Bar Terminology Every Bartender Should Know

From the back bar to the speed rail, every corner of a bar has its own vocabulary. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your bartending journey, expanding your knowledge of bar terminology can help make your job a lot easier. Improve your vocabulary with our bartender terminology guide below.

Measurement Terms

One of the differences between a professional bartender and an armchair mixologist is that pros rely on precision to make sure the business is both financially and legally successful.  This is why measurements and measuring tools are must-know vocabulary terms for bar staff.

Proof

Proof is a unit of measurement for an alcoholic beverage’s strength, expressed by multiplying the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) by two. For example, 80-proof liquor is 40% ABV, while 100-proof alcohol is 50% ABV.

Shot

A standard shot is 1.5 ounces of straight liquor.

Pony Shot

A pony shot is smaller than a standard shot at 1 ounce.

Double

In a bar context, a double is made with twice the usual amount of alcohol. The exact amount may vary by alcohol and local law, but a standard single pour in the U.S. is often 1.5 ounces, so a double is typically 3 ounces.

Jigger

A jigger is a measuring tool for shots, typically hourglass-shaped and made of stainless steel. These tools come in many different sizes, but a standard jigger has a standard shot on one side and a pony shot on the other side.

Free Pour

When you mix drinks without using a jigger or any other measuring device, it’s called a free pour. Accurate free pouring requires technique, practice, and the use of a specific type of spout called a speed pourer.

Speed Rail or Rack

The speed rail (or speed rack) is the stainless-steel shelf at each bartending station connected to the sinks and ice well. It holds the most common liquors and ingredients for speedy service.

Drink Preparation Terminology

Many keywords for new bartenders are related to drink preparation techniques. Part of this is using the right serving glass for the cocktail you’re making, which we’ve already covered in the past.

You should also familiarize yourself with the various tools and equipment used in the process.

Shaken

Thanks to James Bond, “shaken” and “stirred” are popular cocktail-making terms for beginners.

A shaken cocktail is what it probably sounds like. The ingredients are put in a cocktail shaker with ice and shaken. Sometimes, the contents are strained as they’re poured into the glass, but sometimes they’re not.

It’s best to shake a cocktail when it contains thick mixers or dairy. More delicate cocktails shouldn’t be shaken. They should simply be stirred or, in some cases, rolled from one mixer to another.

Muddle

Some cocktail ingredients, like botanicals, need to be crushed up with a tool called a muddler in order to release the flavors into the drink.

Neat

When liquor is served “neat,” it’s straight from the bottle at room temperature, in other words, there’s no mixer or ice. Sometimes, this is also called straight.

Up

When liquor is served “up,” it’s chilled by shaking it with ice and then straining the ice away.

If this technique is used for a mixed drink instead of liquor, it’s referred to as straight up. And yes, that’s confusing.

On Mist

Even amateurs know that liquor served on the rocks is poured over ice, but did you know that it’s “on mist” when served over crushed ice? It’s named for the fine condensation that will accumulate on the outside of the glass.

Serving drinks on mist will chill drinks quickly, but the high surface area of crushed ice means that the drink will become watered-down quickly. It’s best for drinks that will be consumed quickly, including tropical drinks, mint julips, or frozen daiquiris.

Garnish

A garnish is added as the final touch to a drink, either for flavor or sometimes just presentation. They’re added to everything from beer to cocktails or straight liquor.

Popular garnishes include lemon, lime, or orange wedges, cherries, olives, or sprigs of herbs.

Types of Alcoholic Beverages

The various names we have for different types of alcoholic beverages are also essential terms for bartenders. Your average novice may think the complications stop at “beer, wine, and spirits,” but as a professional, you need to know more.

Beer

Beer is a carbonated alcoholic beverage made from fermented grains like malted barley, wheat, maize, and oats, flavored with hops.

Cider is often grouped in with beers, but it’s a separate category made from fermented apples rather than grains.

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the partial or complete fermentation of fresh grapes or grape must.

Mead is sometimes grouped in with wines, but it’s actually a separate category based on fermented honey.

Liquor

Liquors, also known as spirits or hard liquor, are alcoholic beverages made by distilling a grain, fruit, vegetable, or sugar after it’s already gone through alcoholic fermentation. As a result, liquors have high proofs and little to no sugar content.

The six basic liquors are gin, vodka, whiskey, tequila, rum, and brandy, but there are other examples from all over the world, including mezcal from Mexico, baijiu from China, and aquavit from Scandinavia.

Sake is often grouped in with liquors but it’s technically a separate category since it’s brewed instead of distilled.

Top-Shelf Liquor

Top-shelf liquor, also called premium liquor, is the most expensive liquor stored on the literal top shelf. They’re from premium brands with high-quality ingredients, and they may be rare or well-aged.

Well Liquor

Well liquor, sometimes called house liquor, is the opposite of top-shelf liquor; it is the lower-cost liquor kept on the speed rail.

Mixed drinks made with well liquor are known as well drinks, often used as happy hour specials.

If someone orders a drink without specifying the brand or label they prefer, you should make it with well liquor.

Call Drink

A call drink is one that is made with a specified brand of liquor. Often, call drinks are made with top-shelf liquor, but sometimes mid-range brands are explicitly requested.

Examples include a Bacardi and Coke, Absolut cranberry, or T&T (in which the first T is short for Tanqueray), whereas the well drink versions would be rum and Coke, vodka cranberry, or gin and tonic.

Liqueur

In case you thought “liqueur” was just a fancy way to say liquor, it’s actually an entirely different category of alcoholic beverages. This is important because it’s often regulated differently.

Liqueurs, which are also referred to as cordials, are made by mixing distilled alcohol with plant materials. They have a higher sugar content and often a lower proof than hard liquor.

Popular examples include absinthe, amaretto, Jagermeister, limoncello, orange liqueur, curacao, triple sec, schnapps, and various types of creme liqueurs, but there are many more.

Fortified Wine

Fortified wine is made by adding a distilled spirit (often brandy) to a wine to stabilize it; it’s “aromatized” if you also add natural flavors like fruits, herbs, and other botanicals. Some fortified wines are known as dessert wines because they are very sweet.

Examples of fortified wines include port, sherry, and vermouth. As with liqueur, fortified wines are sometimes regulated as their own category.

Compliance Terminology and Training

A bar card, sometimes also called alcohol certification, is proof of the compliance training that every bartender needs to take. In many jurisdictions, approved responsible alcohol service training is mandatory by law, but even when it isn’t, completing this training can protect you from overserving patrons, serving minors, and becoming liable in lawsuits.

TIPS training is accepted in many states and is often held as the national standard for alcohol server-seller training. Our courses arm you with the knowledge you need to avoid illegal sales and the skills and strategies to enforce the law. Enroll today!