The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) uses several historical measurements that differ from modern standards, so converting these to contemporary units is essential for accurate recreations. Craddock’s recipes feature units like “dashes,” “wineglasses,” “glasses,” and “liqueur glasses,” which require interpretation. Modern bartenders have standardized these old terms to ensure consistency.
For instance, a “dash” in Craddock’s recipes is now generally taken as 1/32 of an ounce, or about 0.9 milliliters. The “wineglass” refers to 2 ounces, or approximately 60 milliliters. A “teaspoon” is another common measurement, typically converted to about 1/6 of an ounce or 5 milliliters today. These conversions ensure that smaller measurements in the book can be precisely replicated in modern bars or home settings.
The “glass” or “liqueur glass” is a more ambiguous unit, but generally, it is interpreted as 1.5 to 2 ounces, or around 45 to 60 milliliters in modern terms. This is a crucial conversion, especially since Craddock often used the term to refer to the base spirit or key ingredient in cocktails. By translating these historical measurements into more standardized ounces and milliliters, modern cocktail enthusiasts can faithfully recreate Craddock’s classic recipes while maintaining the intended balance of flavors.
To measure ingredients using parts, you can:
- Choose a basic measurement for “1 part”
- Divide or multiply other ingredients to maintain the ratio
For example, if “1 part” is a full jigger, then two jiggers would be “2 parts” and half a jigger would be “1/2 part”. When deciding on the part size, it’s helpful to consider the size of the finished cocktail and how much ice will be needed.
One fluid ounce is technically 29.5735296 milliliters, but it’s commonly rounded to 30 milliliters. Both are common measurements for cocktails.
The hooker was a unit of measurement for alcohol before Prohibition in the United States, and was equal to 2.5 imperial fluid ounces (5 tablespoons).
Here are some other units of measurement for alcohol:
- Jigger: A jigger is typically 1.5 US fluid ounces, but can also be 2.0 US fluid ounces. The larger end of a jigger is usually 1.5 ounces, and the smaller end is 0.75 ounces.
- Gill: A gill is a unit of measurement for liquids that is equal to one-fourth of a standard pint, or four ounces.
- Jack: A jack is a unit of measurement that is historically equivalent to two jiggers, half a gill, or handfuls.
- Snit: A snit is a unit of measurement that is equivalent to two jiggers.
See also: Traditional Units of Measure (pertaining to mixology)