Jigger

What a jigger actually means

A jigger is the little metal cup a bartender uses to measure liquor. Most jiggers have two sides: a bigger one and a smaller one. Common combos are 1 oz / 2 oz, 0.75 oz / 1.5 oz, and 1 oz / 1.5 oz. It is the single most important tool for running a tight pour cost.

Jiggers are cheap. They cost less than a bottle of liquor. Any bar claiming it cannot afford accuracy has not done the math.

How it is used on the floor

The bartender picks up the jigger, tips the bottle into the side that matches the spec, fills to the rim, and dumps it into the glass or mixing tin. Done properly, a jigger pour is accurate within 0.05 oz every single time.

Jigger pouring is standard in craft cocktail bars and any restaurant program that cares about consistency. It adds about 1 to 2 seconds per drink versus free pouring, which is worth it for 95 percent of operators.

Common sizes

Standard jigger sizes by region and use:

• 1 oz / 0.5 oz: small cocktail programs, modifiers
• 1.5 oz / 0.75 oz: the classic American cocktail jigger
• 2 oz / 1 oz: high-volume wells and big-pour bars
• 1.5 oz / 1 oz: the most common in the US

Japanese-style jiggers (taller, narrower) are more accurate but slower. OXO angled jiggers let you see the measurement from above and are popular for training.

The math in favor of jiggering

A free-pour bar with 0.25 oz of variance per drink loses about $2,000 a month on $60,000 in liquor sales. Switching to jiggers eliminates 80 percent of that variance instantly. The monthly recovery covers the cost of jiggers for the entire bar in about 45 minutes.

Example: a 12-seat craft cocktail bar that swapped from free pouring to jiggers cut pour cost from 24 percent to 20 percent in one month. On $45,000 in monthly liquor sales, that is $1,800 a month of recovered margin.

Common mistakes

Under-filling the jigger (“just under the rim” is not a spec). Dumping too fast and leaving liquor in the jigger. Using the wrong side for the wrong drink. Not training new hires on proper jigger technique.

How PourIQ handles it

PourIQ recipe specs are built around exact ounces, which makes jigger bars easy to cost accurately. When your recipes and your pours both hit the same number, theoretical and actual pour cost line up, and variance reports actually mean something.