Home Bar Glossary: 21 Terms Explained
The words that show up in home bar specs, reviews and how-to guides, explained without jargon. Open any term for the full explanation and what to look for when buying.
- Bar spoon
- A long spiral-handled spoon used to stir cocktails, layer ingredients, and measure small amounts behind the bar.
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- Bitters
- A concentrated, highly aromatic infusion added to drinks in small dashes to add depth, balance and complexity.
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- Boston shaker
- A two-piece cocktail shaker made of a large metal tin and a smaller tin or mixing glass, favored by bartenders for speed.
- Read more about boston shakerRelated: Best Boston Shakers
- Build
- Assembling a drink directly in the glass it will be served in, stirring lightly rather than shaking or straining.
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- Clear ice
- Ice frozen directionally so air and minerals are pushed out, giving a dense, slow-melting cube that looks glass-clear.
- Read more about clear iceRelated: Best Clear Ice Makers
- Cobbler shaker
- A three-piece cocktail shaker with a built-in strainer and cap, easy for beginners but prone to sticking when very cold.
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- Dilution
- The water that mixes into a drink as ice melts during shaking or stirring, an intended ingredient rather than a flaw.
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- Double straining
- Pouring a shaken drink through both a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer to catch small ice chips and fruit pulp.
- Read more about double strainingRelated: Best Fine Mesh Strainers for Cocktails (2026 Buying Guide)
- Dry shake
- Shaking a cocktail without ice first, usually to emulsify egg white or aquafaba into a thick, stable foam.
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- Expression
- Squeezing or twisting a piece of citrus peel over a finished drink so its oils spray across the surface for aroma.
- Read more about expressionRelated: Best Citrus Zesters
- Hawthorne strainer
- A flat strainer with a coiled spring that fits over the top of a shaker tin to hold back ice while pouring.
- Read more about hawthorne strainerRelated: Best Hawthorne Strainers
- Jigger
- A small hourglass-shaped measuring tool, and also the name of the 1.5 oz measure it typically pours in American bar usage.
- Read more about jiggerRelated: Best Cocktail Jiggers
- Julep strainer
- A shallow, perforated spoon-shaped strainer designed to sit inside a mixing glass for straining stirred cocktails.
- Read more about julep strainerRelated: Best Julep Strainers
- Lewis bag
- A heavy canvas bag used to crush ice with a mallet, with the canvas absorbing meltwater so the crushed ice stays dry.
- Read more about lewis bagRelated: Best Lewis Bags for Crushed Ice (2026 Buying Guide)
- Muddling
- Gently pressing herbs, fruit or sugar in the bottom of a glass or shaker to release their oils and juice.
- Read more about muddlingRelated: Best Cocktail Muddlers
- Neat
- A spirit poured and served at room temperature, with no ice, water or mixer added at all.
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- Proof
- A US measure of a spirit's alcohol content, equal to double its alcohol by volume percentage.
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- Rimming
- Coating the outer edge of a glass with salt, sugar or another dry garnish before pouring in the drink.
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- Simple syrup
- Sugar dissolved into water, typically one part sugar to one part water, used to sweeten cocktails without gritty texture.
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- Speed pourer
- A spouted metal or plastic fitting pushed into a liquor bottle to give a controlled, consistent pour.
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- Up
- A drink shaken or stirred with ice, then strained into a stemmed glass with no ice, such as a coupe or martini glass.
- Read more about upRelated: Best Coupe Glasses