How to Free Pour - Is it accurate enough for Craft Cocktails?
Updated: Feb 15
Introduction
Measurement of the ingredients in a cocktail is very important. The addition of a small amount of some ingredients can have a large effect on the outcome of the cocktail. The measurements of these ingredients are paramount.
How do Cocktail Craftsmen make it look so easy? It seems as though they are just pouring away without even thinking about the ounces they are adding. The fact of the matter is they are using a measuring technique known as the Free Pour.
The Free Pour once practiced and mastered is the fastest and probably the second most accurate way to measure cocktail ingredients. You may have noticed the spigots that are attached to bottles of liquor in bars. These pourers are the key to Free Pour measuring. The pourers ensure the liquor comes out of the bottle at a consistent, constant rate. The pour spout of choice is the Spill-Stop Model #285-50 (pictured here). This pour spout is the most reliable and widely used.
Condition Your Pour
Here's how it’s done. The first thing you have to do is condition yourself to know how long it takes to pour 1 1/2 ounces (a typical shot). To do this start by filling an empty bottle with water and attaching a pouring spout. Then take a 1 1/2 ounce jigger in one hand, stand over a sink, and pour the water into the jigger while counting in this fashion... 1 and 2 and 3 and 4... you should get to 6 just as the water starts to pour over the top of the jigger. Practice this about a dozen times until you feel like you have the timing right. (3)
Test Your Pour
Now it's time to test yourself. Try out your new skills by free pouring into a regular mixing glass. After the pour takes the water from the glass and measures it with your jigger. You should get a full jigger with a small amount of run-off.
If you really want to get anal you can use a device called an Exacto-Pour. It will cost you $60 to $80 bucks, but if you want to hone your craft to perfection, this is the device for you.
That's it! Now you can free pour a 1 1/2 ounce shot. Practice often and don't just assume that you will stay accurate you should test yourself at least once a week. Even the most tenured Cocktail Craftsman tests their Free Pours on a regular basis. It is very easy to get out of calibration.
Pouring Specific Increments
Do you say that you don't always need a 1 1/2-ounce pour? No problem. For a 1 once pour, just count to 4, for half an ounce, just count to 2. Basically what you have is 1/4 ounce for each count. There are very few recipes that will call for a liquor pour of less than 1/4 ounce increments.
What Does A Cocktail Craftsman Do?
"Measure twice and cut once." Originally a Russian proverb referring to carpentry and needlework, this old adage has been passed down for ages by a true craftsman. (8) In carpentry, once you cut that piece of wood you are committed. The same goes for cocktails, once you pour that next ingredient into the mixing glass there is no going back without starting over.
As stated above, the Free Pour is the fastest way to dispense cocktail ingredients, but not the most accurate. One can understand why it may not be the most accurate if it is not practiced enough. The most accurate way to dispense cocktail ingredients is the use of a jigger every single time for every ingredient. Measure twice, like the old proverb, by Free Pouring into your jigger. This allows you to measure once via the count method and twice via the jigger itself. This is slightly slower, but you should not be in a rush. Your Craft Cocktails will be worth the wait.
What Is A Jigger?
A jigger is a measuring device that has two sides to it, one that is bigger than the other. The whole thing is referred to as a jigger but the bigger side is the actual jigger. The smaller side is called the pony. Jiggers come in many different sizes, but I would recommend finding one that measures 2 ounces (60 ml) from the jigger and 1 ounce (30 ml) from the pony.
So, measuring out 1 or 2 ounces becomes simply the task of using the correct side of the jigger. However, measures of less than an ounce become a little tricky due to the conical shape. You have to take that into account when you are measuring. For example, to measure a 3/4 ounce pour you would fill the pony nearly all the way to the top.
This Japanese-style jigger (pictured here) is elegant and very functional with smaller increments etched right on the metal on the inside of the jigger and pony. It also just feels right in your hand. Amazon Link
What To Avoid
Stay away from the pour spouts that measure out your liquor for you. They are just a pain because they tend to get clogged and you have to tilt the bottle back and forth if you want more than what it measures.
Also, there is one final method of measuring method you should know about. It is something called the finger method, a.k.a. eyeballing it. This method is usually done with ingredients that don't come in a standard liquor bottle such as juice, cream, etc... Basically as it sounds, you simply pour the ingredient into a mixing glass and stop when you “think” you have the right amount in the glass. It is called the finger method because you can use your fingers held closely together at the bottom of the glass to act like a measuring mark for your pour. You may have heard someone order a drink by the fingers, "Give me 2 fingers of scotch on the rocks."
Obviously, the shape of the glass, the ice in the glass, the size of the ice in the glass, and other ingredients in the glass, are all variables that make this measuring method very inaccurate. So if you are going to use this method of measuring your non-bottled ingredients I would recommend always using the same mixing glass, measuring the ingredient before adding ice and testing your pour as often as possible in the same way we did in the free pouring. Personally, I use a jigger for my non-bottled ingredients.
Now that you know how measuring the pour works you can actually double-check your friendly neighborhood bartender to make sure they are not under-pouring the vermouth in your Martini or Manhattan.
Cheers!