Bar-Diction - ary - 1

Bar, Tools, Liquor, Mixing, Distillation, Production

TERMINOLOGY LOG

Series 1 of 8

A - B


Accents
Light flavor enhancers to finish off a cocktail with the right touch. Accents come in the form of Liquids, Confections, Powder Sugar, Spices, Creams, Nuts, Fruits and Vegetables. Some are listed in the Garnish Extravaganza and Nuts, Spices, Accents,
and Flavorings, in my book Liquid Masters - backbar information log and historical reference guide, available through my email.

Alembic Pot Stills
Made of copper, these stills are used in the distillation of Cognac. Impervious to most acids and good conductors of heat. Alembic stills process the distillate one lot at a time, while big commercial distilleries use Column stills & process continuously. The name is Arabic, for the shape of its head gear.

Alcohol By Volume (A.B.V.)
Also known as the Gay-Lussac scale, it is a percentage of alcohol in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage. “ABV” is usually specified on beverage labels in addition to Proof. Example: A liquor bottle that says 80 Proof, is 40% alcohol by volume (ABV), a 60 Proof liquor is 30% ABV, and so on.

Aphrodisiac
Certain liquid substances that excite the libido and sexual activity. The word Anaphrodisiac does the opposite, it inhibits this activity.

Aromatized Wine
Slightly fortified by the addition/blending of small amounts of spirits, and flavored with a specifically chosen variety of botanical ingredients (extracts of herbs, roots, and spices). Vermouth, Amer Picon, Byrrh, Dubonnet, Suze, and Punt E Mes are all examples of an aromatized wine.

Atomizer
A device that reduces liquid, by way of separating liquid into small particles, producing a fine spray or liquid mist. In Bartending, this small glass bottle with spray top is used with vermouths for the Martini, Manhattan, Rob Roy, and Gibson, as well as herbal liqueurs and other exotic flavors. To locate and
purchase these 2 or 4 ounce cobalt blue, green, brown, and clear bottles, go to www.bottlesetc.com

Back
As in Soda Back or Water Back, when a customer requests this in a short glass to accompany and set next to their current cocktail, for purposes of re-balancing the palate, and dashing away an initial water thurst in the avoidance of gulping their cocktail.

Backbar
The interior of the bar, inside and separate from the bar’s actual serving top, housing the cooler stock, back bar & counter top, and low and high shelving for the Call, Premium, and Super Premium/Top Shelf bottles of liquor. Used depending on overall bar design, for glassware stock.

Backfilling
This is a term used for an illegal fill of a liquor bottle in the backbar or anywhere on-premise. It is against the law to pour from one liquor bottle into another liquor bottle, regardless if the liquor bottle was partially full or empty. In regard to Prep Mixes, always use clean, new generic bottles or containers – plastic or glass, and/or the Stor n’ Pour plastic juice containers.

Backsplash / Splash-out
When a bartender fills a glass over the top of the rim with cocktail ice, then attempts to pour in the first shot of liquor, finding out that half of the shot bounces off the top of the ice and out onto the bar or into the spillmat. This happens more if the bartender is using a liquor gun, which is more a spraying out than it is a pouring out.
Solution: Don’t overfill the glass with ice. Add more ice after the pour if necessary.
It only results in a waste for both the customer and the owner of the establishment, not to mention the potential loss of a customer if the bartender’s ego keeps him or her unaware of the obvious reflection of being a rookie, and failing to make the correction on their own. Pay attention to everything you’re doing behind the bar. It’s too easy to be sloppy. Add more precision to the job of pouring.

Barback
One of the crucial positions on the bar staff, especially in a busy night club. It is a benefit for management to always have this position filled with good, fast, high energy individuals who don’t mind breakin’ a sweat! What a busboy is to a food server, a barback is to a bartender. In busy venues, the barback restocks and refills just about everything. They’re the Ice runner, keg changer, they wash all the glasses, replenish all the garnishes,
and wipe the bartop down during the night when possible. This allows the bartender to do nothing except Smile-Pour-Serve-and Ring as fast and efficiently as possible, and extend communications with the customer when you can. The highest appreciation comes when the barback is promoted to the bartending position. 15 – 25 % is the variance of tip-out to the barback.

Barkeep
An older side term used in place of or association with the word Bartender. The individual who keeps the bar in perfect working and operational order at all times during their shift, and all hours of the bar from open to close. The term is still used and heard occasionally today.

Barspoon
A long-stemmed stainless steel spoon, with a shallow bowl holding between one-half and one teaspoon of liquid, with a twisted shaft used to stir together ingredients in cocktails and mixed drinks. The back of the bar spoon is also used to break the fall when layering liqueurs for the Pousse Café drink preparations, resulting in the look of distinct bands.

Bar Top
The front serving counter for all of the bartender’s customers. Should be wiped clean of any soil and debris at all break-point times during the shift.

Bases
The primary, main, or base liquor/spirit of any given cocktail. The white spirits of Vodka/Gin/Rum are considered Neutral Spirits that mix with almost anything. Tequila, Whiskey, Scotch, and Brandy are also legitimate bases, as well as Pisco and Cachaca are from South America.

Beer Taps
A CO2 driven system of thick lines that usually run from the cooler to either the front or back bar, wherever the tapping is best situated. Beer containers known as Kegs are used for the tap lines – holding up to 2000 ounces for domestic beer, and a little less for some import beers. Kegs are very heavy, so never lift alone. When tapping in a fresh keg for one that just popped, be careful as to not shake it around too much when shifting it close to the line to avoid “foam for days”. See the page Scenes from the Barley Farm in the Liquid Masters book.

B.E.O.’s
Short for Banquet Event Order sheets. Mainly used in Hotels, Country Clubs, and establishments with space availability for banquets, private parties, and special events. When an event is booked, this sheet goes out to all required department heads for staffing and serving, all food preparations, and full or partial bar service. This sheet is usually on legal size 9 x 14 paper.
There may be revisions to the original prospectus for any given event. Special circumstances, last minute changes, and party size often occur.

Beverage Gun
This is a hand-held device that comes with a fitted holster, connected to the inner edge of the bar rail, on either the left or right side of the ice well. A CO2 driven system dispensing tonic water, club soda, filtered still water,lemon-lime soda, cola soda, diet cola and other flavors depending on the number of lines and buttons the particular gun contains. It’s even possible to put other non-carbonated beverage mixers like cranberry juice, sweet & sour, lemonade, and margarita mix through the lines and into the gun as well. This time-efficient tool is normally in every bar, including portables used in hotels and other large activity centers. Also known as Speed Gun, Cobra, or Snake.

Bitter Spirits
Derived from quinine and medicinally related from the roots and herbs, these spirits can be just the right tonic for a Pick-Me-Up, and to “Lift” the spirits! Usually served alone or with soda, examples are Campari, Fernet Branca, and Punt e Mes. They
stimulate secretions of saliva and digestive juices, increasing appetite.

Boston Shaker
A name given when you put a standard stainless steel shaker tin and a 16 oz. pint glass together (one gently secured inside the other) to be used for preparation of cocktails and mixed drinks to be “shaken” and strained. There is no such thing as an individual piece of barware called a Boston Shaker. Rather, it is the joining together of two specific individual pieces of barware.

Botanicals
A term describing the fruits, spices, herbs, roots, barks, peels, fruit stones, seeds, and leaves used to flavor enhance certain liquors, liqueurs, wines, and beers.

Bottle Extenders
Put out by Tanqueray (green) and Bombay (blue), these 4 inch tubular stems screw onto the tops of these two brand bottles (due to their short necks), so bartenders have a safer grip to pour from. Hard to find , they also fit perfectly on the popular Ketel One vodka bottle as well as the Tanqueray 10 bottle which also have short necks, and are interchangeable. Ask your liquor representative for a couple of them next time you see them. You may or may not get lucky! It’s too bad Absolut doesn’t make them for their bottle line.

Bottle Opener
A vice/lever type of tool used to crack open or bend up and off the tops of various bottled beverages. If you work in a venue that has a high volume of bottle beer sales, your upper palm and lower finger area will be raw at the end of the night if you keep using your hand. Most bars have “top-pops” connected to the front or side of the beer cooler as another option.


The total individual entries of this series piece is 198.
Series 1 through 4 will be this month of September, and
Series 5 through 8 will be determined at another time.

There are some other Special Topic content pieces I have, that I may run at another time as well. Stay Tuned !

Kyle