Bar Terminologies

ABV

Stands for “alcohol by volume” and shows the total percentage

within the drink that is accounted for by pure ethyl alcohol. All

alcoholic products must, by law, give this information.

Aging

The storage of the distilled alcohol in wooded casks, most

often oak. Over months or years, the wood reacts with the alcohol, imparting to it a distinctive color,

aroma, and flavor.

Alcohol content

Refers to the amount of alcohol present in wine.

It is usually expressed as a numerical percentage of the volume or can also be

written as proof (for spirits).

Ale

Is a malt beverage (beer) made by top fermentation at lukewarm temperatures.

Appelation

Refers to the name or official geographic origin of wine. It is part of the system of

classification of wines.

Appelation Contrôlée

Is a phrase on French wine label which means that the wine comes from the controlled area named and meets its

strict legal standards.

Appearance

Refers to the visual properties including size, shape, color, texture, gloss,

transparency, cloudiness, and so on.

Aperitif

Drink that are served before meals.

An alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer.

Aroma

Refers to smell of fragrance of a young wine.

The odor of a wine imported by grapes from which it is made.

Balance

Is the combination and relationship of physical components (fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol, etc.) and to a lesser extent the

intangible element such as breed, character and finesse.

Bar Back

An assistant or apprentice bartender, who does the

bartender’s scut work, including tapping beer kegs, running ice,

replacing glassware, preparing and stocking garnishes, restocking

shelves and so on.

Beer

Is a fermented beverage made from malted grains (usually barley), water,

hops and yeast.

Beer clean

Refers to a glass free of grease, soap, and lint.

Blind tasting

Is a system of evaluating alcoholic beverages without the knowledge of the

producer, country of origin, and other pertinent information.

Bodega

Is the farm / vineyard where Sherry is made.

Body

Is the term used to describe the scent of more complex mature wines.

Bottom fermentation

Is a process that refers to beers produced by the use of a type of yeast (lager

yeast), which generally converts sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide at lower temperatures at the tank’s bottom.

Bouquet

Refers to the smell of fragrance of a mature wine.

Complex and interesting odor of a mature wine.

Breathe

Term referring to a red wine’s interaction with oxygen when it is

first incurred.

Brewpub

Bar-restaurant combination in which beer served is brewed on

the premises.

Brown goods

Spirits having dark color and hearty flavor such as whiskey and

brandies.

Bruised beer

Beer that has been warmed and cooled again.

Brut (brute)

On champagne label, dry

(little or no sugar).

Caffeine

Is a crystalline, bitter-tasting, but odorless alkaloid present in coffee, tea, and soft

drinks; a stimulant.

Call brand

Brand of liquor specified by customer ordering drink.

Brands frequently called for by name.

Chaser Refers to the mixer served either with the spirit or on the side of the spirit in

a separate glass, bottle or carafe.

A mild drink (as beer) taken after a hard liquor.

Cocktail Cocktail is a well-iced mixed drink

made up of base liquor, a modifying ingredient as a modifier, and a

special flavoring or coloring agents. It is usually an apperitiff taken at leisure before a meal to wet the appetite; it is

also reputedly aids digestion.

Coffee

Is a dark brown aromatic drink made by brewing in water the roasted and ground

bean-like seeds of a tall tropical evergreen shrub (Coffea) of the Madder

family.

Cold method

Is the method used to produce liqueurs when the flavoring ingredients are sensitive to heat. Examples of this

method are infusion, maceration, and percolation.

Color

Refers to the distinct hue specific to each type of drink.

Congeners

Acids, aldehydes, esters, ketones, phenols, and tannins that are byproducts

of fermentation, distillation, and aging. These “impurities” may contribute to the character and flavor of the spirit, but they cause undesirable effects in some people,

notably increasing the intensity of hangover.

Continuous still / Column still / Patent still

Also called Coffey still, after the inventor, Aenas Coffey. A type of

still for whiskey distillation that allows for continuous high-volume production, as opposed to the pot still, which must be emptied and “recharged” one batch at a time.

Cordial / Liqueur

Drink served after meals.

A stimulating drink.

Cork

Is a spongy natural material used as a stopper for bottles.

Cupping

Refers to the proper procedures of tasting coffee.

Cuveé

Is a blend of wines used to make a particular house style of sparkling wine.

Decant (dee kant)

To pour wine from a bottle to another bottle or carafe in such a way that the sediment remains in

the bottle.

Dégorgement

Refers to the removal of dead yeast from second fermentation in bottle; also

disgorgement.

Demi-Sac

On a champagne label. “half dry”; actually the sweetest type on the

market.

Distillation

Is the separation of alcohol from the liquid in the fermented mash.

Distinctive

Means marked individuality of style.

Double / Single

This refers to the number of jigger or shots of drinks / spirit poured

and served into the serving glass.

Draft beer

Is an un-pasteurized beer.

Dry wines

Unsweetened tastes or absence of sugar. Almost all of the sugar has been

converted into alcohol during fermentation causing the wine to lack

sweetness.

Extra dry

Extremely small amount of dry vermouth with liquor.

FinishRefers to the sensation left in the mouth

after tasting the wine.

A finish can be short or long, depending on the quality and age of wine. A very long

finish or “persistence” can be an indication that a wine has aged well.

Flag

Garnish of sliced orange or other citrus fruit on a pick, usually with

cherry.

Flambé

As a verb, flambé means to drench with liquor and ignite.

The word may also be used as a noun, synonymously with flaming

drink.

Flavor

Refers to a complex group of sensations comprising olfactory, taste, and other chemical sensations such as irritation

and chemical heat.

Food accompaniment

Refers to food that usually goes with the wine when drinking.

Fortification

Is the addition of distilled spirits to a wine either to stop fermentation and leave some residual sugars or to give some better keeping properties or to make

wine stronger.

Free-pour

To pour liquor for a drink without using a measure, estimating amounts by counting or other

method.

Garbage

A bit of fruit or vegetable added to a drink primarily for the sake of

appearance. It does not significantly enhance the flavor of

the drink.

Garnish

Is a bit of fruit or vegetable added to a drink principally to enhance

its flavor.

Generic

Are liqueurs without a protected name, recipe or bottle shape. They are produced cheaply and are priced

competitively.

Gin

Is a spirit distilled from grains flavored with botanicals, mainly juniper berries.

Go easy

Means to pour less of the mixer in the drink.

Grape over

Liquor poured over crushed or shaved ice.

Happy hour

Limited period of the day during which drink prices are marked

down.

Head

Refers to the thick, rich, creamy collar of gas bubbles that clings to the top of a

glass of beer; also foam.

Hot method

Is the method used to produce liqueurs by extracting flavors from ingredients such

as seeds and flowers by heat. An example of this method is distillation.

House wine

A specific wine a restaurant sells by the glass or carafe.

Infusion

Is a process by which flavorings are steeped in water.

Jockey box

Underbar cocktail-station unit, typically containing ice bin, speed rail, bottle wells, and cold plate for

a postmix system.

Keg

Half-barrel of beer, containing 15 ½ gallons.

Lacing

Refers to the marks left by the head on the glass as the beer is consumed.

Light

This refer to a drink with low alcohol content.

Liqueurs

Are alcoholic beverages made by mixing or redistilling various spirits with certain

flavoring materials.

Long drinks

Drink that are served in tall glasses.

Maceration

Is a process by which flavorings are steeped in alcohol.

Marry

To blend wines or spirits.

To add something to the liquor in a bottle.

Methode Champenoise

Means a traditional method of making sparkling wine, particularly Champagne, wherein fermented wine is bottled with

yeast cells and sugar to induce a secondary fermentation. When

fermentation is complete, the wine is aged, and the yeast sediment is

removed.

Mixology

The art or skill of mixing drinks containing alcohol.

Mocktail

Familiar cocktail without the liquor.

Muddle To mash and stir;

One muddles such things as mint leaves and other solids in order to make a suspension or a paste with fluid. A special pestle-like wooden

muddler can be used, but spoon will do.

Mull

To heat and spice a drink. Traditionally, the heating was

done by inserting a hot poker into the drink; today, mulled drinks are

usually heated on a stove.

Neat

Drink served directly poured from the bottle into the serving glass. Served without ice; not chilled.

Odor

Means the characteristic smell of a substance.

On the side

Spirit served with the mixer in separate carafe glass placed next

to the spirit.

Palate

In organoleptic evaluation, refers to the sense of taste.

Percolation

Is a process, which involves re-circulating the beverage spirits through a percolator,

which contains the raw materials.

Perfect

Half dry and half sweet as vermouth.

Proof

A measure of alcoholic content of spirit each degree of the proof

being ½ of the alcohol by volume of standard strength on quality or

alcoholic content.

Proprietary

Are mostly imported, expensive liqueurs with a distinctive recipe, bottle shape,

and brand name.

Pull date

Date a product should be pulled off shelves, after which it begins

to deteriorate.

Quinta

Is the farm / vineyard where Port is made.

Rémuage

Refers to the rotation of inverted bottles to get dead yeast into the bottle neck; also

riddling.

Rim

To decorate the rim of a glass with salt or sugar.

Sec

On a champagne label, “dry” (actually the wine is slightly

sweet).

Service bar

Bar pouring drinks for table service only, often out of public

view.

Shutting off (a drunk)

Professional bartenders call refusing to serve an intoxicated patron “shutting him off.” Also

called “cutting off.”

Soda

Water containing carbon dioxide.

Soda out

A drink topped with soda.

Solera System

Is the Spanish system of progressively blending Sherries in tiers of small casks-to blend Sherries of the same type but

varying ages (young and old).

Specialty

Usually any featured drink of the house. Refer to the cocktail of the

month.

Splash

Pour a little on top of a drink.

Straight-up

A spirit poured over ice, chilled or stirred, then strained into the

serving glass. The drink is chilled with ice but served without ice.

Sweet

Indicated preference for sweet vermouth.

Sweet soda

Sprite, 7-up, or comparable.

Sweet-sour mix

Bar substitute for sugar and lemon or lime in mixed drinks.

Tannin

Is the astringent, mouth-puckering compound that comes from the skin,

seeds and stalks of grapes. It is mostly present in red wines as these parts of the grape are largely excluded in white

and rose winemaking.

Tap

Means beer faucet.

Taste buds

Refer to the collection of modified epithelia cells, residing in a papilla on the tongue or soft palate, responsive to taste stimuli

and making synaptic contact with primary efferent taste nerves.

Tequila

Is a spirit distilled from fermented juice of the base or heart of the blue agave plant.

Top fermentation

Is a term that refers to the use of a type of yeast that generally will convert sugar to

alcohol and carbon dioxide at temperatures between 15.4 0C – 20.9 0C

(60 0F – 70 0F).

Touch

Refers to a dash or drop of any beverage ingredient.

Twist

Peel of lemon or orange or lime, cut thinly without the white part of the fruit and twisted in the center

on top of the drink normally dropped into the drink.

Vintage

Refers to the annual grape harvest and the wine made from it. The year frequently appears on wine label. Certain wines,

such as Port and Champagne, are blends of various years and bear vintage dates only when the wine comes from a

single outstanding crop.

Virgin

A drink prepared without alcohol.

Vodka

Is a spirit distilled from various grains and potatoes and other fermentable

materials.

Wheel

Slice of lemon, lime, or orange used as a garnish.

Wine steward

Person who handles customer’s wine orders and service;

sommelier.

Zest

A small thin piece of citrus peel with pith as possible. The essential oil

is squeezed on top of the drink, the peel is discarded. Thin outer skin of a lemon or orange containing

flavorful oils.

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