a tippler’s life for me : pour spouts
November 2, 2006 by Cash
I’m constantly looking for ways to improve my home bar. Stocking it with quality booze is, naturally, very important.
But there are a lot of other things I’ve done to enhance the experience of drinking at my place, especially when entertaining.
A bartender friend of mine turned me on to one of the most important, and surprisingly least expensive additions to my arsenal.
A pour spout is a small, typically metal and rubber device that slips into a bottle and will change the way you think about making drinks.
In addition to giving your liquor cabinet a more ‘professional’ and upscale look, pour spouts are also a very practical item.
They allow you to pour the perfect amount of liquor quickly and easily.
Most cocktails today call for 1 1/2 oz of a base spirit plus a mixer or two.
Rather than using a shot glass (which must be rinsed if making different cocktails, and can also be messy if overfilled) to measure, consider switching to pour spouts.
HOW TO USE
Using a pour spout couldn’t be simpler.
- Invert the bottle over the cocktail shaker / glass (Turning it completely upside down is the best way to insure a smooth pour)
- Begin counting. For 1 1/2 oz you’ll be counting to six.
- When you’ve reached ‘5′, begin to turn the bottle right side up.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
- For 1 oz, count to 4. 1/2 oz; count to 2, etc.
- Hard spirits like vodka, gin, tequila etc, can (and in my opinion SHOULD) be stored in the freezer. Liqueurs and the like cannot be since their lower alcohol content allows them to freeze. If you’ve got a pour spout on a bottle that’s left out, make sure you have a ‘cap’ on the spout. (You can use a small piece of a sandwich bag). This prevents notoriously thirsty fruit flies from getting into your precious liquor.
- Nothing looks cooler than pouring from multiple bottles at the same time. This is especially dazzling for drinks that call for the same amount of several spirits, like a Long Island Iced Tea.
- Pour spouts can be found at finer liquor stores, and of course online.
Drink hard, drink often.
If intrested you can have the Stoli Blueberri thing I told you about (although you will have to earn it);o
No tequila in the freezer!
Greg: Eh, good point. I don’t keep my scotch in there either.
Catherine: I bet we can work something out
Why would you put any spirits in the freezer? Jagermeister can go in the freezer, but if you’re necking Jager you don’t really care about flavor anyhow.
Dan, totally agreed regarding Jagermeister (gag).
As far as storing liquor in the freezer, I do it just to make sure my cocktails are as icy as possible.
Some people actually drink martinis (I’m not a fan of ‘traditional’ martinis, aka just gin or vodka in a glass with a hint of vermouth) and for that purpose, it also makes the liquor more palatable to be super chilled.
Thanks for the comment!
I’m saying nuetral spirits in the freezer since we’re not really going for complexities with those.
True dat.
Pour spouts like what one sees in the bar are indeed essential to better bartending. Not only do they allow you to monitor your own drinking but of those of whom you are most likely responsible for , as they are at your crib, boozing it up.
Always insert the pour spout pointing to the right. Face the bottle, of course, then slip it in. If you are pouring in an outdoor/patio/boat situation, keep the screw on lids from the bottles of liquor to prevent the dreaded fruit fly flight of death, (they get into the booze and they die in a drunken stupor. No one wants dead bugs in their Mexican Martinis!)
There are small rubber tip caps that can be ordered online, too.
**this thread was posted live from Lake Travis, Texas.
Cheers and Don’t Drink and Drive
Zade