A–M

Aperitif
A drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite, typically lighter and less sweet than a digestif, such as a dry vermouth or Aperol spritz.
Back
A small side serving of water, soda, or juice, taken alongside a straight shot or a strong, spirit-forward drink.
Bar Spoon
A long-handled spoon used for stirring cocktails and layering ingredients, with its twisted handle also doubling as a rough measure for small amounts.
Batching
Pre-mixing the spirit and modifier ingredients of a cocktail in larger quantity ahead of service, so only ice, a shake or stir, and garnish are needed at order time.
Bitters
Concentrated, highly aromatic flavoring extracts, traditionally made by infusing botanicals in high-proof alcohol, used in small dashes to add complexity and balance to cocktails.
Build
To assemble a drink directly in its serving glass, usually over ice, without shaking or stirring it separately beforehand.
Call Drink
A drink ordered by a specific brand name, such as a particular vodka or whiskey, rather than accepting the bar's standard well spirit.
Chaser
A drink, often something mild like soda, juice, or beer, taken immediately after a shot to soften its impact.
Cobbler Shaker
A three-piece cocktail shaker with a built-in strainer cap, as opposed to a two-piece Boston shaker that requires a separate hawthorne strainer.
Coupe
A shallow, stemmed glass with a wide bowl, traditionally used for cocktails served up, such as a Daiquiri or Manhattan.
Dash
A small, imprecise pour, typically used for bitters — roughly a few drops shaken quickly from the bottle.
Digestif
An alcoholic drink traditionally served after a meal, believed to aid digestion, such as amaro, brandy, or a bitter liqueur.
Double Strain
Straining a shaken cocktail through both the shaker's built-in strainer and a separate fine mesh strainer, to catch small ice shards, herb leaves, and pulp.
Dry Shake
Shaking a cocktail without ice first, typically to emulsify egg white or foam, before shaking again with ice to chill and dilute it.
Expressed
Squeezing a piece of citrus peel over a finished drink to release its aromatic oils onto the surface, often before dropping the peel in as garnish.
Fat-Washing
Infusing a spirit with a savory fat, such as bacon or brown butter, then freezing and straining off the solidified fat to leave behind its flavor.
Fizz
A cocktail style built from a spirit, citrus, sugar, and soda water, served over ice or occasionally without, producing a light, effervescent drink.
Float
A small amount of a heavier or higher-proof ingredient poured gently over the back of a spoon on top of a finished drink so it sits as a visible layer.
Free Pour
Pouring spirits directly from the bottle without a jigger or measuring device, relying on a bartender's trained count or pour speed for consistency.
Garnish
An edible or aromatic finishing touch — fruit, herbs, a twist, a spice — added to a drink for appearance, aroma, and sometimes flavor.
Highball
A tall drink made of a spirit and a larger proportion of a carbonated mixer, built directly over ice in a tall glass.
Infusion
Steeping fruit, herbs, spices, or other flavorings in a spirit over time to impart their flavor before it's used in cocktails.
Jigger
A small, typically hourglass-shaped measuring tool with two differently sized cups used to pour precise, consistent amounts of spirits and other ingredients.
Julep Strainer
A perforated, spoon-shaped strainer held over the glass to hold back ice and muddled fruit while pouring a stirred drink.
Layer
To carefully pour ingredients of different densities into a glass, often over a spoon, so they remain in distinct visible layers rather than mixing together.
Long Drink
A drink built with a relatively large proportion of mixer to spirit, served in a tall glass, as opposed to a short, spirit-forward drink.
Lowball
A short, sturdy glass, also called a rocks glass or old-fashioned glass, used for drinks served on the rocks or neat.
Mixing Glass
A glass vessel, sometimes with a spout, used to stir cocktails with ice before straining them into a serving glass.
Muddle
To gently crush ingredients like mint, fruit, or sugar with a muddler in the bottom of a glass or shaker to release their flavor and oils.

N–Z

Neat
A spirit served at room temperature in a small glass with no ice, water, or mixer added.
Nightcap
A drink, often a modest spirit or a warm, simple cocktail, enjoyed in the evening before bed.
On the Rocks
A drink served over ice cubes in the glass, as opposed to neat or served up in a stemmed glass.
Orgeat
A sweet, almond-based syrup, often flavored with orange flower water, used in tiki cocktails like the Mai Tai.
Peel
A piece of citrus skin cut away from the fruit and used as a simple, flat garnish, as distinct from a curled twist.
Pousse-Café
A layered cocktail made by carefully pouring ingredients of differing densities in sequence to create distinct, visible bands of color in the glass.
Punch
A drink style, often communal and served from a large bowl, traditionally combining spirit, citrus, sugar, water, and spice.
Rail
The row of everyday, non-premium spirits kept within a bartender's easy reach, used to make standard well drinks unless a guest calls for something specific.
Rimmed
A glass whose outer rim is coated with salt, sugar, or another garnish before the drink is poured in, both for flavor and presentation.
Rinse
Coating the inside of a glass with a small amount of a strong ingredient, such as absinthe or vermouth, then discarding the excess before pouring in the finished drink.
Shake
To combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, typically used for drinks containing citrus, egg, dairy, or other ingredients that need to be fully integrated.
Simple Syrup
A basic sweetener made by dissolving equal parts sugar and water, used throughout cocktail-making in place of granulated sugar, which won't dissolve well in cold liquid.
Snifter
A short-stemmed glass with a wide bowl and narrow opening, designed to concentrate aroma, traditionally used for brandy and cognac.
Sour
A cocktail style built from a base spirit, citrus juice, and a sweetener, such as a whiskey sour or a pisco sour.
Spirit-Forward
A cocktail style dominated by the base spirit, with modifiers used mainly to support rather than mask its flavor, such as a Manhattan or Negroni.
Stir
To combine ingredients with ice using a long bar spoon rather than shaking, typically for drinks made entirely of spirits, to chill and dilute them gently.
Strain
To pour a shaken or stirred drink into its serving glass while holding back the ice, muddled solids, or fruit pulp with a strainer.
Swizzle
A drink stirred rapidly with a swizzle stick spun between the palms, traditionally used for Caribbean drinks like the Queen's Park Swizzle.
Tiki
A style of tropical, rum-forward cocktails, typically featuring layered fruit juices, spices, and elaborate garnish, popularized in mid-20th-century America.
Toddy
A hot drink made from spirit, hot water, sugar or honey, and often citrus and spice, traditionally served as a warming winter drink.
Top Shelf
Premium, higher-priced spirits, traditionally displayed on a bar's highest, most visible shelf.
Twist
A thin strip of citrus peel, often expressed over the drink first to release its oils, then used as a simple garnish.
Up
A drink served without ice in a stemmed glass, typically chilled beforehand by shaking or stirring it with ice and then straining.
Vermouth
An aromatized, fortified wine flavored with botanicals, used in small proportions in classic cocktails like the Martini and Manhattan.
Virgin
A cocktail-style drink made without any alcohol, built to mimic the flavor and presentation of its alcoholic counterpart.
Well Drink
A standard drink made with a bar's basic, house-pour spirits rather than a requested premium or call brand.
Wheel
A thin, round slice of citrus, cut crosswise through the fruit, used as a garnish resting on the rim or floating in the drink.
Yard Glass
A very tall, narrow glass holding roughly a yard's worth (about a meter) of beer, traditionally used for novelty drinking challenges.
Zest
The outermost, oil-rich layer of citrus peel, grated or peeled off and used to add bright aroma and flavor to a drink.
  • Glossary
  • Cocktails
  • Bartending

Related Reading