Bar Terms

Here are some terms you hear when you go to a bar for a drink.

• Cobbler - a tall drink of any liquor served in a highball glass with shaved or crushed ice and garnished with fresh fruit and mint sprigs.
• Chaser - a mixer that is consumed immediately after a straight shot of liquor to create a different taste.
• Cocktail - any of various alcoholic beverages consisting usually of brandy, whiskey, vodka, or gin combined with fruit juices or other liquors and often served chilled.
• Dry - unsweetened taste.
• Highball - any spirit served with ice and soda water in a medium to tall glass (often a highball glass).

• Lowball - a short drink made of spirits served with ice, water or soda in a small glass.
• Neat - the consumption of a spirit as a straight, unaccompanied shot.
• Nightcap - a wine or liquor taken before bedtime.
• On the Rocks - a liquor poured over ice cubes.

• Pick-me-up - a drink designed to relieve the effect of overindulgence in alcohol.
• Proof - alcohol content of any alcoholic beverages; one half of the proof is alcoholic percentage.
• Shake - one method of mixing drinks using heavy or thick ingredients.
• Stir - another method of mixing drinks using light ingredients. The result is a clear drink.
• Slice - this refers to fruits used for garnishing. The ideal thickness is about ¼ of an inch.
• Straight - drink is served from the bottle and poured directly into the serving glasses.
• Straight up - drink is chilled with ice but served without ice.
• Sour - a short drink consisting of liquor, lemon/lime juice and sugar.
• Twist - peel of lemon or orange cut thinly without the white part of the fruit and twisted on top of the drink.
• Virgin - a non-alcoholic drink.
• Well drink - a liquor and mixer, of which neither are defined brands example are gin, tonic, rum and coke.