Measured Magic: Why Every Great Drink Should Start With A Jigger
Whether it is the classic whisky sour or the famed gin and tonic, what works each time to make these drinks truly great is their precise flavour balance. And this balance comes simply by crafting these blends using the exact ingredient proportions laid out in classic recipes. What makes this precision possible in cocktail craft is the jigger or the tool used to measure and add ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
Inevitably, the jigger has become one of the most essential bartending equipment for a mixologist, to arrive at precisely flavoured and balanced blends. The role of a jigger in cocktail making thus cannot be overstated. So much so that when mixing a drink, one of the first tools that a bartender reaches for, to measure ingredient proportions is the jigger.
Read on below to know more about why jiggers shape the balance of some popular and favoured mixes and why they should be your first tool to head to while building cocktails:
Consistency In Every Pour
Jiggers are essentially measuring tools which are used for adding exact proportions of spirits and mixers into drinks. This function becomes particularly useful for a mixology novice hosting a gathering at home featuring different simple yet well-balanced mixes. What jiggers manage to achieve is a consistency in flavour because as a bartender, you would measure out the exact proportions of spirits, mixers and other infusions while making the same drink repeatedly, leading to the creation of different identical serves of the same cocktail.
Flavour Balance And The Golden Ratio
The most essential function of the jigger is balancing the flavours in a drink. Generally, ingredient proportions can make or break a cocktail because more amounts of a mixer might dilute the drink too much but adding too much of a spirit or liqueur might make its taste too tart or robust. So jiggers come in handy while blending those really precise, stand out mixes like a classic highball or a signature whisky sour or the favoured margarita which are made by following the 2:1:1 golden ratio.
Reduces Over Pouring
As well, jiggers perform another critical function of preventing the addition of excess ingredients in a mix. Sometimes, it can be slightly difficult to incorporate precise ingredient proportions going by visual inspection and there is a tendency to add more of a certain element like citrus juices or cordials while blending drinks which completely throw them off balance. It is here that jiggers have a critical role to play because they would enable a mixologist to add just enough of a particular ingredient which might be difficult if it is free-poured into a cocktail shaker or mixing glass.
Elevates Precision
Evidently, one of the most important uses of a jigger in blending drinks is precision. Mixology is all about blending the exact ratio of spirits to mixers to citruses or sweet syrups required to prepare the cocktail, which in turn lends the drink a perfectly balanced flavour profile. Using jiggers to measure out ingredients exactly as they are written in the recipe enables a mixologist to arrive at this precise balance of sweet, sour and bitter flavours.
Makes Experimentation Smoother
If you are an intermediate mixologist keen on experimenting with different cocktail blends, one way to craft really great mixes is to keep monitoring the changes made to a particular recipe. This is made possible when all the different ingredients are added to a cocktail shaker using a jigger. The instrument enables you to track the changes being made to a recipe so when you actually arrive at your preferred version, the measurements are available right there for recreating this balanced, inventive mix.
Also Read: Cocktail Basics: Tips To Pour Accurately Without A Jigger In Simple Steps
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
