so how do you measure your dashes (of bitters etc)?

I go with 3-4 drops when coming from a dasher bottle like Angostura.

for liquids from other bottles (such as Pernod) I use a tad under 1/8 teaspoon (having to really eyeball it as my smallest measuring spoon is a 1/4 tsp).

A flip-of-the-wrist is a dash for me whether I'm using Angostura or any other brand of bitters.

A few years ago I heard something which has me wondering if a flip of the wrist is the same dash it used to be. I haven't done any verifying of this but supposedly the Angustura company increased the size of the hole in the top of the bottle and as a result their sales went up 30%!

Mixologist/bartender extraordinaire Toby Maloney argues that 1 dash = 3 drops. I have trouble tasting 3 drops of something in anything, so my dashes end up being a couple of solid shakes each. For DTB drinks calling for the old absinthe/Angostura combo, I bet I end up putting in 1/8 tsp. of each. I love me some bitters.

so how do those of you using a 'flick of the wrist' add Pernod etc. where the bottles are not stoppered?

On 2011-02-03 19:59, thePorpoise wrote:
so how do those of you using a 'flick of the wrist' add Pernod etc. where the bottles are not stoppered?

For Pernod, I use an eyedropper. Too much Pernod will ruin a drink so I don't take any chances.

I keep the Pernod well away from my mixing area while adding it to a cocktail. The stuff is dynamite!! The only ingredient that I really use in the dash form that much is bitters. With bitters I shake the hell out of the bottle with the top on. Take the top off the bitters and give a couple of good snaps into the shaker in an up and down nature. Wow, that doesn't sound to wholesome but works for me. I love the flavor of the bitters in cocktails that call for it.

An eyedropper is a must have.
I got a little bottle that had an eyedropper lid and put my Pernod and my bitters.

some reading
http://www.accuracyproject.org/pinchdash.html

I just started adding about 3-5 drops of angostra for my tv Mai tai's and love it.

here is an useful article re measuring a dash, with great comments spanning the gamut of human reactiono-commentarianism...:

http://www.adashofbitters.com/2007/03/03/how-much-is-a-dash/

I actually did do the dasher to dropper comparison about a year ago and confirmed that a reasonably hard dash from a standard sized and pretty full Ango bottle does consistently come close to 6 drops from an eyedropper. It was enough to convince me to finally stop measuring Pernod with an eyedropper and just put it in an empty Ango bottle for ready dashing. I also dash allspice dram that way.

The part about different bitters bottles having different sized holes is an important consideration and I am much more careful about drop by drop measurements with some of my other butters bittles whose dash volume I don't trust.

The whole "dash" versus "dropper" thing had me flummoxed for a while. Then another friend and I got into a discussion of sugar substitutes, and stevia extract, and I accidentaly found a really handy little squeeze bottle for my Pernod. This is a 2oz plastic bottle for the "NuNaturals" brand of pure stevia extract, and it has a really tiny opening which works great for dispensing drops. I remove the label and clean the bottle and then fill it with Pernod. To save money I have been mail-ordering these. There is usually a store online to be found that sells this for $8 tax-free and with shipping included.

So if you're trying to cut down on sugar, and you're looking for a handy little squeeze bottle for your Pernod and Ango, this might work well for you too.

"Finish your cocktail - there are sober children in India!"

Oh, and I picked up a set of these magnetic nesting measuring spoons over the weekend at Wally World. They go down to 1/8th and 1/16th teaspoon on the smallest one. I think I paid $3.50 for the set. Have used them once for Beachcomber Punch, the magnetic feature is kind of a hassle to me cuz I'm used to grabbing my bar tools quickly.

Be warned that Wally World is fickle with specialty stuff. Get things as soon as you see them because they turn over their specialty items and often never get the same designs back in stock.

On the other hand, a quick Google search just now revealed quite a number of other measuring sets available online. The only problem is that shipping kills the cost for small specialty items like this if you're shopping the web.

"Drink triple, see double, act single."

A) I use Herbsaint now instead of Pernod. It is a bit less intense and makes mixing easier.
B) A dash for me is essentially a quick "shake". Turn it up and back.
C) I use an old Angustura bottle for my Pernod/Absinth as well, and generally do a lighter dash. Slower.
D) If you use a bitters bottle and let a "drop" come out of it, I think it is a much smaller amount than an eye dropper. I will often use this to count drops as well for my Pernod/Herbsaint when the drinker is sensitive or the cocktail is more sensitive to variation. A 151 Swizzle vs a Rum Barrel or something large.

I do not use a measuring spoon any more if I can at all help it for these small amounts. It can't be done accurately. The meniscus , etc. means it is inconsistent and it is just too difficult to do. I wish there was a better way to measure out teaspoons, but that is not too difficult.

so how do you measure your dashes (of bitters etc)?

Carefully and with practice.

Step One:

Get over your fear of bitters. You are probably mixing two drinks at a time (or a double if you are like me) so for almost all of the bitters you would using the difference between two and three dashes is not going to make or break the drink.

Step Two:

For really strong flavors, or flavors that you don't generally like except in the smallest of measures like Pernod, pour the measure over your cutting board, not over the shaker. If you over pour and spill on the bar you simply have made a mess. If you over pour and spill into the shaker you have (potentially) ruined a drink.

Step Three:

Practice. Save your next empty bitters bottle. Fill it with water. Dash it into a measuring vessel and see how much you are actually dashing. I dash my bottles harder than some so I am getting, generally, a measure twice that of a more casual dasher. Which is fine for me because like I said I am mixing two at a time. When you figure out your dashing 'style' be consistent in how you dash your bitters. If you dash lightly you will need two dashes to get the 'full effect.' If you dash hard you will need to dash once for two drinks. Practice your dashes until you get them reasonably consistent. And then have faith in your dashing abilities and add that dash of bitters to the drink with confidence. If you don't get it quite right this time you will just to make another drink for more practice.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

If you're afraid you'll use too much, you can dash into a barspoon and then dump that in the drink.

I keep Herbsaint (which I prefer to Pernod) in a bitters bottle (on the left, next to the jiggers):

For me, it's always been a flip of the wrist. Pernod & Absinthe . . .I use a dropper.

for pernod et al I use either a 1/8 t or 1/4 t mearuing spoon.

for Ango et al I observe about 4 good droplets sploosh/stream out per dash.

but, i linked the above article bc i thought the comments were hilarious examples of internet human nature...

I go for the flip of the wrist method.

I often dash more than once with Angostura, unless I have made the cocktail a few times & found it requires just the one dash - I think the natural variance between dashes is likely to have a negligible effect.

Angostura are a supremely balanced bitters IMO. If you were to use Fees Bros, you need to take caution as they have some overly strong notes (Bitter Truth can also be strong).

If I'm making something like an Old Fashioned, ill count out 5/6 drops of 'tradition aromatic' bitters or dash away with Regans or Peychauds.

After seeing it on TC a while ago, I now put pimento dram in an angostura bitters bottle - works fine for drinks requiring small amounts (but then again my homemade stuff is softer than shop brought). Grenadine is unlikely to overpower a drink so I would think that would work fine in a dasher bottle.

I agree with an earlier poster a 'light dash' & a 'hard dash' are possible with bitters bottles, IMO making a drink over & over combined with taste should dictate what you do.

With Pernod, I use an eye dropper & either count the drops or use a full load (which is 1/8 tsp in the particular dropper I have). I have recently being trying out 2 or 3 sprays of absinthe from atomiser which I found works well (I use Absente Absinthe).

I'm looking to try white absinthe (which is apparently softer & sweeter). Can anyone recommend a good herbsaint to try too?