Just sit at a bar and listen to the casual conversation between the customers and the bartenders. Their words might sound like some kind of code. Even if you understand the words they’re saying in English, you might not understand the terms and expressions they\u2019re using (and you\u2019re certainly not going to find some of them in the dictionary).<\/p>\n
If you’re going to be a bartender, you’ll need to add these words to your vocabulary, too.\u00a0Be warned though, some of these words and phrases can have different meanings, depending on the context.<\/p>\n
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Back<\/em> is a word that can get confused with chaser<\/em>. A back is a non-alcoholic drink that accompanies an alcoholic one.<\/strong> It’s usually something like water, lemonade, coca cola or even pickle juice.\u00a0<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I’d like a gin with a pineapple juice back.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n A chaser<\/em> is a milder drink that is consumed immediately after a stronger alcoholic one.\u00a0<\/strong>It’s often drunk to enhance or reduce the flavors of the liquor that came before.<\/p>\n It can be the same things you’d drink as a back, or even a milder alcoholic drink, like beer. One popular example of a chaser is lime juice after tequila.\u00a0<\/p>\n Example:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Should we get orange juice as a chaser for the whiskey?<\/em><\/p>\n Cocktails<\/em> are\u00a0any mixed drink containing three or more flavors.<\/strong><\/p>\n Nowadays, the word cocktail is used for all kinds of mixed alcoholic drinks, from martinis to margaritas.<\/strong> But it originally referred to a drink made with “spirits, sugar, water and bitters.”<\/p>\n That means that a gin and tonic isn’t a cocktail! Some popular cocktails are apple martinis, black Russians, cosmopolitans and Manhattans.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n One mojito for me and a margarita for my friend, please.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n When you make a drink dirty<\/em>, you add an extra ingredient or change some of the essential ingredients to slightly alter the color and taste of it<\/strong>.\u00a0This change in ingredients makes the drink slightly tan, or dirty.<\/p>\n A dirty martini, for instance, contains olive juice, while a dirty mojito uses raw sugar instead of granulated white sugar.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n I’d like a dry martini. With a lot of olive juice, please. Let’s make it really dirty!<\/em><\/p>\n Dry<\/em> is a very simple and straightforward adjective that refers to a drink that lacks the qualities to make it sweet<\/strong>. For instance, a dry martini is used with dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth.<\/p>\n This term is often associated with martinis, but can also refer to wine or Manhattans.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, I’ll take a dry martini\u2014er, wait, make that two dry martinis.<\/em><\/p>\n A basic mixed drink such as a gin and tonic can be served long<\/em>,\u00a0<\/strong>which means that more mixer than usual is added to the standard amount to dilute (thin out) the alcohol content<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Also, long drinks are served in a long glass but have less alcohol content than a short drink.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ll have a Tom Collins, long.<\/em><\/p>\n To have a drink served neat<\/em>\u00a0means to have it\u00a0out of the bottle into a glass served at room temperature without ice.<\/strong>\u00a0This way, you can enjoy the full flavor of the drink as it\u2019s presented.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s important to clarify that\u00a0neat<\/em> is used only with spirits.\u00a0<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n I always order my whisky neat. I prefer it at room temperature.<\/em><\/p>\n On tap<\/em> refers to when beer is poured from the tap rather than a bottle or can. <\/strong>That means that the beer is usually coming from a keg or barrel and is likely to be fresher. The beer itself is called draft beer<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n What do you have on tap?<\/em><\/p>\n No, we’re not talking about actual rocks or stones of any kind. To have a drink on the rocks <\/em>means to have a drink\u00a0poured over ice<\/strong>.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>This is\u00a0most commonly used with scotch or whisky, but it can be used with other drinks, too.<\/p>\n This expression probably comes from the days when ice cubes were chipped off of a larger block of ice or rock. As it became more famous, it turned into a more popular way to order whisky.<\/p>\n Examples<\/strong>:<\/p>\n I’d like some Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks, please.<\/em><\/p>\n Oh, I love my scotch served on the rocks. It tastes so much better!<\/em><\/p>\n Short<\/em> drinks are, basically, served in a short glass with ice and the standard measurement of spirits and mixers.<\/strong> These short drinks usually include a liquor such as amaretto or coffee for extra flavor.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n And I’ll take a Black Russian, short.<\/em><\/p>\n A mixed<\/em> drink is basically a drink with two or more mixed ingredients.<\/strong> They can even be non-alcoholic.\u00a0Some popular types of mixed drinks are cobblers\u2014drinks made with wine or sherry, citrus juice and sugar.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you have any recommendations for a mixed drink?<\/em><\/p>\n When we’re talking about “spirits,” we’re not actually talking about a ghost or something haunting your basement or attic. Spirits<\/em> refer to\u00a0any unsweetened distilled alcoholic drink such as vodka, gin, brandy, whisky or tequila.<\/strong><\/p>\n Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, you should try\u00a0a mixed drink with less sugar, such as vodka with club soda.<\/em><\/p>\n This store only\u00a0sells wines and spirits.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Drinkers tend to confuse this term with neat<\/em>.\u00a0When a drink has been chilled through by stirring or shaking and then strained into a glass and served without ice<\/strong>, that’s a drink served straight up<\/em>\u00a0or just up<\/em>.<\/p>\n Since both types of drinks are served without ice, you can see why people tend to get confused, but you don’t stir or shake a drink served neat.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ll have a bourbon, straight up, please. No, not straight up. Just a little ice.<\/em><\/p>\n Topless<\/em> is a term used mostly with specific drinks like a margarita.\u00a0If you prefer your margarita without any salt on the rim of your glass<\/strong>, then you should ask for a topless or a naked<\/em> margarita.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n Bartender: How would you like your margarita? <\/em><\/p>\n Customer: I would like a topless margarita.<\/em><\/p>\n This refers to the most expensive and best-quality liquor in the bar.<\/strong> Top-shelf<\/em> liquors are usually (but not always!) on the highest shelf, hence the name. This expression can also be used for something that is of the best quality in general.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s order the top-shelf whiskey for once!<\/em><\/p>\n A twist<\/em> is a lemon rind that is served with a drink for extra flavor and decoration.<\/strong> It’s usually a longer piece that curls, which is where it got its name.<\/p>\n Example:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ll have a martini with a twist, please.<\/em><\/p>\n A virgin<\/em> drink is a very innocent one, since it’s a drink served without any alcohol in it.<\/strong><\/p>\n So, if anyone asks for a virgin Cuba libre (like\u00a0Sheldon did in this clip<\/a> from the “Big Bang Theory”), they’re asking for rum and Coke without the rum. In other words,\u00a0just a Coke served in\u00a0a tall glass with a lime wedge.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n One virgin pi\u00f1a colada, please!<\/em><\/p>\n Well<\/em> drinks are made with the house liquor, which means the least expensive liquor behind the bar.<\/strong> A well drink could also be a drink where neither the brand of the liquor or the mix is mentioned, such as rum and Coke.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n I wouldn’t order the well drinks in that bar. They use the cheapest stuff they can find.<\/em><\/p>\n Along with the words above, you’ll probably hear some of the phrases that follow.<\/p>\n Whenever a bartender is behind the stick<\/em>, it means he or she is working behind the bar doing some actual bartending<\/strong>\u00a0(instead of other tasks).<\/p>\n Behind the stick is a slang expression that might originally refer to the tap handles bartenders used for pulling glasses of beer, but its origins aren’t clear.<\/p>\n Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n Hey, are you going to be behind the stick tonight?<\/em><\/p>\n No, I’m not actually working at the bar tonight!<\/em><\/p>\n Despite being no longer common, the finger method is an interesting piece of bar history. The expression comes from the American saloons in the Old West (1830s to 1920) where you would order whiskey and the bartender would pour the amount to the width of his two fingers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So, for example, if you walked into a bar and requested two fingers of<\/em> whiskey, you would have gotten a straight, room-temperature spirit in an old-fashioned glass filled to the height of two of the bartender’s fingers.<\/p>\n Since bartenders have different sizes of fingers, serving lacked consistency. But recently, there has been an effort to standardize the finger pour method again, so maybe it will become more recognized as the drinking culture evolves.<\/p>\n Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n Give me two fingers of your finest sippin’ whiskey, barkeep!<\/em><\/p>\n This expression<\/a> refers to a method for mixing drinks. When you’re building a drink, you start with ice and then build<\/em> it by adding the spirit and mixers.<\/strong><\/p>\n For example, if you’re building a martini, you pour it in a mixing glass, then add the ice, the gin and the vermouth.<\/p>\n This is another method<\/a> of mixing a drink. When you roll<\/em> a drink, you first put the drink in the mixing glass and then gently pour it into a shaker tin or another mixing glass to mix things together<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For example, a Bloody Mary is usually rolled because if we shake them, the tomato juice foams up.<\/p>\n Last call<\/em> is an expression used to refer when it’s about time for bartenders to close things up<\/strong>. It’s a warning from the bartender to the customers to order their last drinks, as the evening is wrapping up and the establishment is about to close for the day.<\/p>\n Every bar and establishment has their own way to give a last call. Some don’t even announce it orally (out loud) but instead ring a bell or flash the lights!<\/p>\n A bartender doesn\u2019t simply make drinks and put money in the tips jar. The main role of a bartender is to provide welcoming and warm customer service. In other words, to give their guests the best nights of their lives.<\/p>\n Knowing how to make drinks<\/a> is connected to this role, but it’s only part of it. Here are some language and communication skills that will help you provide an outstanding customer service experience and separate you from other bartenders:<\/p>\n How to Order Drinks in English: 50 Essential Words and Phrases<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nChaser<\/h3>\n
Cocktail<\/h3>\n
Dirty<\/h3>\n
Dry<\/h3>\n
Long<\/h3>\n
Neat<\/h3>\n
On tap<\/h3>\n
On the rocks<\/h3>\n
Short<\/h3>\n
Mixed drink<\/h3>\n
Spirits<\/h3>\n
Straight up<\/h3>\n
Topless \/ naked<\/h3>\n
Top-shelf<\/h3>\n
Twist<\/h3>\n
Virgin<\/h3>\n
Well<\/h3>\n
Essential Phrases for Bartenders<\/h2>\n
Behind the stick<\/h3>\n
Two fingers of…<\/h3>\n
Building a drink<\/h3>\n
Rolling a drink<\/h3>\n
Last call!<\/h3>\n
Language and Communication Skills Bartenders Need<\/h2>\n
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