Jiggers are an essential part of any bartender’s arsenal. Without them, recipe proportions get out of whack, drinks can turn out too boozy — or not boozy enough — and consistency goes out the window.
But in high-volume sports bars and dives where the cocktail menu doesn’t stretch beyond two- to three-ingredient highballs, many bartenders resort to free pouring (with a speed pourer attached to a bottle) to maximize efficiency. That isn’t to say that they’re just winging measurements. With practice, free pouring can be a relatively accurate way to pour lines of shots and build simple drinks at lightning speed. And arguably the best way to begin mastering the art is pouring while counting out numbers internally to get a feel for the timing that corresponds with various measurements.
However, everybody counts at a slightly different pace unless they’re using an actual timer, so counting out a free pour is more about a rhythm than an actual number. Finding a low, even digit to count to is a solid place to start.
“For me, I do four counts for an ounce,” says Lindsay Palumbo, flair bartender at Circa Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. “I know some people will count to eight really quickly, but I find that that can get messy and it’s a little unnecessary.”
Right when the pour begins, the bartender needs to factor in the brief moment it takes for the liquid to actually start coming out of the speed pourer’s spout. “There’s that very slight delay, so a lot of people will say ‘bubble, two, three, four’ instead of ‘one, two, three, four,’” Palumbo says. “Then, I cut it right on ‘four.’ It’s not ‘four’ and then cut.”
This is just one method. Finding the rhythm, or beat, that works best is the tricky part that takes the most practice. Trial and error will eventually allow a bartender to hone their free-pouring skills, but Palumbo suggests finding a song with a steady BPM (beats per minute) and using that as a reference point. “Weirdly enough, if you count along with the beat of ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem, your four-count for a free pour will be surprisingly accurate,” she says. “But over time, just like with anything else, free pouring becomes muscle memory.”
To achieve consistency — and subsequently, accurate muscle memory — taking the extra step of measuring out free pours early on in the learning process is crucial. For that, Palumbo suggests using an Exacto-Pour Tube or a standard jigger. After getting comfortable pouring into either one of those with precision, try pouring into a shot glass or a shaker tin, and then dumping the liquid back into a jigger or Exacto-Pour Tube to gauge the accuracy.
Palumbo notes that not all speed pourers are the same (i.e., plastic versus metal) and different liquids are going to flow out of them at different rates depending on viscosity. “If you’re working with a syrup or something like Skrewball Whiskey pulled straight out of a cooler, those are obviously going to pour out slower,” she says. “It gets tricky, and those things are going to change your free pour, but it all still comes back to practice.” If in doubt, know that there’s no shame in reaching for a jigger. When dealing with expensive liquors or complex cocktail recipes, most bars insist upon their use. It’s all about time, place, and, most importantly, experience.
*Image retrieved from charmedlightph via stock.adobe.com
