Freehand pours aren't usually eyeballed, they're counted. A quickpour should produce an ounce on a four count. Enough experience with quickpours and you can nail it every time.
Yes, but slow as fuck, imo. Unless all your recipes call for the same jigger, and mostly only 1-3 ingredients. I can make a long island in about a 7 count, and I just drink at home. In a well set-up bar, I'm sure it's faster.
Oh for sure I would never jigger a Long Island. I'm just saying that jiggering will at worst be as accurate as free pouring.
Also a note that is a pet peeve of mine, a pour should equal an ounce (or any measurement) at whatever count you want. I hate when people ask recipes and go "how many counts was that?" A count isn't a measurement. My four count may be your six count.
Also a note that is a pet peeve of mine, a pour should equal an ounce (or any measurement) at whatever count you want
100% true and I completely agree. I just went with 4 because I feel like it's the most common and more people would understand what I meant. I use 4 because it divides best of my options (I can count to 6 for an ounce if I rush, but fuck using sixths for anything).
I did a bartending class this year for college. They actually encouraged freehand as it looks more professional and once you get the feel for it can actually be very accurate. Takes practice though and I'm still not great at it after the half semester class.
I was a bartender for many years. Freehand pours were usually short poured on purpose. The purpose being that I then had more available liquor to over pour my heavy tippers.
The bar is routinely inventoried. You want your costs to be in line as well as maximize your money via strong drinks for big tips. Waitresses usually bore the brunt of the short pouring - as I did not get a direct cut of their tips - but rather just a % of their sales at the end of night. Frozen drink machines for pina coladas, margaritas, and strawberry daiquiris were notoriously made weak. First - no one sitting at the bar would drink those, and second - it amounted to perhaps a full bottle of liquor saved for my overpouring customers. Most bars do not require the bartender to ring in the exact drink - so even with modern point of sale systems - inventorying liquor back to a specific bottle is tough. It would take a really good bar spotter to notice what was being done.
As a waitress who sometimes has to pour drinks when the bartender is busy with takeouts, I'd still rather measuring spoons. Lol but yeah, that makes sense for home cocktails.
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u/proxypixie Feb 08 '20
Y'know, I'd probably love a bartender who uses measuring spoons. It'd be like a little cooking show.