Free Pour
Professional bartenders free Pour a Shot measured amounts ofBuild a Two Liquor Drink when making Make-a-Shaken-Cocktail and dispensing shots. It is entertaining to watch people free pour Build a Two Liquor Drink. Plus, it's faster and more efficient than (though not always as accurate as) other methods. Anyone with decent coordination can learn to free pour with a little practice. So if you want to impress your friends and be the life of the party, read on.
Steps
- Obtain some measured jiggers of different common sizes and a liquor bottle with a pour spout. The pour spout must fit very snugly in the liquor bottle and form an airtight seal. The jiggers won't be needed soon, but are needed to learn how to pour the right quantities. The liquor bottle should be filled with water unless you are practicing during a party!
- Grasp the liquor bottle firmly by the the neck with your index finger over the base of the pour spout. It is very important to hold the liquor bottle properly, otherwise you will not be able to control the pour!
- Deftly lift the bottle up and, in one fluid motion, tilt the bottle over and pour into a cup, then tilt the bottle back to vertical and place it back on the table. While the exact technique will vary, this lets you understand how to pour in a controlled manner. You want to begin pouring all at once directly into the cup, then stop pouring all at once, in one fluid motion. The pour should start readily and flow evenly. If the liquid being poured sputters excessively or does not pour readily or evenly, the pour spout may not fit properly in the bottle. Be sure to angle the spout properly while pouring so that the liquor is poured as evenly as possible and downward.
- Count while pouring into an empty jigger until it is full. This is the secret that enables you to know exactly how much you are pouring into the glass. Therefore, as soon as you begin pouring, keep an even count, then as soon as the jigger is full, and you stop pouring, stop counting. People may count to three or four for a one ounce jigger, but be sure to establish a specific count for a specific amount. Practice this repeatedly with the one ounce jigger, then with the 3/4 ounce jigger, 1 1/2 ounce jigger, and so forth. You will end up counting less for the smaller jiggers and more for the larger jiggers.
- Free pour into a glass using the counts established in the previous step, then measure how much you poured using the jiggers. This will enable you to see how close you can get to the desired amount while free pouring. Many people can be essentially exact.
Tips
- Most pour spouts are made for fifth size (750 ml) glass alcohol bottles and may not fit properly or at all in larger or smaller bottles. Larger and smaller pour spouts are available.
- Until you get familiar with the technique, it is best to count to four to fill a 2oz jigger. This enables you to halve the amount by counting to two, or increase the amount in 1oz increments by adding an additional 'two-count' which is useful for martinis of different sizes.
- Better pour spouts make pouring smoother and therefore easier. Long metal pour spouts generally pour very well, although plastic pour spouts are economical and may fit better in some bottles.
- To add only one or two drops of an ingredient (such as vermouth to a martini), hold your finger or thumb tightly over the main outlet of the pour spout and let the ingredient drip through the air vent of the pour spout. Plastic pour spouts generally work well for this function.
- If you are not able to free pour the right amount, continue to practice using the above steps. Be sure to establish specific counts for specific amounts so that you can free pour specific amounts.
- If no proper empty liquor bottle is available that fits the available pour spout, it should not be necessary to use liquor in order to practice pouring. Try using any glass bottle that is available.
- Different pour spouts can pour differently, so either use only one kind of spout, or practice with different kinds.
- Plastic inserts may exist in larger liquor bottles that prevent the use of pour spouts, although it may be possible to remove the inserts. Bartenders almost never free pour from bottles larger than quart size.
- Different liquors and liqueurs have different weights and viscosity. Some may pour more quickly than others. Experiment with your bottles to find the correct pour time for the desired number of ounces.
Warnings
- If you do practice with alcohol, don't get carried away and drink it all! Beverages with a high percentage of alcohol can take up to an hour to "kick in". You might end up in a coma if you drink too much, too fast.
- When fitting the pour spout in the neck of the bottle, the pour spout will most likely need to be forcefully pressed into the neck of the bottle. While this is an indication that a good seal has been formed, it may be safest to use a plastic pour spout instead of a metal pour spout, as metal pour spouts may be sharp and cause injury. Regardless of the type of pour spout that is used, practice caution when fitting the pour spout in the bottle.
Things You'll Need
- Jigger cups of various sizes
- Liquor bottle
- Pour spout (pourer)
- Beverage glass
