Glossary
Cocktail terms, A to Z
What bartenders mean by shake, stir, neat, up, a splash or a dash, in one plain sentence each, with the drinks that use them.
A
- ABV
- ABV stands for alcohol by volume: the percentage of a drink that is pure alcohol. A 40% ABV spirit is 40% alcohol.
B
- Barspoon
- A barspoon is a long, thin bar spoon used for stirring, and also a measure of about 1 teaspoon (5 ml).
- Bitters
- Bitters are strong, concentrated flavorings made by steeping herbs, roots, bark and spices in alcohol, added to cocktails a few dashes at a time.
- Blend
- To blend a cocktail is to mix it in a blender with ice until smooth, giving a frozen, slushy drink like a frozen Margarita or a Piña Colada.
- Build
- To build a drink is to make it straight in the glass it's served in, pouring the ingredients over ice one after another, with no shaker or mixing glass.
C
- Champagne flute
- A flute is a tall, narrow stemmed glass made for sparkling wine and cocktails topped with it, like the Mimosa and French 75.
- Chill
- To chill a glass is to make it cold before the drink goes in, so a cocktail served without ice stays cold longer.
- Cocktail glass
- A cocktail glass is a stemmed glass with a V-shaped bowl, often called a Martini glass, used for drinks served up.
- Cocktail shaker
- A cocktail shaker is a sealed container for shaking drinks with ice. The two main kinds are the three-piece cobbler and the two-piece Boston shaker.
- Copper mug
- A copper mug is the metal mug a Moscow Mule is traditionally served in, which feels very cold to hold once it's full of ice.
- Coupe glass
- A coupe is a stemmed glass with a wide, shallow bowl, used for cocktails served up with no ice.
D
- Dash
- A dash is a very small amount, about 1 ml, usually shaken from a bottle of bitters with a dasher top.
- Dirty
- A dirty Martini has olive brine added, which makes it cloudy and gives it a savory, salty taste.
- Double strain
- To double strain is to pour a shaken drink through the shaker's strainer and a small fine-mesh sieve at the same time, catching ice chips, pulp and herb bits.
- Drop
- A drop is the smallest bar measure, about 0.05 ml, given from a dropper bottle or the tip of a spoon.
- Dry
- Dry means not sweet. In a Martini, "dry" means it uses only a little dry vermouth; "extra dry" means even less, or just a rinse of the glass.
- Dry shake
- A dry shake is shaking a cocktail without ice, usually to whip egg white or aquafaba into a thick, silky foam before the real shake with ice.
E
- Express
- To express a citrus peel is to squeeze it over a drink, skin side down, so a fine spray of its oils lands on the surface.
F
- Fine strain
- Fine straining means passing a drink through a fine-mesh sieve, usually as well as the shaker's strainer, so no ice shards or pulp end up in the glass. It's another name for double straining.
- Float
- To float an ingredient is to pour it gently on top of a finished drink so it sits in a separate layer instead of mixing in.
G
- Garnish
- A garnish is the finishing touch on a cocktail, such as a citrus twist, wheel, cherry, olive or herb sprig, added for aroma, flavor or looks.
H
- Highball glass
- A highball is a tall, narrow glass, and also the kind of drink served in it: a spirit topped up with a larger amount of mixer over ice.
- Hurricane glass
- A hurricane glass is a tall, curvy glass shaped like an old hurricane lamp, used for tropical and blended drinks.
J
- Jigger
- A jigger is a small measuring cup for cocktails, and also a measure of 1½ oz (45 ml).
L
- Layer
- To layer a drink is to pour its ingredients one at a time so each sits on top of the one below, giving separate bands of color.
M
- Margarita glass
- A margarita glass is a stemmed glass with a wide, stepped bowl, used for the Margarita and other frozen or salt-rimmed drinks.
- Mixing glass
- A mixing glass is a large, sturdy glass with a pouring lip, used to stir cocktails with ice before straining them.
- Muddle
- To muddle is to press fruit, herbs or sugar in the bottom of a glass or shaker with a blunt tool, releasing their juice and oils.
N
- Neat
- Neat means a spirit poured straight from the bottle into a glass at room temperature, with no ice and no mixer.
O
- On the rocks
- On the rocks means served over ice, usually in a short rocks glass. "Rocks" is bar slang for ice cubes.
P
- Part
- A part is a proportion, not a fixed amount: "2 parts gin, 1 part vermouth" means twice as much gin as vermouth, whatever size you use.
- Perfect
- A perfect cocktail uses equal amounts of sweet and dry vermouth in place of just one kind, as in a Perfect Manhattan.
- Pint glass
- A pint glass is a tall, straight-sided glass that holds a pint of beer, used for beer cocktails like the Snakebite and Black and the Michelada.
- Pony
- A pony is an old bar measure of 1 oz (30 ml), the smaller cup on many jiggers.
- Proof
- Proof is a measure of how much alcohol a drink contains. In the US, proof is twice the ABV, so an 80-proof spirit is 40% alcohol by volume.
R
- Reverse dry shake
- A reverse dry shake is shaking with ice first, straining out the ice, then shaking again without ice to build a thicker foam on egg-white drinks.
- Rim
- To rim a glass is to coat its edge with salt, sugar or another garnish, so each sip picks up a little of it.
- Rocks glass
- A rocks glass is a short, wide tumbler with a heavy base, used for spirits and drinks served over ice. It's also called an old fashioned or lowball glass.
S
- Shake
- To shake a cocktail is to seal it in a shaker with ice and shake it hard, which chills, dilutes and mixes the drink and adds air.
- Shot
- A shot is a single measure of spirit, usually 1½ oz (45 ml) in the US, and also a small drink meant to be drunk in one go.
- Shot glass
- A shot glass is a small glass that holds one shot, about 1½ oz (45 ml), for spirits and shooters drunk in one go.
- Simple syrup
- Simple syrup is sugar dissolved in water, usually equal parts by volume, used to sweeten cocktails because it mixes in instantly, unlike granulated sugar.
- Sour glass
- A sour glass is a small stemmed glass, a little taller than a coupe, made for sours like the Whiskey Sour and Pisco Sour served up.
- Splash
- A splash is a small, loose pour of about ¼ oz (7.5 ml), used for mixers and juices where an exact amount doesn't matter much.
- Stir
- To stir a cocktail is to mix it gently with ice in a mixing glass, chilling and diluting it while keeping it clear and silky.
- Straight up
- Straight up usually means the same as "up": chilled with ice, then strained into a glass without ice. Some people use it to mean neat, so it's worth checking.
- Strain
- To strain is to pour a shaken or stirred drink into its glass while holding back the ice it was mixed with.
T
U
- Up
- A drink served up has been shaken or stirred with ice, then strained into a stemmed glass with no ice in it.
V
- Virgin
- A virgin drink is a cocktail made without alcohol: the same flavors, glass and garnish, with the spirits left out or swapped for juice, soda or tea.
W
- Wet
- A wet Martini has more vermouth than usual, which makes it softer, lower in alcohol and more aromatic than a dry Martini.
- Wine glass
- A wine glass is a stemmed glass with a rounded bowl. In cocktails it's used for spritzes, sangria and other wine-based drinks over ice.