WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF

MIXING GREAT DRINKS

The Bar Dictionary
As you begin to explore the bar, you will
come across a specialized vocabulary of
words and phrases. Some of these are
common sense and others may not be
exactly what they seem, so a little
explanation is necessary.
Definition of Beverage
The term beverage refers to any drinks,
alcoholic or non-alcoholic, with water as
main natural form. Beverages are
valued for their stimulating quality, for
their flavor, for their nutritive value, and
for their effects on temperature. They
are generally classified as alcoholic and
non-alcoholic alcoholic beverages
include wines, beers, and liquors..
Non-alcoholic beverage contain varied
flavors coming from varied sources such
as milk, fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea,
chocolates, and synthetic drinks which
may either be carbonated or non-
carbonated
Definition of Bartending
The art of drink mixing is termed as
bartending is usually done in a bar
which is a portion of a hotel or
restaurant where different bartending
tools and equipment. Are found and an
array of several kinds of wines, spirits,
liquors, and other mixers are arranged.
Importance of bartending
it attracts customers who are accustomed
to having drinks with their meals or even
without meals. This increases the sales
volume of the restaurant or hotel.
Because of this, bartending is a highly
profitable business. Other than the
stimulating effects that drinks prepared
In bars give to the customers,
bartending educates ignorant imbibers
of different combinations of drinks.
In addition to this, the bar becomes the
favorite place for professional and
businessmen and thus can be used as a
venue for business talks or a place to
unwind from the stress of the day’s work.
Is it a Cocktail or a Mixed Drink?
o A mixed drink is any beverage that
combines two or more ingredients. These
drinks are often simply poured over ice, for
example, a John Collins or a Rum and
Coke.  Though it's often assumed that
a mixed drink contains alcohol, this is not
always the case. Popular non-alcoholic
drinks like the Shirley temple and Arnold
Palmer are technically mixed drinks as
well.
o A cocktail is a mixed drink that is
traditionally defined as a combination of
liquor(s), a sweetener, bitters, and water
(diluted ice). By this definition, a brandy
cocktail is a pure and classic example of
a cocktail, but the martini  is also
considered a cocktail even though it
contains no sweetener.
And so, the actual, modern definition of
a cocktail is broader than it was in the first
days of the bar. In general, cocktails are
many of the fancier mixed drinks that
require a little more work to construct. It's a
subjective definition and one that you
shouldn't worry too much about.
To sum it up: A cocktail is a mixed drink, but
a mixed drink may not always be
considered a cocktail.
Cocktail Recipe Lingo
Mixers: Any ingredient—often non-alcoholic
—that is added to a mixed drink. For
example, syrups, fruit juices, bitters, sodas,
etc. are all considered mixers
Dash and Splash: The smallest
measurements found in a
bar, dash and splash are often used
interchangeably and for those ingredients
that are mere accents for a drink. For
example, "add a splash of lemon juice."
o The exact measurement of either a dash or
a splash is not important. Technically, a
dash is 1/32 of an ounce,
o A dash is typically smaller than a splash
and used for ingredients like bitters that
have strong flavors.
o Depending on the ingredient,
your splash may be larger or smaller. For
instance, your "splash of soda" may be
more than your "splash of lime juice."
Bar Lingo
Is it a Well or a Call Drink?: The well is
a section in the bar where the "house"
liquors are stored. These are used most
often by bartenders because they're the
most economical and lead to a good
profit. Well drinks are ones in which the
patron doesn't specify a brand, so the
bartender will pick up the whiskey, rum,
or tequila from the well.
On the flip side, if you call out a specific
brand of liquor, you are ordering a call
drink. For instance, you might order a Jack
and Coke rather than a Whiskey and Coke.
Is it Neat, Up, or Straight Up:?This is one
of the great bar debates! These words are
used to describe how a drink is served and
they are often confused with one another.
Brush up on the differences and you'll win
the next argument over this one.
One the Rocks: In the bar, "rocks" refers to
ice and that means that a drink served "on
the rocks" is served over ice. Simple stuff,
but make sure your ice is fresh, it's  the
most underrated ingredient in the bar, but
its importance cannot be discounted.
Top-Shelf: When talking about liquor,
the term top-shelf is used to
describe  the best brands available.
They are more expensive and (in theory)
of superior quality. The name comes
from the placement of these bottles on
liquor store shelves: the "cheap stuff" is
at the bottom and the "good stuff" is on
top where it will easily catch the eyes of
consumers.
The Many Uses of "Back": The
word back is used often in the bar and it
can mean a few different things:
o A "back" refers to a drink that is served
alongside and in a separate glass from
the main drink. It's often a refreshing non-
alcoholic beverage like water or soda.
For instance, "I'll take a Manhattan with a
water back." It's also common to order a
beer back:  the pickleback is a very
popular shot served with a beer back.
o The "backbar" commonly refers to the liquor
stocked on a shelf behind the bartender. This
is often where you will find the top-shelf
distilled spirits on display, ready to be ordered
in those call drinks.
o A "bar back" is an employee of the bar that is 
In training to be a bartender. This
apprenticeship (of sorts) is how many
bartenders learn the business and it's a job
that is both rewarding and tough. Bar backs
do many of the hard-lifting and mundane
tasks to make sure the bartenders have
everything they need.
The Stick: The word stick has two meanings
as well:
o The stick" is often used when talking
about the bar itself. A bartender may say,
"I'm working behind the stick tonight."
This means that they're working a
bartending shift.
o It's also common to call  drinks that are
muddled “ stick Drinks” because the tool
(the muddler) used to make them looks
like a stick.
Terms Used in Bartending
o Aperitif-another name for appetizer wine.
o Alcohol- the spirituous or intoxicating
elements in fermented wines and liquors.
o Bouquet-the distinctive aroma of
fragrance of wine or liquor which is given
off when it is poured in glass.
o Cocktail- a mixed alcohol beverage
served before dinner prepared by stirring
or shaking the different flavoring and
coloring ingredients.
o Dash- an approximate measurement of about
1/8 of a teaspoon or three drops of a strong
flavoring or coloring added to the mixed drink.
o Demi –sec – sweet.
o Doux – very sweet.
o Extra-sec – extra dry.
o Dry- contains very little sugar as to taste
unsweetened.
o Jigger- a measurement equivalent to 1 ½ to 2
ounces or three tablespoons. This easement
is used in cocktails.
o Proof- refers to the strength of alcohol
content of any alcohol beverage
particularly liquors.
o Vintage-wine produce in one season.
o Sec-dry
o Straight-refers to the drink served from the
bottle and poured directly into the glass.
This means there is no mixing or shaking
done with ingredients.
o Straight-up-refers to the chilled drink
served without ice.
o Highball-liquor with water or carbonated
beverage and served in a tall glass with
ice.
LESSON 2: THE BAR STOCK
Liquor vs. Liqueur
Distilled spirits are the alcoholic beverages
used most often in the bar. These include
vodkas, whiskies, tequilas, etc. as well as
all of the flavored liqueurs. As you  begin to
explore cocktails, you will be introduced to
many distilled spirits, including essential
bottles that are stocked in a bar. All
liqueurs are a type of liquor, but not
all liquors are liqueurs.
Liquors are distilled spirits, meaning that
a liquor is any alcoholic beverage that
has been distilled. This includes the six
base distilled spirits (vodka, gin, rum,
etc.) as well as sweetened liqueurs. If it
has gone through a still and comes out
with a high alcohol content, it is a liquor.
Liqueurs are sweetened distilled spirits.
It is a subcategory of liquors and this is
where many drinks get their signature
flavors.
Dive Deeper Into Distilled Spirits
There are six types of liquor that you
will use most often in the bar. These are
often referred to as "base distilled
spirits" because they form the base for
many mixed drinks and even act as the
foundations for many liqueurs.
Brandy: Distilled from fruits (most
commonly grapes), the name derives
from brandewijn, the Dutch word
meaning "burnt wine."
Gin: Often distilled from grains, gin
includes the flavorings of botanicals.
Juniper is considered the trademark
flavor.
Rum: Made by distilling sugar or
molasses, rum is a sweeter liquor and
is produced throughout the world.
Tequila: Strictly a product of Mexico,
tequila is distilled from the agave plant and
has a distinct earthy flavor.
Vodka: The most used liquor, vodka can
be distilled from any number of
ingredients though grains and potato are
most common.
Whiskey: Whiskey is a complex category
with a variety of styles, though they all
begin with a distillate of fermented grains.
Whiskies are almost always aged;
moonshine is the primary exception.
Understanding Liqueurs
Liqueurs are just as vital to a well-stocked bar
as the base spirits. These are the distilled
spirits that give drinks flavor. Liqueurs come in
almost every flavor imaginable, from
sweetened fruits to snappy spices and
proprietary blends that are truly unique.
Creme vs. Cream Liqueurs: As you explore
liqueurs, you will come across many that use
the word "crème." These are not creamy
liqueurs even though crème does translate
from French to mean cream. 
Liqueurs like crème de cassis (black currant)
 and crème de fraises (strawberry) are
typically made with more sugar than the
average liqueur. They are more syrupy, but
they are not creamy.
Quite often, crème liqueurs use the French
word for the flavor. For example, crème de
banane (banana).
Cream liqueurs, on the other hand, are
those like Irish cream and RumChata
that have a dairy base. These
are actually creamy.
Other Spirits and Alcoholic Beverages
Some "spirits" are simply unique and
can be difficult to categorize. Among
those are brand names like Veev Acai
Spirit and Square One Botanical
Spirit.
Absinthe is unsweetened though it is
often misclassified as a liqueur.
Fortified wines like vermouth are not
distilled but a small amount of distilled
spirit is often added to "fortify" an
Popular aperitifs and digestifs like
Campari, Cynar, and amaros are used
in a number of cocktails. Many of
these ingredients include a distilled
spirit or are considered a liqueur, but
this is not always the case.
There are also many drinks that use 
beer or wine. If you're going to bartend
professionally, understanding the basic
styles of each is extremely helpful.