The idea of “free pour” or “eyeballing” a cocktail might evoke a certain element of pride, but it is not beneficial for creating recipes nor does it make it easy to recreate the drink if requested.  Ensuring consistency in cocktails does two things: (1) it ensures cocktails have the same great taste each time they are ordered, and (2) it helps keep inventory under control.  Maintaining this discipline takes a careful eye, and can be done with a variety of tools, from normal kitchen trinkets (i.e measuring cups, measuring spoons, beakers) to definitive bar measures (i.e., jiggers, control pour spouts.)

Modern bar measures, or jiggers, is essentially a measuring cup noting common drink capacities, generally ranging from 1/4-ounce to 2 1/2-ounces.  It is common that jiggers will come with two ends of varying sizes to minimize the number of tools needed to make cocktails.  A standard jigger is 1.5 ounce on one side (aka “jigger shot”), and 0.75 ounce on the other (aka “pony shot”).  Other sizes measure 1 ounce on one end and 2 ounces on the other.

Jiggers usually will have smaller units of measure defined in them to make the ease of building drinks more efficient.  An example of this: a one-ounce side of a jigger might have markings for 1/4-ounce, 1/2-ounce, and 3/4-ounce under the 1-ounce mark.  Not all jiggers will have two sides, preferring a sleeker, beaker-style presentation.  Regardless of the measuring style preferred, it is essential to know the measures of each jigger, since the sizes can vary.  Knowing this will prevent from overpouring and messing up a cocktail.