How To Free Pour A Drink Like A Pro For Perfect Cocktail Portions

So, you're having a party and want to look like a pro while serving your thirsty guests. One of the quickest ways to do so is to free-pour their cocktails with perfect precision. For those who don't know, the free-pour — or counting — method is when bartenders eyeball their pour using a four-count cadence in their head. The generally accepted method suggests counting each number as ½ an ounce poured. Patience and practice are essential in mastering this technique, so we suggest practicing with water  to avoid waste alcohol. Counting "one-thousand" after each number will also help control the pour cadence. Once you can do this with consistent accuracy, move onto actual spirits since each has distinct viscosities that can influence the pour.

As a pro-tip, invest in a speed pour spout — they're an essential bar tool that can help you free-pour with accuracy, and they come in many varieties. Each has its own benefits and unique approach, with the most common being the long, metal kind. Generally, they help control the flow of each drink's pour, granting more precisely served drinks each time. Otherwise, there's a good chance patrons will be unevenly served, drinks inconsistently poured, or ingredients all over the counter — and nobody wants that.

One way to raise your bartending game is to impress friends with the tin spin trick. Otherwise known as the palm spin, this is when bartenders twirl the shaker in their palm when they pick it up. A well-executed multi-shot pour can also wow onlookers with technique and precision. To perform this trick, fill a stack of tins with the necessary ingredients, and give each tin enough ice to fill one glass. Then line up the rims of each stacked tin with the center of each glass, and pour. This is a harder than it looks, so start off with two or three shaker tins, then progress from there.

Smoke-infusing drinks like a pro is another way to inspire awe. The simplest method is burning flavored wood under a glass on a fire-safe surface. You can also get a smoking gun, which burns wood chips in a chamber before dispensing smoke via a rubber hose. However, we recommend smoke lids with a small vent that allows the wood chips' smoke to fill the glass with little mess and no escaping fumes. Smoking whiskey drinks is worth the effort since they already have similar traits. Alternatively, a dark or well-aged rum is also a solid choice since these have complementary traits of pronounced spiced oak, caramel, and vanilla.