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Neat
Poured straight from the bottle into the glass. No ice, no mixer, not chilled.
Good to knowAsk for a glass of water on the side.
Guidance
Menu decoder
Every word on a cocktail menu, in plain English. Read it at the bar, then order with confidence.
Before the words
Read any menu in six steps
You don't need to know every word. These six questions tell you how almost any cocktail will taste.
- Find the spirit
The first ingredient listed is usually the base. It tells you most of what the drink will taste like: gin is herbal, rum is sweet and round, mezcal is smoky, whiskey is warm.
- Look for citrus
Lemon, lime or grapefruit means a fresh, tart drink, usually shaken. No citrus at all usually means a strong, stirred drink.
- Check how it's served
"Up" comes cold in a stemmed glass. "On the rocks" comes over ice. "Long" or "tall" means plenty of mixer and lighter.
- Spot the sweet and the bitter
Liqueurs, syrups and fruit add sweetness. Campari, amaro and bitters add a pleasant bitterness.
- Guess the strength
Few ingredients and no juice or mixer means strong. Juice, soda or sparkling wine means lighter.
- Ask one question
Tell the bartender one thing you like, like "something fresh and not too sweet". It's the fastest way to a great drink.
61 words
How it's served
On the rocks
Served over ice, usually in a short, wide glass.
Good to knowSay "on one big cube" if you want it to melt slowly.
Try it: Old Fashioned →Up
Shaken or stirred with ice, then strained into a stemmed glass with no ice. Same as "straight up".
Good to knowDrink it while it's cold. With no ice in it, it warms up fast.
Try it: Dry Martini →Long
A tall drink with plenty of mixer and ice. Lighter and slower to drink.
Good to knowA good choice when you want to pace yourself.
Try it: Tom Collins →Short
A small, punchy drink with little or no mixer.
Good to knowSmall but often strong. Sip it.
Try it: Negroni →Frozen
Blended with ice until slushy.
Good to knowFun on a hot day. Brain freeze included.
Try it: Pina Colada →Back
A small glass of something served on the side to sip after, like a beer back or a water back.
Double
Twice the usual amount of spirit. Expect a stronger drink and a higher price.
Good to knowAsk the price first. It can nearly double.
How it's made
Shaken
Shaken hard with ice. Used for drinks with juice, cream or egg: it chills, mixes and adds a little froth.
Good to knowExpect a cloudy, frothy, very cold drink.
Try it: Daiquiri →Stirred
Stirred gently with ice. Used for all-spirit drinks: it keeps them clear, silky and cold.
Good to knowExpect a clear, silky, strong drink.
Try it: Manhattan →Built
Made right in the glass it's served in, one ingredient after another.
Good to knowUsually a highball: quick to make, easy to drink.
Try it: Moscow Mule →Muddled
Fruit, herbs or sugar pressed in the glass to release their juice and oils.
Good to knowExpect bits of fruit or herbs in the glass.
Try it: Mojito →Swizzled
Churned with a long stick in crushed ice until the glass frosts.
Try it: Chartreuse Swizzle →Rolled
Poured gently from one shaker tin to another, to mix without thinning or frothing.
Try it: Bloody Mary →Dry shake
Shaken once without ice to whip egg white into foam, then again with ice.
Good to knowThis is what makes the thick foam on a sour.
Double strained
Poured through a second fine strainer to catch ice chips and bits of fruit. The drink feels smoother.
Infused
A spirit or syrup that has rested with fruit, spice, tea or herbs to take on their taste.
Good to knowAsk what it's infused with. It changes the whole drink.
Fat-washed
A spirit mixed with a melted fat (butter, bacon, coconut oil), chilled, and the fat lifted off. It leaves a rich, round taste.
Good to knowIt won't taste greasy, just richer and rounder.
Clarified
Made crystal clear, often by straining through milk (a "milk punch"). Smooth and soft.
Good to knowLooks like water, tastes like a full cocktail.
Barrel-aged
A whole cocktail rested in a wooden barrel for weeks. Rounder, with wood and vanilla notes.
Smoked
The glass or the drink filled with wood smoke just before serving.
Good to knowSmell it first. The smoke fades in a minute.
Drink styles
Sour
Spirit, citrus and something sweet, shaken. Bright and tart. Sometimes with egg white for foam.
Good to knowAsk for it without egg if you prefer.
Try it: Whiskey Sour →Highball
One spirit and a lot of mixer (soda, tonic, ginger beer) in a tall glass of ice.
Good to knowName the spirit and the mixer, and you've ordered.
Try it: Cuba Libre →Collins
A sour made long with soda water, served over ice in a tall glass.
Try it: Tom Collins →Fizz
A sour shaken and topped with soda, usually served without ice.
Try it: Gin Fizz →Spritz
A bitter aperitif, sparkling wine and soda over ice. Light and low in alcohol.
Good to knowThe classic aperitivo drink. Light and bitter.
Try it: Spritz →Mule
Spirit, lime and ginger beer, often in a copper mug.
Try it: Moscow Mule →Julep
Spirit, sugar and lots of mint over crushed ice.
Try it: Mint Julep →Smash
Spirit, citrus and a handful of fresh herbs or fruit, shaken hard.
Try it: Gin Basil Smash →Cobbler
Wine or sherry, sugar and fruit over crushed ice.
Try it: Sherry Cobbler →Flip
A drink shaken with egg, whole or just the yolk. Rich and creamy.
Try it: Porto Flip →Punch
Spirit, citrus, sugar, spice and water or tea. Once made by the bowl to share.
Try it: Planters Punch →Tiki
Rum-led tropical drinks with fruit juices, spice and syrups. Often strong.
Good to knowOften stronger than it tastes.
Try it: Mai →Martini
Gin or vodka with dry vermouth, stirred and served up. Bars also use the word for any drink in that glass.
Good to knowSay gin or vodka, how dry, and twist or olive.
Try it: Dry Martini →Dry
In a Martini: very little vermouth. In wine: not sweet.
Good to know"Extra dry" means barely any vermouth at all.
Try it: Dry Martini →Wet
A Martini with more vermouth than usual. Softer.
Dirty
A Martini with olive brine added. Salty and savoury.
Good to know"Extra dirty" means more olive brine.
Perfect
Made with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.
On the menu
Aperitif
A light, often bitter drink for before dinner, to wake up the appetite.
Good to knowOrder one before dinner.
Try it: Americano →Digestif
A drink for after dinner: richer, sweeter or more herbal.
Good to knowOrder one after dinner.
Try it: Stinger →Nightcap
A slow, strong drink for the end of the night.
Try it: Vieux Carré →Amaro
A bittersweet herbal liqueur from Italy. Plural: amari.
Good to knowAn acquired taste. Start with a mild one.
Try it: Paper Plane →Vermouth
Wine flavoured with herbs and spices. Sweet (red) or dry (white).
Good to knowAlso lovely on its own, over ice with an orange slice.
Try it: Manhattan →Bitters
A very concentrated herbal and spice extract, used by the dash, like salt for drinks.
Good to knowYou'll barely taste them, but you'd miss them.
Try it: Old Fashioned →Orgeat
An almond syrup, often with orange blossom water. Common in tiki drinks.
Try it: Mai →Falernum
A Caribbean syrup or liqueur of lime, ginger, clove and almond.
Try it: Three Dots and a Dash →Shrub
A drinking vinegar: fruit, sugar and vinegar. Tangy.
Cordial
On a cocktail menu, usually a sweet-and-sour fruit syrup made in house.
House-made
Made at the bar itself, such as a syrup, an infusion or bitters.
Split base
Two spirits sharing the main role, like half rum and half cognac.
Try it: Between the Sheets →Low-ABV
Low in alcohol, usually built on wine, vermouth or aperitifs.
Good to knowGreat when you want a second drink without the headache.
Try it: Spritz →Zero-proof
No alcohol at all. Also called alcohol-free or a mocktail.
Good to knowMany bars make them as carefully as the real thing.
Well / house pour
The bar's standard spirit, used when you don't ask for a brand.
Good to knowThe cheapest option. Fine in a highball.
Call / top shelf
Asking for a named brand (a call) or a premium bottle (top shelf). Usually costs more.
Good to knowWorth it in a stirred drink, less so with lots of juice.
The finish
Twist
A strip of citrus peel squeezed over the drink to spray its oils, then often dropped in.
Good to knowRub the rim with the peel for even more aroma.
Try it: Dry Martini →Expressed
Citrus peel squeezed over the glass so its oils mist the surface. Adds aroma, not juice.
Try it: Dry Martini →Rinse
A splash swirled round the glass and poured out, leaving just its scent.
Try it: Sazerac →Float
A layer poured gently on top so it sits there, like dark rum on a punch.
Try it: Dark ‘N’ Stormy →Rim
Salt or sugar stuck round the edge of the glass.
Good to knowAsk for a half rim to choose salt or no salt on each sip.
Try it: Margarita →Dash
A tiny shake from a bitters bottle, a few drops.
Barspoon
A long bar spoon. As a measure, about 5 ml.
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