Talking the Talk as a BASSET Certified Bartender

Every industry has lingo that is specific to those who work in it. As a bartender in Illinois, you’ll not only have to know your way around making a good drink for patrons, but also the jargon that comes with the position.

With BASSET On The Fly, not only will you learn the essentials of safely serving alcoholic beverages, but we also give you all of the tools and knowledge you need to succeed in your profession

Here are some of the most important terms you’ll need to understand before you start slinging drinks to your patrons.

 

Bruised

When you are making a drink for your guests, the last thing you want is a drink that is deemed ‘bruised.’ Bruised food like fruits and vegetables are considered undesirable, just like a bruised drink is. Fortunately, it’s simple to tell if you’ve bruised a drink. If it pours out of your shaker looking cloudy, you’ve shaken for too long and bruised the cocktail. Time to start over!

 

Cask Strength

Some of the best drinks are barrel or cask aged. However, the one thing you want to be aware of is the cask strength, aka, the alcohol volume of these liquors. Remember, cask-aged alcohol is much stronger than the average product, so make sure you know your cask strengths accordingly, so as not to unsafely over-serve a customer.

 

Lightning

Unlike the drinks discussed above, ‘lightning’ is a term for moonshine that is not barrel-aged. Since there was no cask involved in this liquor’s production, the consistency is clear rather than the brown or amber color of the average whiskey.

 

Bitters

Bitters is what perfects a cocktail! Often made from roots, barks and aromatics, these are the perfect way to liven up a classic Old-Fashioned or create a specialty cocktail with a hint of lavender or coveted elderflower flavors!

 

Jiggers & Free Pours

Most shots for a drink are measured out with the use of a jigger that provides guests with neat 1 ounce or 1 ½ ounce pours. This allows servers to safely gauge the strength of their drinks. Free pouring is exactly what it sounds like, pouring drinks without a measuring tool. This can be a riskier move, and its use should all depend on the experience a bartender has.

 

Learn These Essentials and More with BASSET On The Fly

BASSET On The Fly is Illinois’ premiere source for simple and affordable BASSET certification. Our online course makes learning alcohol service essentials manageable because your employees are able to complete the program on their own time. If you have new employees that need to get BASSET certified, register them today to get their career headed in the right direction.

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