Pouring spouts

For each station, decide what matters more: speed or control. Free-flow pourers let the drink flow freely, so you can dose by counting. This works quickly, keeps you flexible, and is standard in cocktail bars. If you want to control your margins more precisely or have changing staff doing the pouring, choose a pourer with a fixed measure that cuts off at 20, 35, or 50 ml.

Then consider the flow rate. A fast-flow pourer fills faster and is convenient at a busy tap, while a medium- or slow-flow pourer gives you more time to count and therefore less variation. For thick liquids such as syrup and liqueur, choose a wider opening; otherwise, it will clog. If you prefer to use a separate measure, see the jiggers or the pour measures.

Check your dose once with a measuring cup before you start pouring by count. On most free flow spouts four counts comes to about 4 cl, but that differs per model and per amount still left in the bottle; a full bottle runs faster than a half-empty one.

Bring the bottle up in one smooth movement and set it upright again in one go. Hesitating halfway gives an uneven stream and therefore an uneven measure. Always seat a spout firmly on the neck so no air can pass alongside it, and use a cap as soon as the bottle goes back on the shelf; that keeps fruit flies and dust out and stops sugar from drying inside the spout.

Alongside plain stainless steel there are plated versions in black, copper and gold. Those sit more quietly on a dark bottle shelf, but the finish lasts longer if you wash them by hand rather than sending them through the machine.

Pour spouts are consumables. Rubber and plastic corks expand, discolour and start leaking over time; natural cork dries out and shrinks. Rinse spouts that come into contact with syrup or liqueur through daily with hot water and keep a spare stock behind the bar, so a leaking spout does not hold up your shift.

If you’re looking for the rest of your station rather than just the pour spouts, you’ll find it under cocktail supplies and the peripheral equipment under bar accessories . If you’d first like to see how free pouring relates to building a drink, read thebar tools page and the recipe for a Negroni , in which three equal parts immediately let you taste whether your measurements are correct or whether you consistently pour too heavily., waarin drie gelijke delen meteen laten proeven of je maat klopt of dat je structureel te zwaar schenkt.