Why measure in ounces?

[Nathan]

yeah, I've never quite figured out what a dash means...I just put in whatever I feel like or whatever has worked in the past.

[the queneau]

Thanks for the info queneau.

I blame Simon Difford for my brazen declaration of the use of shots or jiggers as a measure in England.

One thing I always wonder about in areas where the amount of booze is regulated, is how you make drinks like the Fifty-Fifty.

Are you required by law to measure no more or no less than 35ml of booze into any cocktail?  So something like a Fifty-Fifty ends up a 70ml drink to get the ratio right?

What about 80 proof liqueurs, like Cointreau or Grand Marnier?  Is the shot size of those spirits also regulated?

Just curious...

←

Aye, I think in his Sauce Guides, Simon uses the "shot" method of description, as it's a global publication and this method might, in his mind, be the most accessible interms of local custom/law, without having to revert to conversion charts. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with him, but that's possibly his thinking.

In terms of cocktails in the UK (defined under law as a "mixed" drink), there is no legislative regulation over the minimium or maximum quantities of booze that must be served in them. A "mixed" drink is defined as a drink with 3 or more constituent parts, the making of which is the only legal method of free-pouring in the UK. The "regulation" of the amount of alcohol that goes into one is left to the discretion of the bar, and most will use 50ml - 70ml, depending, of course, on the drink itself.

The law, unfortunately, isn't clear on mixed drinks that only contain 2 constitutent parts (such as the Fifty Fifty), and I think this is an example of the law not moving to reflect cultural shifts. It's likely that mosts bars would serve this as a 50ml drink (2 x 25ml measures of each). Whilst this would not strictly be within the law, it's unlikely to receive complaints from either customer or lawman.

The difficulty, as always, is how to interpret the above definition of a mixed drink. Does a squeeze of lime become a constituent part if added to a rum and Coke, thereby allowing the tender to upgrade from a 35ml pour for a standard rum and Coke to, say, a 50ml pour for a Cuba Libre? Damn civil servants!

As for high proof liqueurs, the standard pour throughout the UK is 25ml, if not included in a mixed drink.

God, but it's complicated.

[eje]

Thought this article, by Mr. Jeff Burkhart, a bit apropos, if maddening on many levels...

Barfly: Jiggers are bane of bartender's routine

That was odd. If it were left to the bartenders themselves, not one would use a jigger to measure drinks. We hate them. Part of bartending is style, and using a jigger eliminates much of the pizzazz - no long pours, no behind the back stuff, no double bottle pours. You're reduced to a drink-making machine. The only reason bartenders use jiggers is because they're made to.

Jiggers for all my friends!

Edited April 24, 2008 by eje (log)

[TVC]

My favorite part of the article is the caption under the photo...

The more time bartenders spend painstakingly measuring shots with jiggers, the less time they have to be creative and sometimes entertaining behind the bar.