Cocktail glossary

ABV

Alcohol by volume — the percentage of pure alcohol in the finished drink, not in the bottle. A Negroni lands around 24%, a highball near 8%.

Build

Making the drink right in the serving glass: ice in, pour, stir once. The gin & tonic method.

Shake

Hard shaking with ice — chills, dilutes and aerates. For anything with juice, syrup, cream or egg.

Stir

Gentle mixing with a barspoon in a mixing glass. Spirit-only drinks — Martini, Negroni, Old Fashioned — stay silky and clear.

Dry shake

A first shake without ice to whip egg white or aquafaba into foam, then a normal shake with ice.

Muddle

Pressing fruit or herbs in the glass to release juice and oils. Press mint gently — crushed leaves turn bitter.

Strain

Pouring the drink off the shaking ice through a strainer. Double strain (through a fine sieve too) removes ice shards and pulp.

Twist

A strip of citrus peel squeezed shiny side down over the drink so the oils spray the surface, then dropped in or discarded.

Dash

One sharp shake of a bitters bottle, roughly 1 ml. Recipes count bitters in dashes.

Jigger

The two-sided measuring cup. Free-pouring is a skill; the jigger is the truth.

Part

A proportional unit: 2 parts gin to 1 part vermouth works in any glass size as long as the ratio holds.

Neat / straight up / on the rocks

Neat: room temperature, no ice. Straight up: chilled, served without ice. On the rocks: over ice.

Sour

The spirit + citrus + sweetener family: Whiskey Sour, Daiquiri, Margarita are all sours.

Highball

Spirit plus a lot of sparkling filler in a tall glass over ice.

Aperitivo

A light, often bitter drink before food that wakes the appetite: Americano, Spritz.

Digestif

A strong or rich after-dinner drink: amaro, brandy, an Old Fashioned at the end of the night.

Vermouth

Fortified wine infused with wormwood and botanicals; dry for a Martini, sweet for a Negroni. Keep the open bottle refrigerated.

Bitters

Concentrated botanical tincture used by the dash — the salt and pepper of the bar.

Simple syrup

Sugar dissolved in water 1:1 (rich syrup is 2:1). Five minutes on the stove, weeks in the fridge.

Grenadine

Pomegranate syrup — the red in a Tequila Sunrise. Real grenadine is pomegranate, not cherry flavouring.

Float / layer

Pouring a liquid slowly over a spoon so it sits on top; layered shots stack liquids by density.

Garnish

The finishing touch — peel, wedge, cherry, mint sprig. Aroma first, decoration second.

Dirty / perfect

A dirty Martini adds olive brine; a perfect Manhattan splits the vermouth half dry, half sweet.

Nightcap

The last, unhurried drink of the evening — low effort, high comfort.