I want to start this blog with a statement. Free-pouring ingredients for your Cocktails is not quicker. I've had this argument with many Flairtenders and Bartenders over the years. And proven them wrong time and time again. Now look, YES, if you're an experienced Free-Pouring Bartender going up against a moderate newbie using Jiggers, then the chances are, the Free Pour will win. And win comfortably. But if your skills and experience are equally matched...ie a fair fight...then I guarantee there will be mere seconds in it when it comes to Cocktails with 4-6 ingredients.

But the crucial thing at play here is not just speed, but accuracy.

You see, when it comes to perfect Cocktails, they're all about ratios, balance and, in some cases, 5ml here and 10ml there. In my day, I'd back myself armed with my 2x Mezclar Preciso Jiggers against any Free-Pouring Bartender. Not only to match their speed, but to make a better tasting drink to the same spec!

Now, that statement is not there for me to show off. It's to emphasise a point that if you go into most decent Cocktail Bars these days, you'll see every Bartender armed with at least 1 Jigger. Yes, some of the bigger Chain Bars may free-pour. But their bar experience is all about the "Show", not necessarily about the quality of Drink. And having spoken to quite a few GMs and Bar Managers over the last few years, the vast majority insist all Bartenders measure their Cocktails.

Let's chat about the Cost of not using Jigger

Just for a ballpark, let's say on average, a Bartender free-pouring, overpours 3 in every 10 cocktails by 5ml. Doesn't sound that much. It's only 5ml, right?! Say that bartender makes 50 Cocktails a night. (a rather low estimate). That's potentially a whopping 75ml of overpours. Again, some of you may think 75ml isn't that much. But that's 1 Bartender per shift. Say that bartender pulls 4 shifts a week. That's now 300ml. Now, say that bartender works 40 weeks a year. That's now 12,000ml which is over 17 bottles of Alcohol wasted a year! And just to make it crystal clear. That's 5ml on ONE ingredient. Heaven forbid that's repeated on five ingredients EVERY NIGHT of the Week by multiple Bartenders making 1000+ Cocktails a Week. A few years ago, I knew of one bar in particular that was on average losing 9 bottles a month simply via overpours! Granted, they were a very busy Bar. But even so, that's a lot of money wasted.

Yes, Free Pouring looks cool. But as a Bar Manager or Owner, I bet swapping to a Jigger makes you A LOT more money!

What about the cost of using a Jigger?

Well, yes, you have the initial outlay, especially if you buy really good, lined Jiggers to help bartenders be even more accurate. We can be looking at £15+ per Jigger. Even I work with three on the go...when I do the rare Bar shift these days. But once you have bought them, they'll repay you by the bucket load, not just in saving you Alcohol but also in quality. You see, when the customer gets a delicious, well-balanced Cocktail, not only will they potentially buy another one. There's a high chance they'll remember and come back in the future. Whereas poor quality Drinks...yeah, the show may be fantastic that night, but are customers going to come back for inferior Drinks?! Probably not.

Personal Rant 🙈

I was lucky to find my perfect Jigger quite a while back. The Mezclar Preciso. To my knowledge, it's one of the only jiggers with multiple increments. The smaller 25ml has lines every 5ml making it easy to pour 5ml, 10ml and 20ml. The 50ml end is lined every 10ml. Making it easy to pour 10, 20, or even 40ml. A lot of "Lined" Jiggers do 15ml or, best case, maybe 20ml and a 45ml, but that's more for the 30/60ml Jiggers, aka 1oz & 2oz. I don't know why more Jiggers don't add a few more lines. But anyway, that's why I personally love the Mezclar Preciso. My only gripe with that is that it's 25/50ml. If it were a 30ml/60ml jigger and lined every 5ml and 10ml, it would be the holy grail of Jiggers for me!

Rant over. Sorry, but I do love a rant! 😂

What are my Top Picks on the Drinkstuff Website;

1) Mezclar Preciso

It had to be. I've mentioned it above. I love my Mezclar Preciso's. Japanese in style. A nice clean pour from Jigger to Shaker. No spillages. Superbly balanced between the fingers. As I say, the ONLY downside is that it's 25ml/50ml, not 30ml/60ml.

2) Tom Dyer Grail Measuring Cup

Just a single end and, annoyingly again, only 50ml, but this Tom Dyer Grail Measuring Cup is beautifully balanced between the fingers. It has a nice clean lip which makes pouring from jigger to shaker easy and drip-free. And it has lines every 5ml from 10ml. So no 5ml. But 10,15,20,25 all the way to 45ml and 50ml to the brim. One side is the 10ml. The other side is the 5ml. If I didn't have my Mezclars, I could get used to this Jigger.

3) Barfly Stepped Jigger

The Barfly Stepped Jigger is just a single end, but the steps are in 15ml increments. So while you can't be super accurate for a 5ml or 10ml, or even say a 40ml. You can have a good guess. But in terms of absolute accuracy, it simply can't compete with the Mezclar. Unless you only pour in multiples of 15ml. Now the whole reason this is my no3 and not no4 is simply the lip. It has a nice clean pour, so there's very little drippage! It is a joy to use when you're busy.

4) Barfly Jigger with Spout

In theory, the Barfly Jigger with Spout is a lovely jigger that has everything going for it. One end, so no drips from the dirty end. It has internal Lines, albeit not the easiest to see when busy. But the lines are at 7.5ml, 15ml, 22.5ml, 30ml, 45ml and 60ml. Plus, there is room beyond that. The only downside for me personally is that I can't get on with the tiny lip & pour spout. It's great if you're taking your time, but it's really not built for speed. I often cause a mess with this jigger. But that may just be me! I do often cause messes! I think a lot of you will love this Jigger.

5) Cocktails Made to Measure

Step forward Mr Simon Difford and his collaboration with Bonzer. Confession, I do own 2 of the Cocktail Made to Measure Jiggers. They are expensive, and I did love them for making the odd Cocktail for a Video. So if that's your use case (Obviously not videos, but making the odd Cocktail), then this could be your perfect solution. The lines...well what hasn't got?! It actually puts the Mezclar Preciso to shame. I mean, it's got 1.25ml and a 2.5ml! It's got clever little "knobs" on the base to hang it on the side of a Shaker Tin so it can drain. It's got a magnet at the bottom to store it on a metal surface or a fridge door! It's see-through, which makes measuring easy. It should be number 1 by a landslide. But it's not. As I say, if you only make the odd few cocktails, this is for you! But if you're busy-ish, then nope. It has downsides. For example, Syrups in small quantities are a no-no. It's too shallow at the bottom, so Syrups get 'stuck'. And the same can be said for Liqueurs. Quite often, even if measuring 15ml of say a Creme de Mure or Creme de Fraise, I'd be left with close to 5ml in the Jigger. And because it's plastic, it also means the pour is not clean. It has a thick edge which means spills and drops can often be made, especially when busy. This jigger is 90% of the way there. But I found myself always coming back to the Mezclar.