The dash - what is it?

Last night I made a few Mai Tais from the Don the Beachcomber book's recipe:

1.5 oz. Appleton Estate rum (I used Extra this time as I was out of Special and V/X)
1 oz. Cuban rum (I used Havana Club 3-year but the recipe suggests Pusser's as a substitution if it's unavailable)
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice (I used bottled)
1/4 oz. Falernum (I used John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum - it's the best!)
1/2 oz. Cointreau
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash Pernod
Shake with 1 cup cracked ice and pour contents into double old-fashioned glass. Add shell of squeezed lime, four sprigs mint, and pineapple spear.

My dilemma was how much Pernod to add. A dash, according to Trader Vic's bartender guide, is an eighth of a teaspoon when measuring bitters, but it's 1/4 ounce when measuring simple syrup, grenadine, orgeat, or lemon juice. The first batch I made I used 1/4 oz. per drink and the Pernod flavor was too strong. The next batch I made I used 1/8 teaspoon per drink and I couldn't tell there was Pernod in it. I would say that it depends how much you like the taste of Pernod, but it shouldn't be too noticeable, so I would think that about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon would be enough.

What do you think?

Hi Jab,
I know you are quite the mixologist yourself, so this is just another opinion.
For me, a dash is one count of a 3 poor count (example, counting silently (bottle with poor spout). 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000 in time, would be a standard shot).
Or another term, in my experience could be “a splash”. This does not answer your question in “exact measurements”, but it has always worked for my customers where I bartend , Carmel/Pebble Beach, CA.
I have all these ingredients at my tiki bar and look forward to making this drink.
Thanks for the recipe.

Jab,
Check out this really cool website I found by accident when I did a search for "dash"
A definite bookmark!

http://www.sotallytober.com/mybar/

A Tiki Cheers To You

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2004-02-08 19:58 ]

1/8th of a teaspoon=4 drops.

I think of a dash as more than a pinch but less than a smidgeon. But that only works with dry ingredients. I'm not used to the "dash measuring system" as it applies to liquids. If I had to guess, I would say a dash is about as much Vermouth as I put in my martini (but I usually like "dirty" martinis) so we're probably talking 1/2 tspn. When a recipe says "dash" it means the same as "to taste". In other words...it's up to you. Like when I make chili, I'm sitting there eating and thinking "hmm, this turned out pretty mild" while the person next to me is turning red and starting to form a puddle of sweat. I just seasoned "to taste"...MY TASTE!

TheJab~

Just wondering...

You said 1/4 ounce was too strong, and 1/8 tsp. was not noticable (in comparison to the "1/4 ounce" drink). Did you try making the whole drink minus the Pernod altogether? Then you can see (taste) if the Pernod is truly missing from the flavor of the drink in comparison to the drink made with 1/8 tsp..

On the website I posted , they say a dash = 1/32 ounces

*On 2004-02-08 20:28, SugarCaddyDaddy wrote:*Did you try making the whole drink minus the Pernod altogether? Then you can see (taste) if the Pernod is truly missing from the flavor of the drink in comparison to the drink made with 1/8 tsp..

No, but I can see your point. Often in good tropical drinks you don't want to be able to taste any one flavor easily - it's the subtle blend of flavors that's important.

I think Shipwreckjoey's "to taste" may be a good strategy in this case. I feel it needs a bit more than 1/8 teaspoon, but a lot less than 1/4 ounce. Next time I'll try 1/2 a teaspoon and if I can taste the Pernod strongly it may be too much. In any case, it's fun to experiment! And this Mai Tai recipe gives Trader Vic's original some good competition. But I still don't buy the book's claim that Don the Beachcomber invented it.

Thanks for your input everyone!

Here's the definition of dash that I came across:

*Dash or Splash

Universal terms for small amounts. There are approximately 36 dashes in one ounce. When a recipe calls for a variable amount of dashes, for example 2 - 4 dashes grenadine, this indicates that you are seasoning to taste. A splash is slightly larger than a dash, but considered to be less and 1/2 oz.*

I've also found the following equivalents for dash: 4-5 drops, 6 drops, 1/16 tsp, somewhere between 1/16 and a scant 1/8 teaspoon, just a few drops, a flick of the wrist (for bottles with shaker top).

Here's a site with a visual comparison of dash, splash, 1 oz Awesome Drinks - dash

I personally use a small glass dropper, and use the 4-5 drops definition. All definitions pretty much seem to be more than 1/16 tsp, but less than 1/8 tsp. If the bottle has a shaker top, such as bitters, then I use the "quick flick of the wrist".

[ Edited by: Traderpup on 2004-02-09 12:49 ]

Oh dash it all...This is quite cornfeuzin"

It's almost as confusin' as the definition of a jigger!

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic-new.php?topic=6928&forum=1

On 2004-02-08 19:58, Unga Bunga wrote:
Check out this really cool website I found by accident when I did a search for "dash"
http://www.sotallytober.com/mybar/

I dunno... check out their version of a mai tai...

I was playing with the feature where you tell them what you have in your bar and they tell you what drinks you can make.

I entered 'light rum', 'dark rum', 'orgeat', 'lime', and 'triple sec', and Mai Tai did not come up as a possibility. Nor did it come up as a "if you had one more ingredient you could make a..." possibility or a "if you had two more...", or even a "if you had three more...".

That said, they recommend Cointreau, definitely a step up from the T-Sec... but then again: raspberry syrup?

On 2004-02-08 16:49, thejab wrote:

My dilemma was how much Pernod to add. [...] The first batch I made I used 1/4 oz. per drink and the Pernod flavor was too strong. The next batch I made I used 1/8 teaspoon per drink and I couldn't tell there was Pernod in it. I would say that it depends how much you like the taste of Pernod, but it shouldn't be too noticeable, so I would think that about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon would be enough.

What do you think?

Haven't tried Don The Beachcomber's Mai Tai but I often mix another of his drinks containing the Angostura/Pernod combination - The Beachcomber's Punch. This drink calls for 1/8 teaspoon (½ ml) Pernod which IMO is too much since the anis flavor dominated the drink and I've now settled using about a drop less which actually makes a big difference (!)

I would also say that it depends on the other ingridients in a drink on how strong the Pernod flavor comes through.

Shipwreckjoey wrote:
I think of a dash as more than a pinch but less than a smidgeon.

Pretty close SWJ. From the smallest measurement to the largest is:
smidge(on), pinch, dash, tad.

TheJab~

I have a set of stainless steel measuring spoons from Williams Sonoma, made by Amco, that has the measurement for a "smidge", a "pinch" and a "dash". Unfortunately, you have to pick these up at the store directly since they are not available on-line. Only $6 +tax.

Smart & Final also has a set, but with the additional measuring spoon of a "tad". The drawback to this is that it only comes in their complete measuring spoon set, which I believe is 14 pieces, for $14 (still a great price for a Stainless Steel set), and you can only pick it up at the store only, no on-line ordering.

Just my 2 dashes of coconut worth.

On 2004-02-08 20:06, Shipwreckjoey wrote:
I'm not used to the "dash measuring system" as it applies to liquids

I remember in 1972 when I was in 6th grade (the first time) and our teacher said the the U.S. would soon be converting to the 'dash measuring system' because the rest of the world already was.

My step-father went to Sear's and bought a set of dash sockets and allen wrenches. He still has never used them (hope he kept the receipt).

The dash system always seemed like you were getting a good deal at the gas station though. Premium gas was only .001 cents per dash; unfortunately it takes 34,000,000 dashes to fill my truck.

(I think the killer bees made off with the dash instructional material the U.S. needed to implement it)

On 2004-04-22 14:10, Tiki_Bong wrote:

On 2004-02-08 20:06, Shipwreckjoey wrote:
I'm not used to the "dash measuring system" as it applies to liquids

(I think the killer bees made off with the dash instructional material the U.S. needed to implement it)

Damn those killer bees! I swear they're coming! This is the year! I know I said it last year, but, this is definitely the year! Look out! Killer Bees!

Martiki, come on down to San Diego, we've got'em already. I don;t think they'll get up to SF, 1 of those August frosts'll kill'em.

Surely a 'Dash' applies to the rapid wrist-movement - while the hand is connected to the bottle - that's directed above the glass - that's about to receive said liquid - into a concoction that's designed to spread merriment throughout all present?

Or in other words, the dash is the barman's perogative. Any so-called 'measurement' is intrinsically wrong.

Trader Woody

Damn that My Bar site. I got so excited, and it said I could make 44 drinks.

I have more than 44 liquors in my bar (about 1/4 of that rums), I could make 44 drinks with water and vodka!

and a dash is the bartender's deal. In my opinion, however, lay super light on the Pernod. If you can't distinguish its flavor, you've done the job right : )