially this side of the pond with those stupidly shaped goverment approved jiggers; after a long time I can do it cleanly, accurately and quickly. I still look like a buffoon when using it though.