What is a “shot” measurement?

So, what exactly is a “shot”? How do we measure a “shot” and… is it even a valid measurement?

You’ll find the range of a “shot” is anywhere from 25ml or 30ml all the way up to 44ml or maybe even 60ml. While it seems silly to fixate on the total milliliters of a standard “shot” it will make a difference on your expectations if you order a shot of whiskey or something at a bar.

Here in the United States that might be a 1.5 oz pour, but in the UK that’s going to be slightly less than 1 oz. Where “shots” as measures really break down is when you are not measuring by ratio. Sure, it’s quite easy to measure a shot if your cocktail recipe is 2:1:1 but it gets much more difficult if you need a 3/4 oz measure with a 2 oz measure in the same cocktail. This is where jiggers really come into the picture, because they have more accurate measures.

Of course, we have a video on learning to use a jigger properly. The jigger takes out all the guess work of trying to use an equal-volume shot glass and “guestimating” partial “shot” measurements. Remember, if you have a 2 ounce shot glass that starts thin and widens as it gets taller, a 1 ounce measure will take up a good portion of the glass, but the second ounce will take up far less at the top (because the wide top gives more surface area).

You’ll be able to create a quick an easy cocktail with the 2:1:1 golden ratio using a shot glass, as long as you have a shot glass that measure “1” part, then you can add your sour “shot”, a sweet “shot” and 2 “shots” of spirit, bingo!

For more videos like this, you can checkout our youtube channel Common Man Cocktails, as well as hit up our full 3 minute video series.