Measuring Up: A look at jiggers and more.

Accurate measurements are very important when using any recipe. Now the sign of someone who really knows what they are doing, the use of a jigger used to be seen as the sign of a novice bartender. The pros all "free-poured" through the use of "counts".

The art of "free-pouring" lies in watching the rate at which the pour-spout is allowing the liquid to flow, judging that rate of flow, and counting accordingly as the liquid flows out.

This is a great skill, and essential for busy bars where the speed at which a drink is made is nearly as important as how it tastes.

Sugary mixers like fountain sodas,"sour" mix, and the like leave more room for error in your pours. There's no reason to "jigger" a "shot" of rum for that "rum and coke" you are making. You get a feel for what a shot looks like in the glass with ice, and top the glass off with your mixer(s).

Not a bad skill if you are a professional with a crowd, or want to play bartender at parties. Making these drinks with a reasonable amount of accuracy will make most people quite happy.

If you are looking at the recipes on this blog however, exact measurements are essential to the final outcome.

Consistency in your pours is really the most important factor when it comes to your ability to replicate that favorite drink of yours, be it your recipe or someone else's.

What about sharing that recipe of yours though? If your 1/4 ounce is smaller than my 1/4 ounce then my drink could end up stronger or sweeter than your results. What about that 1.5 ounce "shot", is it the same as your 22 ml jigger?

It stands to reason then, that having measuring equipment that you know and trust, is essential to crafting repeatable and enjoyable results.

I took a close look at the equipment I've been using and the results surprised me. This was a difficult post to work out. I needed a control, and I needed to understand how these different pieces of equipment compared to each other. I also needed to be able to work through those results in a way that made sense when presented in this article.

After some time of experimenting with measurements back and forth, I decided that my control would be my set of stainless steel "KitchenAid" measuring spoons. I also decided that the best way to present my findings would be based on how these items compared when measuring the common increments of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1.5 and 2 ounces. (7.5 ml, 15 ml, 22 ml, 30ml, 45 ml and 60 ml respectively).

First though, to introduce the equipment.

Measuring spoons (KitchenAid)

I like the nice round, deep bowls of these spoons over the more common shallow bowls you find on measuring spoons. These are also marked in metric which can come in handy.

Generic Shot Glass with measurements.

I picked this up at a local liquor store. It has markings on the side for ounces (.25-1.5), Tablespoons (.5-3), teaspoons (1-6 and 9), and in mls (10, 15, 30 and 45).










Oxo "2 ounce" plastic measuring cup
Measures in ounces (1/4, 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2), Tablespoons (1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4), Cups (1/16, 1/8, 1/4) and mls (5-60 in 5 ml increments)

Oxo "2 ounce" stainless steel measuring cup
Measures in ounces, (1/4, 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2) and also in Tablespoons, (1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4)

Oxo stainless steel jigger

Measures in ounces; "1/4, 1/2, 1" on one side and "1/3, 3/4 and 1 1/2" on the reverse.

Cocktail Kingdom Japanese style stainless steel jigger

Measures in ounces; "1/2 ounce" (15 ml) on one side, with a line at the "1/4 ounce" (7.5 ml) mark and "3/4 ounce" (22 ml) on the reverse.

AG Japanese style stainless steel jigger

Measures in ounces; "1 ounce" (30 ml) on one side and "1 1/2 ounces" (45 ml) on the reverse.

HOW THEY STACK UP

Measuring a 1/4 ounce (7.5 ml)

I started by measuring 7.5 ml of water from the spoons into the shot glass and we were spot on.

Pouring that liquid into the plastic 2 oz. Oxo cup you can see that the liquid goes just over the line. Using this cup to measure a quarter of an ounce would give you slightly "light" pour.

The same liquid then poured into the stainless steel 2 oz Oxo cup. You can see the liquid half-way between the 1/4 oz and 1/2 oz measurement making this an even lighter pour.

Poured into the Cocktail Kingdom jigger, a quarter of an ounce is just shy of the 1/2 ounce mark. Not quite as light a pour as the stainless steel oxo jigger but still lighter than the plastic 2 oz Oxo cup.

Coming to the Oxo jigger, the same liquid looks perfect. Considering the loss of a few drops pouring from one container to another I think we have our winners for 1/4 oz accuracy test.

The glass shot glass and Oxo jigger were consistent with the control. The stainless steel Oxo had the lightest pour, followed by the Cocktail Kingdom jigger and then the plastic Oxo cup.

Measuring a 1/2 ounce (15 ml)

Here is one Tablespoon of water (15ml) into the shot glass. Looking pretty dead on, possibly a little under the line but reasonably accurate.

This measure poured into the plastic 2 oz. Oxo cup yields good results too looking spot on.

A double check from the side shows the ml demarcation to be very accurate as well.

Again we see the stainless steel Oxo providing a light pour. This one's turning into a friend of the "house" but not of your accuracy.

The Oxo jigger showing strong again. This one is right on the line, a perfect measure.

Oops! The liquid overflows the 15ml jigger. In fact, a level pour from this side of the jigger registered well under the 15ml mark on the plastic 2 oz Oxo cup looking more like 14-14.5 ml.

Since the Oxo jigger showed so well on the 1/2 ounce test, I put two 1/2 ounce measures from that jigger into the AG 1 ounce jigger. The liquid domed a bit more than I would be comfortable with when mixing a drink, but this jigger performed better than the 1/2 ounce jigger above.

Measuring 3/4 ounce (22.5 ml)

The shot glass lacks a mark for 3/4 of an ounce but after pouring in 1 Tablespoon (15ml), 1 teaspoon (5 ml) and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml), the line looks pretty good!

Again, no mark for 3/4 ounce on this one but the water line does look reasonably accurate.

The stainless steel Oxo short pours again, with the 3/4 oz of liquid measuring close to a full ounce.

The Oxo jigger performing like a champ, the measurement is spot on once again.

The 3/4 ounce side of the Cocktail Kingdom jigger is spot on with nice, comfortable, even level.

Taking the 3/4 oz CK jigger into the AG "1 1/2 ounce" jigger twice also gave a comfortably level measure.

Measuring 1 ounce (30 ml)

Measuring two Tablespoons into the shot glass revealed this instrument's first error. This came in decidedly below the line, not a huge amount off, but certainly further off than it's earlier readings.

Though not as off as the shot glass, this measurement is slightly off as well. This measurement should be just under the line, but the water level is just over the line so this cup would ever so slightly under-measure one ounce.

Staying consistent with huge under-pours, the s.s. Oxo reads well over the 1 ounce mark when the measured ounce is added.

The Oxo jigger comfortably holds the ounce of liquid.

It's nice to see consistency with the pours, the measured ounce looks the same in the AG 1 ounce jigger as when I poured the two 1/2 ounce measurements into it.

1.5 ounces (45 ml)

The "Shot" glass not doing so well on the measured shot. When 45 ml, or 3 Tablespoons were measured into the glass the water level rose above the mark meaning a shot measured in this glass would be slightly "light".

The plastic Oxo 2 oz. cup shows under the mark meaning a 1.5 ounce "shot" measured in this cup would end up slightly "heavy".

Worth noting however, is that the liquid measured exactly right on the 45 ml mark.

The Oxo jigger took the measured shot very well coming right to the top without "doming" over, meaning you probably won't spill using this jigger to measure your "shot".

The AG jigger takes the measured shot right to the brim without any "doming", making this a very easy and accurate tool to use for the 1 1/2 ounce (45 ml) measure.

2 ounces (60 ml)

Placing 4 measured Tablespoons (60 ml) into the the plastic 2 oz. Oxo cup brought the water level just under the 2 oz mark, right where you would take a pour from the bottle.

The water at the 15, 30, and 45 ml looked good as added the Tablespoons, but the 4th Tbs. took the level ever-so-slightly over the 60 ml mark.

Once again the stainless steel Oxo provides a "light"pour.

The Findings

The results did surprise me. I'm thinking of tossing out the stainless steel "2 ounce" Oxo measuring cup. The plastic Oxo cup and stainless steel jigger proved very accurate however. I did not expect the Cocktail Kingdom .25/.5 oz side of the jigger to be so off. Perhaps there was a factory error on my jigger though, as the other side worked much better and CK's quality control is normally very high.

The 1 oz side of the AG jigger under-measured slightly but the 1.5 ounce side was spot on. For the 1/4 ounce and 1/2 ounce measurements the shot glass was great, but as I got into the 1 and 1.5 ounce measures it was not so great. The most accurate pair then proved to be the Oxo jigger and plastic 2 oz measuring cup.

The "Japanese style" jiggers have a great balance and do not spill as easily as the Oxo jigger. The traditional Japanese style of pouring with a jigger involves making sure that the liquid flows "from bottle to shaker in a smooth stream", so a slight over-pour would be inevitable. With this in mind, and with practice, these jiggers should prove very accurate. Their use at home is up to you. They look great, are mostly accurate, resist spillage and are easy to take care of.

With these findings, I'll be using the Oxo jigger and plastic measuring cup more often, especially for 1/4 ounce and 1/2 ounce measures.They won't replace the jiggers though, which are just too much fun to use to put away.

Mixing Spoons

Mixing spoons. They come in all shapes and sizes, which one is the best? Why can't you just use a regular spoon? Well actually, there's no reason why you can't, or simply use a clean stick for that matter!

(In fact, the fabled traditional swizzle stick from Martinique, the "bois lélé", is simply a stick from a certain plant which grows in a specialized shape and which does it's job extremely well!)

So what's the difference between the spoons already in your drawer, the $7.99 jobber in your liquor store, and the $20+ boutique offerings? A lot of it does boil down to personal preference and style, but there are important differences.

I like to think of it as having "the right tool for the job".

Mixing mini bottles on an airplane? That straw in your drink is perfect. So is your (hopefully clean) finger. Just move the ice around a bit and you're probably good,

When it comes to finely crafted cocktails, every element comes into play in terms of the success of your final result. It may be a law of diminishing returns, but why wouldn't you push this art to the limit given the opportunity?

The best advice for home bar tending has always been and still remains, "Build your collection one drink at a time". The tools for mixing great cocktails vary depending on the particular style of drink you are creating. Have a favorite? Learn everything about it so you can make it well. The Internet is an amazing resource!

Get to the best place you can, sit at the bar and talk to the people making the drinks. Let them introduce you to something new and enjoyable based on what you already like. Once you find things you really like, learn how to re-create them at home, but do this one drink at a time.

That drink will most likely be "stirred" or "shaken" (or built in the glass). I'll deal with the variety of things you  can use as a mixing glass and shaken drinks later.

This posting is about stirred drinks and more specifically, what they are stirred with.

Balance, weight, grace, ease of use...these are all things a great bar spoon should possess.

Yes, a teaspoon can probably do the job of stirring the drink you built in your old-fashioned glass. If you are properly mixing a "stirred" drink however then you should at least be mixing in a separate glass with ice and straining the resulting liquid into a new glass with fresh ice or into a chilled cocktail glass.

Don't fill the glass with ice, you just want a little more ice than liquid, usually about half full. When you are stirring you want to slide the spoon down into the ice carefully and push the spoon away from you then back in a steady motion.

As you stir, try not to let the ice collide too much with itself or the sides of the mixing glass which ends up breaking off small pieces of ice and over diluting your now only near perfect creation.

The whole point here is to chill the ingredients and to add a certain element of dilution at the same time to create balance in your drink.

There are certainly people on both sides who would argue strongly and endlessly about why you would want anything from zero dilution to not worrying at all about over-dilution.

It's hard to argue with the results of gently treated clear and cold hand-cracked ice for mixing, which is how I like to roll.

Try for a "quiet stir" and give it all your concentration until you are finished. Generally, a count (to yourself of course) to 50 will provide a long enough stir the achieve the desired results.

There is a mysterious alchemy that occurs in the mixing glass. The idea is to fold the ingredients together without too much aeration.

If you wanted to break up the surface tension of the different and sometime hard to mix liquids to create thousands of air bubbles then you'd be shaking your drink...but that's a different story.

When you stir you are fusing together all the little molecules hanging out side by side in the glass and with as little violence as possible so that you have a nice clear liquid in the end.

Maybe now you're starting to get a sense as to why professional bartenders shell out big bucks for a quality mixing spoon.

Here are a few examples of some of the "tools for the job".

18 cm stir stick

A very simple but effective way to mix drinks built in the glass,



This is a fairly standard metal mixing rod that I found at a local gourmet food store in their cocktail section. It fits down into an old-fashioned or collins glass filled with ice very well, especially if you are building a drink in the glass and just need a quick stir. It's also presents well if you serve it with something like an old-fashioned (where it would be "downright uncivilized" not to serve the drink without a stir stick.)

24 cm slotted mixing spoon

This spoon's drilled holes make it well suited for fishing out garnishes like cherries, olives or onions. The ball on the reverse makes it well suited for quick stirs as well.

The twist is coarse and ornamental at best yet still somehow still creates a balance point that you could use in a mixing glass to create some extra swirl.

Note the construction and the coarse weld of the spoon onto the rod.


27 cm Rx style mixing spoon

The next spoon I found on Amazon. I've read that this style originated in the old drug store/soda fountain culture and that the flat end was designed to crush pills.

The flat end of this spoon which was originally designed for crushing pills works great for crushing sugar cubes.

This spoon is particularly effective when mixing drinks with sugar, especially when using a sugar cube. The serrated edge on the spoon also helps with these type of drinks.

The serrated edge helps with mixing sugar and spices.

This is a longer spoon that my first and has a full twist along the shaft, but the twist here seems oddly non-user friendly.


30 cm Japanese teardrop on top vs. 27 cm Rx on bottom.

There is a weird spot in the middle where the twist gets closer together. It's mostly non-functional as an aid to stirring and the balance point seems to be at the bottom of the tight coil area. More of a specialized spoon for building an old fashioned cocktail and it's ilk than a good all-round mixing spoon for certain.


With the more pedestrian choices explored I decided to jump up into a new price range. Today's pros all use this stuff so I figured there must be a reason.

I picked up these 2 spoons at the same time from the good people at Cocktail Kingdom. A 24 cm Japanese trident spoon and a Japanese 30 cm "teardrop".

When I received them I remember thinking they were so light they felt like toys compared to the spoons I had been using. Soon I realized the lightness also came with incredible balance. Slipping one of these spoons into the mix was like the difference between a butter knife or a new Henckels blade through a steak.

30 cm Japanese teardrop mixing spoon



I'll start with the 30 cm teardrop since I use this one the most. This spoon literally shines in a side-by-side comparison with normal bar spoons making the others look dull and clumsy.

Though longer than the first 2 spoons in the collection this weighs in 6 grams lighter than the 24 cm spoon and 10 grams lighter than the 27 cm spoon.

The spoon and twisted rod seem to be all one piece the welds and finishing being of so high a quality. The tight twist on this spoon works with your natural motion and makes stirring so easy it's almost like it's doing the work for you.

The welds are thoughtful and well finished giving the appearance of one solid piece.

I've found that this spoon is a perfect match for the unbeatable Yarai mixing glass, which I'm sure to rave about when it comes time to post about mixing glasses. The spoon works well with just about any glass but when using with that particular glass it's like they were made for each other.

24 cm traditional Japanese mixing spoon

The 24 cm trident, though the same length as my slotted spoon weighs on 22 grams as compared to the slotted spoons 40 grams (45% less!). The trident end not only works well for fishing out garnishes and slipping into glasses crowded with ice, it also provides quite a light show!

Whether in the glass swirling around or on top using the spoon end to swirl, there's something memorizing about the way the trident flashes in the light.

This is my "go-to" spoon for measuring and mixing when I'm building a drink in the glass or pre-mixing ingredients in a shaker. The small size works great in the confines of a glass and the balance is amazing, it's really a joy to use. Especially after getting used to inferior equipment.

A word of caution however, if you get one of these, please treat with respect. More than one pro has ended up in the emergency room after accidentally slamming their hands down on the trident end!

Of course, having a nice spoon is only 1 of the 3 pieces you need to mix drinks. You also need a mixing glass and a strainer so I'll be sure to post about those items soon. Stay tuned!