Understand Bartender Lingo and Jargon and Great Cocktail Mixers

If you read our previous post, you saw my journey to discovering craft cocktails. One of the things I learned early on in my research was to make your own mixers. Another benefit of all that research was learning to understand bartender lingo and jargon. This post will share bartender jargon along with the importance of making and storing your own juices and syrups. The beginner or home bartender can use this list to expand their bartender lingo and terms.

Bartender Lingo and Jargon

Every craft, trade, or industry has its own lingo. For example, I am in information security. Listening to me and my colleagues talk, you would hear an endless stream of acronyms and abbreviations like VPN, WAF, UAG, WiFi, etc. If you know what they mean, it makes sense. If not, it sounds like gibberish.

The same goes for bartenders and their use of specific lingo. In our previous post for the whiskey sour, I introduced you to the term “dry shake.” I realized that I also used some other terms and didn’t explain them. So, let me lay some groundwork. Please keep in mind that I am not a professional bartender. If I get something wrong, please let me know.

• Hardware – a general term for anything used to create your drinks like shakers, glassware, spoons, juicers, strainers, etc. Ice is typically considered hardware as well.
• Software – anything that goes into the glass that you consume.
• Hawthorne strainer – a flat strainer with a spring around the bottom that allows you to control the speed of the liquid through the strainer and even allows small ice particles into the glass.
• Julep strainer – a slightly curved paddle-type strainer typically used to strain drinks from a large mixing glass.
• Shaker – Uhm, you put stuff in it and shake it. Seriously, there are multiple types of shakers and each has its own use.
• Jigger – a two-sided measuring cup where typically one side is 1.5 ounces and the other is 1 ounce. A Japanese-style jigger is normally 2 ounces on one side and 1 ounce on the other.
• Rocks glass – a short cocktail glass also called “old fashioned glass” or “lowball glass” typically used for straight drinks or whiskey-based cocktails.
• Highball glass – the tall version of a rocks glass normally used for 8-12 ounce cocktails.
• Coupe glass – stemware glass with curved sides with a broad, shallow bowl. Also, known as a champagne coupe.

This is a very abbreviated list, but it is a good start for terms that I will use on the blog. When I introduce other terms, I will make sure to clarify what they mean.

Juices

I recommend using only fresh ingredients in your cocktails whenever you can. I have tried a lot of the premixed stuff sold in stores. None of them are any good. My general rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t drink it straight, do not put it in your food or drink.

There are a few exceptions to the pre-made drink mixers though. Look for mixers that are all-natural; even natural preservatives. I especially like the mixers from Republic Spirit Blends because of their unique flavors and high-quality tastes.

Mostly though I go with juices I make myself. For citrus, I use a Cuisinart motorized reaming juicer, because I like to process 10-12 limes or lemons at a time. I strain them through a fine-mesh tea strainer before storing them in stainless steel, double-walled bottles in the refrigerator for up to a week or so. I do this because we use a lot of lime for cocktails. If you are only making one or two drinks, you should use a hand-held, squeeze-type, citrus juicer. Either way, make sure you use fresh fruit and ensure they are at room temperature before squeezing them. Cold citrus does not produce as much juice.

For other fruits, I have a Cuisinart mechanical pulp juice extractor. I use it a lot for pineapples because we love pineapple-flavored cocktails. These types of small appliances are great for making juice from just about any type of fruit or vegetable. Warning: they are a bit of a pain to clean up. The pulp extracted is great to go into your compost pile too. If you do not have a juicer, you can use a blender and a fine-mesh strainer, which is what I did for years before getting the juicer.

If, like us, you are going to use your juices quickly, store them in airtight bottles in the refrigerator. You can also add a little bit of high-proof, grain alcohol to the juices to help keep their freshness for even longer. Just don’t let the kids drink out of those juice bottles!

There are other ways to store fresh juices, like freezing them in one-ounce cubes. If you have ways that you store your juices, I would love to hear about them. Leave us a comment about how you manage your home bar.

Hopefully this has helped you to understand bartender lingo and jargon as well as learn ways to deal with cocktail mixers in your home bar.

Enjoy!

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