Best practice: Make sure your measures are legal

It’s something that every bartender uses every day; arguably one of the most important tools of the job, but how much confidence do you have that your jiggers are accurate and most importantly that they are not costing you money?

That cost can come in different ways. If your jigger is not accurate and you are pouring 35ml instead of 30ml, you are losing money; if your jigger is not accurate and you are pouring 25ml instead of 30ml you stand to cop a fine of at least $1050 per offence – costing you money; and if your jigger is accurate but it’s the wrong shape you are not giving your team the best tools, causing increased spillage and so costing you money.

There a number of ways you could be losing money and it’s just down to the tools you are using.

A big problem is the shape of a jigger. Round jiggers when filled to the top create a lens, or a dome which is called a meniscus. This is not down to pouring technique or the dark arts, it is just a question of physics, or surface tension.

The meniscus adds approximately 10-15 per cent more to a measured liquids total volume, over and above the designated volume marking shown on the side of the jigger.

Someone pours into a round jigger and the meniscus develops, this is the over pour that then tends to spill onto a counter-top. If a guest sees that, often a bartender might just add a little more from the bottle to make up the difference.

In the half a second it takes to do that, 5ml has just disappeared. So it doesn’t take much to lose a small amount and hundreds of small amounts every night very quickly add up.

One company which has spent over 12 years working to change things for the industry and help businesses to save money and transform the journey from bottle to glass, is Über bar Tools.

Founder and CEO Michael Silvers said: “With a round-shaped object the surface tension is equally reflected towards the centre of the serve, which is why you get the dome.

“The shape of the Über Bar Tool jigger changes the outcome of the surface tension, it doesn’t eliminate the meniscus completely but it is reduced. Also the angled lips on the jigger makes the pouring easier.

“In theory, jiggers should be a bartender’s best friend. They should enable a consistent pour and therefore a better cocktail experience. But, consistently good cocktails can only be made when you’re as accurate as possible in your measurements.

“And not all jiggers are made equal when it comes to accuracy.”

Silvers speaks passionately about the impact that the pour variation of certain jiggers can bring, not only terms of the financial cost, but also in terms of reputation.

“If the measure changes then so does the drink and so does the taste. What does that mean to the customer? Would they come back for a third drink? Unlikely, but what will they do? They are likely to swap a lower margin drink or they leave the venue, again moves which will cost venues.

“We’ve spent over a decade working with bars to rethink tool design, discovering what works and what doesn’t. Our trilobal jigger is the ultimate symbol of that dedication to flawless design for flawless cocktail making.

“So, if you want to reduce waste, increase profit, improve efficiency and work with beautiful tools, why not check out our range of jiggers.”

The Über Bar Tool jiggers are NMI approved and the triobel shape and design also helps to reduce hand shake and losses through spillage, head to the Über Bar Tool website to find out more.