From weddings to breweries to barbecues to plain ol bars, alcohol is everywhere.
Kinds of drinks and mixers
What is an aperitif?
This is a drink meant to be had before eating a meal.
Its sweeter counterpart, a digestif, is served afterward.
Find more info on thesehere.
What are bitters?
Bitters are plant-based liquids mixed with water and alcohol.
Theyre used in small amounts and are meant to enhance the flavor of a cocktail.
You might be familiar with orange bitters, for instance.
Know that these have a pretty high ABV.
What, exactly, makes a cocktail?
A cocktail is not just a mixed drink.
(If you order a vodka soda, for instance, its notreallya cocktail.)
It really doesnt matter, though.
Call your vodka soda a cocktail if you want.
What is a highball?
A spirit served in a tall glass with ice and a mixer, which is typically carbonated.
Usually, the spirit is whiskey.
you could also say you want your drink long if you want it served in a tall glass.
Conversely, say short if you want it served in a short glass or a rocks glass.
What is proof?
This, like ABV, measures how much alcohol is in a beverage.
The proof is twice the percentage of ABV of any beverage.
So, if a beverage is 40% ABV, its 80 proof.
Pure ethanol is 200 proof.
What is a sour?
Sour drinks are usually served in short glasses.
They have liquor, lemon or lime juice, and sugar.
Some places will have their sour mixer pre-made and ready to go.
Avoid this horror bymaking your own sour.)
What is a spirit?
Spirits are liquors that dont contain any added sugar, though things like flavored vodka murk the waters.
Their ABV is usually 35% to 40%.
Do not be confused here: Spirits and liquor are the same thing.
Liqueur, on the other hand, is not the same thing.
Thatsmadefrom liquor, and usually has a lower ABV,but is sweetened.
Amaretto is a liqueur.
What is a shot?
A shot is a unit of measure equal to 1.5 fluid ounces.
When you order a mixed drink, the amount of liquor in it will be measured in shots.
You just slam those back and hope for the best.
Whether taking a shot or ordering a drink, youll be consuming alcohol in increments of 1.5 fluid ounces.
What is a well liquor?
What is a virgin drink?
A virgin drink is one that has no alcohol.
Virgin is the widely accepted term, though you may see zero-proof or no-proof cocktails on a menu.
Those indicate that they are mocktails, or drinks without alcohol.
Descriptions of alcohol
What does ABV mean?
Alcohol by volume, abbreviated ABV, is the percentage of alcohol in a drink.
Heres more onhow to calculate ABV.
Why do people ask for a drink to be dirty?
When you order a dirty drink,especially a martini, youll get one with olive brine in it.
Whats a double, triple, or quadruple?
Say you order a double vodka sour.
That means that youre getting two shots worth of vodka in the drink.
Shots are defined below, but theyre just a measure of alcohol.
What does dry and wetmean?
Youll taste the alcohol more.
Theres actually a lot tolearn about martinis, if you want to get into them specifically.
What does muddled mean?
This enhances the flavor and is also cool to watch.
What does neat mean?
Ordering a neat drink means youre just getting liquor in a glass.
You arent getting ice, a mixer, or literally anything else.
Youll just be sipping a spirit.
What about On the rocks or over?
A drink that is on the rocks or ordered over is one that has ice in it.
What about stirred or shaken?
Generally, cocktails and mixed drinks are shaken if they have some special ingredient like cream or egg whites.
Others, like martinis, are common stirred.
Figure outwhich you prefer, but you should ask if you want your stirred instead.
Shaking helps the drink get colder faster and also aerates the drink to make it lighter-feeling.
What is straight up?
If you order a drink straight up youre getting it without ice and in a stemmed glass.
Thats why this is not the same as neat.
Whats a topless drink?
Feel free to specify you dont want it made with well liquor.
