Barware

Bar Spoon: an ideal tool for missing drinks. It has a long, thin handle, which is usually threaded to make it easier to grip and rotate.

Cocktail Shaker: a device that is closed by fitting its pieces together, then shaken to chill the drink and combine its ingredients.

Jigger: generally refers to the classic hourglass-shaped measuring device called a double-ended jigger, which comes in a range of ounce-based measurements.

Mixing Glass: a tall glass or metal container used to mix drinks – either by stirring with a bar spoon or capping and shaking as part of a Boston shaker – before straining them into a serving glasses.

Strainer: a tool that is placed over a shaker or glass to allow you to pour out the liquid while trapping any solid ingredients or slivers of ice, keeping them from escaping.
 

Glassware

Collins Glass: a tall, thin tumbler typically used for a mixed drink served with ice, especially the Tom Collins. 

Double Rocks Glass: a tumbler used for serving a double-shot mixed drink or larger old fashioned over ice.

Rocks Glass: a short tumbler used for serving a drink over ice.
 

Techniques

Cold-brewing Coffee: the process of steeping coffee grounds in room temperature or cold water for an extended period of time, typically 12 hours or more. Brewing at a lower temperature results in lower acidity and lower caffeine content; however, even though there is less caffeine extracted with the cold brew method, the higher coffee-to-water ration may compensate for this difference. Cold brew is essentially synonymous with coffee concentrate and is often referred to as such. 

Shaking: mixing a drink by putting the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, adding ice cubes, and shaking vigorously until it is ice cold. Be careful not to shake it longer than that – once it’s cold, it’s ready – since any more will overly dilute the drink.

Stirring: mixing a drink by stirring it with a bar spoon in a circular motion from the bottom, to chill it and combine the ingredients with minimal dilution.
 

Terminology

Dash: traditionally, cocktail recipes are written using dashes as measurements. Though they don’t have to be perfectly precise, one dash is equal to approximately 1/8 teaspoon. For our recipes, a dash is equal to about one half-full dropper.

Hand-Cut Citrus Zest: a small slice of citrus zest, often lemon or grapefruit, cut off with a peeler or – done the old-fashioned way – a paring knife and your thumb.

Shrub: an acidulated syrup made of vinegar, fruit, and sugar. Sweet and tart and versatile, it can be combined with water, alcohol or both.