Bartending Terms

These are the major cocktail drink terms.  Learn how to make hundreds of popular mixed drink recipes at American Bartenders School. Read the reviews posted online by our students and call to become a bartender today!

Call Drink: A drink where the liquor used is named by the customer. (i.e. Chivas and water, Bacardi and Coke)

Chaser: A mixer that is consumed immediately after a straight shot of liquor to create a different taste.

Cocktail: Any of various alcoholic beverages consisting usually of brandy, whiskey, vodka, or gin combined with fruit juices or other liquors and often served chilled.

Collins: Type of sour that is served in a tall glass with ice and soda water.

Cooler: A drink consisting of ginger ale, soda water, and a fresh spiral or twist of citrus fruit rind, served in a collins or highball glass.

Frappé: A partially frozen, often fruity drink. It is usually a mixture of ingredients served over a mound of crushed ice.

Highball: Any spirit served with ice and soda water in a medium to tall glass (often a highball glass).

Mist: liquor served over a glass filled with crushed ice, often a way of serving liqueur as an after dinner drink.

Neat/Shoot: The consumption of a spirit as a straight, unaccompanied shot.

On The Rocks: A wine or liquor poured over ice cubes.

Shooter: A straight shot of whiskey or other kind of spirit taken neat  Also the name of type of drink using various liquors served in a shooter glass without ice.

Sour: A short drink consisting of liquor, lemon/lime juice and sugar.

Super call or Premium call: Usually very expensive liquor the customer request.

Virgin: A non-alcoholic drink.

Well Drink: When a customer requests a drink and doesn’t specify particular liquor. (I.e. Scotch and Soda, Rum and Coke)

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