Jigger sizes and measurements
Compare common jigger sizes in oz and ml, learn how to read the measurement lines, and calculate what over-pouring costs your bar.
Reading the lines inside a jigger
The brim is the big measure; the lines are the small ones.
Many jiggers have lines etched inside one or both cups that mark smaller measures, such as ½ and ¾ oz inside a 1 oz cup, or 1¼ and 1½ oz inside a 2 oz cup. Metric jiggers mark 10, 15 or 20 ml the same way. The marks differ from one jigger to the next, so learn the ones on the jiggers at your station.
- Hold the jigger level and read the line at eye level.
- Fill to the line, and to the brim for the full cup. A brim pour on a cup with no headroom spills, so pour steadily and stop at the top.
- Check a new set before service: fill each cup and each line with water, pour it onto a gram scale (1 ml of water weighs about 1 g) and compare it with the mark.
- Keep one style of jigger per station, so a 1½ oz line sits in the same place for everyone.
How jigger accuracy moves your pour cost
The pour cost on the spec assumes the spec's pour. Over-pouring covers what a heavy hand costs a bar and how to test for it; here is one bottle at the Marlowe, which pours at 30 ml to the ounce.
None of that shows on the menu price. It shows in the count, as bottles used that sales don't explain. The pour cost calculator works out the cost of a drink at the spec, and shots per bottle shows how many pours each size should give.
Sources: UK measures, the Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988, article 3; 1 US fl oz = 29.5735 ml (NIST). Bottle price and the variance screen: the Marlowe, a sample bar.
How jigger accuracy moves your pour cost
| Buffalo Trace Bourbon, $31.83 for 750 ml | To spec, 1½ oz | Poured, 1¾ oz |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit in the glass | 45 ml | 52.5 ml |
| Cost of the pour | $1.91 | $2.23 |
| Pours per bottle | 16.7 | 14.3 |
| 40 pours a night, 5 nights | $63.66 a week more |
- Sarah Dawn MarsWrote this · Head of customer success and community
Sarah co-founded and ran Teresa Cocktail Bar, a Tales of the Cocktail nominee. She was also the first customer success hire at Loaded and now builds Overproof.
Jigger sizes chart
The common two-cup jiggers, small cup first, in fl oz and ml.
Scroll sideways for both cups.
| US jiggers | Small cup | Large cup |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 oz, the standard double jigger | 1 oz · 29.6 ml | 2 oz · 59.1 ml |
| ¾ and 1½ oz | ¾ oz · 22.2 ml | 1½ oz · 44.4 ml |
| 1 and 1½ oz | 1 oz · 29.6 ml | 1½ oz · 44.4 ml |
| ½ and 1 oz | ½ oz · 14.8 ml | 1 oz · 29.6 ml |
| ½ and ¾ oz | ½ oz · 14.8 ml | ¾ oz · 22.2 ml |
1 US fl oz = 29.5735 ml. Many specs round 1 oz to 30 ml; over a 2 oz pour the rounding is under 1 ml.
Metric jigger sizes
Scroll sideways for both cups.
| Metric jiggers | Small cup | Large cup |
|---|---|---|
| 25 and 50 ml, a UK single and double | 25 ml · 0.85 oz | 50 ml · 1.69 oz |
| 35 and 70 ml, the other UK single and double | 35 ml · 1.18 oz | 70 ml · 2.37 oz |
| 20 and 40 ml | 20 ml · 0.68 oz | 40 ml · 1.35 oz |
| 30 and 45 ml, Japanese style | 30 ml · 1.01 oz | 45 ml · 1.52 oz |
| 30 and 60 ml, Japanese style | 30 ml · 1.01 oz | 60 ml · 2.03 oz |
| 15 and 30 ml | 15 ml · 0.51 oz | 30 ml · 1.01 oz |
Jigger questions
How many ounces is a jigger?
It depends on the jigger. A common US double jigger measures 1 oz and 2 oz. In older usage a "jigger" alone means 1½ oz, the common US shot.
How many ml is a jigger?
A 1 oz cup is 29.6 ml and a 2 oz cup 59.1 ml. Common UK spirit measures are 25 ml and 50 ml, or 35 ml and 70 ml, depending on the premises: each bar uses one of the two for gin, rum, vodka and whisky.
What is the small side of a jigger called?
The small cup is often called the pony, a 1 oz measure in US usage, and the large cup the jigger. On a double jigger they are simply the small and large cups.
Is a free pour cheaper than a jigger?
Only if it lands on the spec, and a pour test with a graduated cylinder or a scale tells you whether your team's does.
See where the pours run over
In Jery, two counts and the sales between them show what each bottle should have poured and what went. The gap is listed by bottle and in money, so you know which jigger to check first.
| Unaccounted · Sep 13 to 27 | Bottles | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Trace Bourbon | 5.6 | $178 |
| Green Chartreuse | 1.3 | $90 |
| Tanqueray London Dry | 1.9 | $54 |
| Aperol | 1.4 | $36 |
| All 26 items | 2.7% | $382 |
Related tools and guides
- How many shots in a bottlePours per bottle for a fifth, a liter, a handle or a 70 cl bottle at any pour, with the cost of each pour.Tool · No sign-up
- Pour cost calculatorCost a cocktail ingredient by ingredient, then see its pour cost and margin at your menu price, with sales tax taken out.Tool · No sign-up
- Batch cocktail calculatorScale any cocktail spec for the freezer or speed rail. Work out dilution water, ABV and cost per serve, with a batch card to follow.Tool · No sign-up
- How to measure over-pouring with a pour testSee what an extra ¼ oz costs, find the drink to test first, run a pour test and fix the pours that miss.Guide · 10 min
- Inventory and ordering guidesHow to count a bar, set par levels, build the weekly order, receive deliveries and find where stock goes missing.Guides
- Stock & counts in JeryCount by tap, scan or out loud. Jery marks what's low or out against par and drafts the order for your rep.Product
Know which jigger to check first
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