Reference
Glossary
The vocabulary of the bar, defined in plain language. 66 terms.
A
- ABVIngredients & Pantry
- Alcohol by volume — the percentage of ethanol in a beverage, measured at 20 °C.
- AgricoleSpirits Knowledge
- A French style of rum distilled from fresh sugar-cane juice.
- AperitifIngredients & Pantry
- A light, often bitter drink taken before a meal to stimulate appetite.
- AperitivoIngredients & Pantry
- The Italian pre-meal drink ritual — lightly bitter, low-ABV, taken with snacks.
- Aromatic BittersIngredients & Pantry
- The baking-spice branch of the bitters family — clove, cinnamon, allspice, gentian.
B
- BackWisconsin Bar Canon
- A small side-serving that accompanies a main drink — usually water or beer.
- BatchCocktail Techniques
- To pre-mix a cocktail in volume ahead of service, with dilution and chill built in.
- BittersIngredients & Pantry
- A concentrated botanical infusion added by the dash to season a cocktail.
- BruisingCocktail Techniques
- A discredited myth that shaking gin damages its flavor.
- BuildCocktail Techniques
- Assemble a cocktail directly in the glass it is served in.
C
- ChartreuseIngredients & Pantry
- A French herbal liqueur made by Carthusian monks since 1737.
- Chill HazeCocktail Techniques
- The temporary cloudiness that appears in a very cold spirit-forward cocktail.
- CoupeIce & Tools
- A shallow, bowl-shaped stemmed glass for cocktails served up.
D
- DashCocktail Techniques
- The imprecise but conventional unit of measure for bitters — roughly 0.6 ml.
- DigestifIngredients & Pantry
- A strong, often bitter or sweet drink taken after a meal to aid digestion.
- DilutionCocktail Techniques
- The water added to a cocktail by melting ice during shaking or stirring.
- Directional freezingIce & Tools
- Freezing water from one direction only to produce crystal-clear ice.
- DirtyClassic Cocktail Recipes
- A Martini modifier meaning olive brine has been added to the spec.
- Double strainCocktail Techniques
- Straining a shaken cocktail through both a Hawthorne and a fine-mesh sieve.
- DryClassic Cocktail Recipes
- In Martini specs, less vermouth; in wine, low residual sugar.
- Dry ShakeCocktail Techniques
- Shaking a cocktail without ice before shaking again with ice.
E
- Expressed peelCocktail Techniques
- A citrus peel that has been twisted over the drink and dropped in or discarded.
- ExpressingCocktail Techniques
- Twisting a citrus peel over a drink so its oils spray across the surface.
F
- Fat-WashCocktail Techniques
- Infusing a spirit with the flavor of a fat (bacon, butter, cacao butter) then freezing the fat out.
- FloatCocktail Techniques
- A layer of one ingredient poured gently on top of a finished drink.
- Fortified wineIngredients & Pantry
- Wine to which a distilled spirit has been added, raising the ABV and preserving it.
- Free PourCocktail Techniques
- Measuring by count while pouring from a speed-pour spout instead of using a jigger.
G
- GarnishCocktail Techniques
- The final decorative element added to a drink — peel, cherry, olive, herb.
H
- Hawthorne strainerIce & Tools
- A perforated flat strainer with a coiled spring, fitted to a shaker tin.
- HighballClassic Cocktail Recipes
- A long drink of spirit plus a non-alcoholic mixer over ice in a tall glass.
J
- JiggerIce & Tools
- A two-sided measuring cup used to portion cocktail ingredients.
- Julep StrainCocktail Techniques
- Straining a cocktail with a perforated julep strainer, typically from a mixing glass.
L
- LowballIce & Tools
- A short, wide glass — the family that includes the rocks glass and Old Fashioned glass.
M
- Mash billSpirits Knowledge
- The recipe of grains used to make a whiskey.
- Mixing GlassIce & Tools
- A heavy-bottomed glass vessel used to stir spirit-forward cocktails with ice.
- MuddleCocktail Techniques
- Press herbs, fruit, or sugar in the bottom of a glass to release oils and juice.
N
O
- Oleo SaccharumIngredients & Pantry
- Literally 'oil sugar' — a syrup made by macerating citrus peels in sugar.
- On the RocksSpirits Knowledge
- Served over ice, usually in a lowball glass.
- OrgeatIngredients & Pantry
- A sweet, cloudy syrup made from almonds, sugar, and orange flower water.
- OxidationIngredients & Pantry
- The chemical reaction between air and a wine or spirit that changes flavor over time.
P
R
- RinseCocktail Techniques
- Coating the inside of a glass with a small pour, poured out or absorbed.
- Rocks GlassIce & Tools
- A short, wide glass, 6–10 oz, for spirits neat or drinks built over ice.
S
- ShrubIngredients & Pantry
- A vinegar-based fruit syrup dating to colonial America.
- Simple syrupIngredients & Pantry
- A solution of sugar dissolved in water — the universal cocktail sweetener.
- SnitWisconsin Bar Canon
- A small side-serving of beer served with a Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned.
- SpecCocktail Techniques
- The exact recipe of a cocktail — ingredients, ratios, method, glass, garnish.
- Spirit-ForwardClassic Cocktail Recipes
- A cocktail dominated by its base spirit, with little or no citrus.
- SplashCocktail Techniques
- An imprecise small pour, roughly 1/4 oz or a bar-spoon's worth.
- StirredCocktail Techniques
- A cocktail chilled and diluted in a mixing glass with ice using a bar spoon.
- Straight UpCocktail Techniques
- Chilled by shaking or stirring, then strained into a glass without ice.
- StrainCocktail Techniques
- Separate the finished drink from the ice used to chill or shake it.
- SwizzleCocktail Techniques
- A Caribbean stirring technique using a swizzle stick spun between the palms.
T
- TwistCocktail Techniques
- A strip of citrus peel, expressed over a drink and used as garnish.
U
- UpCocktail Techniques
- A chilled cocktail served without ice, typically in a coupe or Martini glass.
V
W
- Wash LineCocktail Techniques
- The visible fill line where the liquid meets the glass.
- Well DrinkSpirits Knowledge
- A cocktail made with the bar's cheapest, house-supplied spirit.
- WheelCocktail Techniques
- A cross-section slice of citrus used as garnish.
- WormwoodIngredients & Pantry
- A bitter aromatic herb, legally required in vermouth and the defining botanical of absinthe.
Z
- ZestIngredients & Pantry
- The colored outer layer of a citrus peel, containing the essential oils.