Sticking to standardized recipes, standard liquor pours, and standard wine pours can lower pour costs, improve liquor inventory control, and make your bar remarkably profitable. Knowing how to pour is an important part of any bartender's duties and one of the bartending basics.
Below, read all about what a standard liquor pour is—in rocks pours, using jiggers, pouring shots, and when making co*cktails with tonic water. We'll also cover standard whiskey and champagne pours to round it out.
What Is a Standard Liquor Pour?
A standard pour is what is typically provided to guests at bars and restaurants when liquor or champagne is ordered. Its size depends on the type of alcohol and drink ordered. It’s typically 1.5 fluid ounces for 80 proof liquor and 4 fluid ounces for champagne. In a fifth of alcohol—the most common alcohol bottle size—there are about 17 shots. Adhering to the standard pour will ensure you get the most out of each bottle, which is especially when making well drinks.
How Many Ounces Is a Standard Pour of Liquor?
A standard liquor pour at most bars across the U.S. is 1.5 ounces. Most. There are some notable exceptions. Some larger corporate establishments pour 1.25 ounces, while some higher-end establishments with complex signature co*cktails will pour 2 ounces.
Overpouring can lead to profit losses while underpouring can lead to unhappy customers. You may even have the bottle around to long and find out you let the alcohol expire. Also, if you order a drink neat or on the rocks, you’ll get a rocks pour. This is also a good way to practice how to upset, Which is a good way to practice how to upsell, by the way.
What Is a Standard Rocks Pour?
When liquor is ordered neat or on the rocks, it’s a 2-ounce pour.
This is for two reasons. The first is that the liquor is the only liquid in the glass, so you get a little more of it. To avoid looking like you’re sipping on a shot. The second is that neat and rocks drinks tend to be for top-shelf liquors that people savor. The experience is more about enjoying the liquor than enjoying a mix that masks it. A bartender right out of bartending school should be a maser in this simple pour.
What Is the Standard Pour in a Single Mixer co*cktail?
Most single-mixer co*cktails take 1.5-ounce liquor pours. Unless the bartender likes you, they say. Most single mixer co*cktails are drinks every bartender should know, so there should be no confusion on amount with these.
What is a Standard Shot Pour?
A standard shot, like a standard co*cktail, is 1.5 ounces of liquor. If you can't master the standard shot, it might be time to give up that bartending license. You might also want to look into how many shots in a handle or how much is a shot.
How Much Liquor Is in a Double?
The standard pour for a double is 3 ounces, which is two standard 1.5-ounce liquor pours.
Standard Pour on a Jigger
A standard jigger is 1.5 ounces on its large side and 3/4 ounces on its small side. So, if you're using the large end of a jigger to make a drink, your pour will be 1.5 ounces.
Jiggers are the little hourglass-shaped measuring tools that countless bartenders use. If you properly stock your bar liquor inventory list (it's not just about co*cktail ingredients), you'll have these convenient tools ready for your bartenders. By having volume aligned with standard liquor pours, jiggers take all the guessing out of pouring and make sticking to standard pours and keeping variance and pour cost low easier. Check out our variance calculator guide to calculate it all yourself. The alternative to using a jigger is free pouring.
StandardWhiskey Pour
How Many Ounces Is a Pour of Whiskey?
Like other liquors, a standard whiskey pour is 1.5 ounces for shot, 2 ounces for a neat or rocks pour, and 3 ounces for a double. Pouring whiskey is right up there with pouring beer in importance, as every bartender needs to master these.
What Is a Standard Whiskey Pour in ml?
In millimeters, the standard whiskey pour is 44 ml for a shot or co*cktail, 59 ml for a neat or rocks pour, and 88 ml for a double.
Standard Champagne Pour
What Is a Serving Size of Champagne?
The standard serving size of champagne is 4 ounces. Champagne pours are a bit smaller than the standard wine pour because champagne is carbonated. If the glassware has a lot of surface area, the bubbles will fizz out too quickly. So champagne needs smaller glasses which necessitates a smaller pour.
What Is a Standard Champagne Pour?
Most champagne glasses and flutes hold 6 ounces. To ensure you’re hitting the standard 4-ounce champagne pour, fill the glass two-thirds of the way up. If you don't master this pour, you may go through a whole case of wine before you know it.
How Many Glasses Are in a Bottle of Champagne?
A standard 750 ml bottle of champagne is 25.3 ounces. Given that a standard champagne pour is 4 ounces, there are about 6 glasses of champagne in each bottle. If you're not sure what size bottle you have, check out our guide on wine bottle sizes.
Those Are the Standard Liquor Pours
Now you’ve got an understanding of standard pours for liquor and champagne. And hopefully a little context that explains why some pours are different than others.
One great thing about training bar staff on standardized pours is the prevention of over-pouring. Over-pouring plays a big part in a bar’s variance and bar profitability. Make sure to supply your bartender with a bartender duties checklist so they always keeping up the standards. You should also make sure they know how many ounces in a pint.
Consistently and accurately tracking inventory is how to calculate your bar’s variance (and the pour cost calculator) and isolate what types of alcohol are being over-poured. And if you use a liquor inventory software like BinWise Pro, taking bar inventory and calculating variance are fast and automated.
If you’re at all concerned with over-pouring and how it affects your variance and bar profitability, then book a demo. Let one of our experts walk you through exactly how BinWise Pro will help. The only thing you have to lose is more alcohol.
Reduce inventory counting time by as much as 85%. Schedule a demo now:
As a seasoned expert in the realm of bar management and beverage control, my extensive experience and in-depth knowledge have been honed through years of hands-on involvement in the hospitality industry. From managing bars to training bartenders, I have witnessed firsthand the critical role that standardized recipes, liquor pours, and inventory control play in ensuring the profitability and efficiency of a bar.
The article underscores the importance of adhering to standardized practices such as recipes and pours, and I am well-versed in these concepts. Let's break down the key concepts discussed in the article:
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Standard Liquor Pour:
- The standard pour for liquor at most bars is 1.5 ounces.
- Exceptions exist, with some establishments pouring 1.25 ounces or 2 ounces for specific reasons.
- Overpouring can lead to profit losses, while underpouring may result in dissatisfied customers.
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Rocks Pour:
- When liquor is ordered neat or on the rocks, it typically involves a 2-ounce pour.
- This is justified by the fact that there are no mixers diluting the drink, and it is often associated with top-shelf liquors meant for savoring.
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Single Mixer co*cktail Pour:
- Most single-mixer co*cktails receive a 1.5-ounce liquor pour, unless special circ*mstances apply.
- Bartenders are expected to be consistent in their pours for these standard co*cktails.
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Standard Shot Pour:
- A standard shot, like a standard co*cktail, is 1.5 ounces of liquor.
- Proficiency in pouring standard shots is considered fundamental for a bartender.
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Double Pour:
- The standard pour for a double is 3 ounces, equivalent to two standard 1.5-ounce liquor pours.
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Jigger Usage:
- A standard jigger typically measures 1.5 ounces on its large side and 3/4 ounces on its small side.
- Jiggers provide precision in pouring and contribute to maintaining standard pours, thereby minimizing variance and pour costs.
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Standard Whiskey Pour:
- For whiskey, a standard pour is 1.5 ounces for a shot, 2 ounces for a neat or rocks pour, and 3 ounces for a double.
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Standard Champagne Pour:
- The standard serving size of champagne is 4 ounces.
- Most champagne glasses hold 6 ounces, and to achieve the standard pour, the glass should be filled two-thirds of the way.
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Glasses in a Bottle of Champagne:
- A standard 750 ml bottle of champagne yields about 6 glasses, assuming a standard 4-ounce pour.
The article emphasizes the significance of standardized practices in preventing over-pouring, which can impact a bar's variance and profitability. It also recommends using tools like jiggers and employing inventory management software, such as BinWise Pro, to streamline the tracking of inventory and calculating variance.
In conclusion, the mastery of standardized liquor pours is essential for bartenders and bar managers to ensure consistency, cost control, and overall efficiency in the operation of a bar.
