Glossary of Cocktail Terminology
Published by Redneck Ramblings in Educational Articles · Thursday 29 Feb 2024
Tags: Mixologist, Blog, Mixology, Mastery, Glossary, Cocktail, Terminology, Mixology, Skills, Cocktails
Tags: Mixologist, Blog, Mixology, Mastery, Glossary, Cocktail, Terminology, Mixology, Skills, Cocktails
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ABV
Alcohol by volume, the percentage of alcohol in a given beverage. For example, if the ABV is 40 percent, it indicates that the spirit is 40 percent alcohol, 60 percent water. The ABV is frequently specified on the label along with the proof.
APERITIF
A light alcoholic cocktail or other drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite. The term is from the Latin verb meaning "to open" and refers to the opening of your palate. Aperitifs that are frequently enjoyed are anise flavored or wine-based spirits, including bitters and aromatized and fortified wines. Popular American aperitifs tend toward cocktails such as the Martini Sidecar, white wine spritzer, Manhattan, or Old-Fashioned. Europeans enjoy their vermouth, Amer Picon, Cynar, Campari, Dubonnet, kir, Lillet, or sherry. preferably served neat or over ice, as well as cocktails such as champagne cocktails, Americano, Negroni, and anise-flavored Pernod, pastis, or ouzo mixed with soda or water. Germans prefer a beer as an aperitif.
AQUA VITAE
Meaning "water of life," this is the original Latin term for spirits. It has been translated into the Danish akvavit, French eau-de-vie, Irish Gaelic usquebaugh, and the Scottish Gaelic uisce beatha.
AROMATIZED WINES
Fortified wines that have been "aromatized" with the addition of various herbal flavorings. Bottled aperitifs such as Lillet, Cynar, Dubonnet, and vermouths fall into this category.
BITTERS
A highly concentrated alcoholic elixir made from a distilled combination of liquor and various herbal and fruit ingredients, originally developed for medicinal purposes. Angostura and Peychaud's bitters are so concentrated that they are measured out in drops, whereas other bitters such as Campari can be enjoyed over ice.
CHASER
The beverage you drink immediately after you have downed anything alco- holic, usually a shot. A typical chaser can be either beer, club soda, or juice.
CORDIAL
A term often used interchangeably with "liqueur."
DASH
Either a shake from a bitters bottle or the equivalent of 1/8 teaspoon (some say only 1/16 teaspoon).
DIGESTIF
Spirits imbibed to aid the digestion after a meal, from bitters served neat such as a Fernet Branca, to an after-dinner drink or nightcap, such as B&B, Brandy Alexander, or White or Black Russian.
DISTILLATION
The process of extracting alcohol from a fermented liquid by using heat through either a pot still or continuous still. The resulting vapor is collected, and as it cools condensation occurs, to revert back to a liquid that is more purified, with a higher alcohol concentration.
DRAM
A term used in many countries, including Ireland, Scotland, and the Can bean, for a small glass of spirit.
DRY
A term meaning "not sweet," used either in reference to a dry wine or to describe nonsweet spirits or cocktails, such as the dry Martini, which uses dry vermouth rather than sweet vermouth. Dryness results during fermer tation when the yeast consumes almost all of the sugar and converts to alcohol.
EAU-DE-VIE
Meaning "water of life" in French, this term describes a wide group of colorless spirits distilled from fermented fruit, typically not aged, and potent. Technically, a French brandy is an eau-de-vie made from grapes kirsch is made from cherries, and Poire Williams is made from pears.
FLOAT
A cocktail term describing the technique of slowly pouring a small amount of spirit (usually a liqueur or cream) over the top of the surface of a drink so that it floats, or sits atop another liquid without being mixed. The customary technique involves slowly pouring the liquid over the back of a spoon. (See the description of floating techniques and layering pousse-café techniques on page 44.)
FORTIFIED WINES
Wines that are enhanced and sweetened with brandy or other spirits. Sherry port, and Madeira are all fortified wines. These are frequently also categor ized as dessert wines.
GRENADINE
A sweet, deep crimson syrup originally made from pomegranates from the Caribbean island of Grenada, but most brands today are made with other fruit juice. With a low to no alcohol content, depending on the brand. it is used mainly for sweetening and for adding color to mixed drinks.
MIXER
Any nonalcoholic beverage, such as fruit juice, soda, cream, or club soda, that is added to a drink containing liquor.
MODIFIER
A cocktail ingredient that is integral to the flavor of the drink. Bitters, syrups, and other sweeteners such as Rose's lime juice or coconut cream are all modifiers, adding flavor or texture.
MOUTHFEEL
A term used when tasting wine or spirits to describe the impact of the shape and texture of a spirit or wine on the palate.
MUDDLE
A technique that involves mashing fruits or herbs (usually together with bitters and/or sugar) in the bottom of the glass with a small wooden muddler or spoon to release their aromatic flavors.
NEAT
Describes a single spirit or liqueur served in a glass "straight up," enjoyed on its own, unchilled, and without ice, water, or any other ingredients.
NEUTRAL SPIRIT
A spirit distilled from grain to produce a virtually tasteless, colorless alcohol that is 95.5 percent ABV. It is used as a base for spirits such as vodka or gin or for blending with straight whiskeys or other spirits and liqueurs.
NOSE
The scent or aroma of a spirit.
ON THE ROCKS
A term used to describe any liquor or mixed drink served over ice (the rocks being the ice cubes), as opposed to a drink served "up" (without ice).
PERFECT
A term used to describe specific cocktails that contain equal parts dry and sweet vermouth, as in a Perfect Manhattan or Perfect Martini.
PROOF
A legal measurement of a liquor's alcoholic strength. In the United States, it is calculated thusly: 1 degree of proof equals 0.05 percent alcohol by volume, or ABV. Therefore, a spirit labeled "80 proof" is 40 percent ABV. A 100-proof spirit is 50 percent ABV, and so on.
SPLASH
A small amount that can fall anywhere between a dash and about an ounce, depending on who's doing the splashing.
STRAIGHT
Describes a spirit served without any other liquor or mixers, either poured into a chilled glass or over ice, occasionally with the addition of a splash of club soda or water.
SWIZZLE STICK
The original swizzle stick was a twig used to agitate tall rum drinks in the Caribbean. Used for stirring drinks, swizzle sticks now come in various styles and lengths, from glass rods to plastic or wood.
TO TOP OR TOP OFF
A term used by bartenders to describe the act of pouring the last ingredient into a drink, usually club soda or ginger ale, filling to the top of the glass. Also used to describe filling a beer mug from a tap.
UP
Describes a drink served without ice in a cocktail glass. Usually the drink is shaken in a cocktail shaker and strained "up" into a chilled cocktail glass. as opposed to "on the rocks" and served over ice.
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