22 Essential Terms You Need To Know When Ordering At The Bar

Drinking at bars is a lot of fun — if you know what you're doing. While you can certainly get away with just asking for a can of beer or telling the bartender you'll have what your friend is having, drinking is a much more enjoyable experience when you have a little bar-lingo knowledge under your belt. After all, feeling embarrassed when you order a drink is a serious buzzkill (pun intended).

If you don't know your dry from your dirty or your shaken from your stirred, don't worry. We're here to teach you everything you need to know about ordering drinks. Not only will this guide help you sound like you're a bar-patronizing pro, but it will also help you end up with a beverage you actually enjoy. By understanding a handful of essential terms, you'll never have to worry about getting stage fright when you walk up to the bar again.

There are a few different meanings for this one, but generally speaking, a shot refers to a small amount of alcohol that's meant to be consumed in one gulp (or maybe two). What exactly that small amount of alcohol is depends on what you order. If you ask for a shot of tequila, then you'll get about an ounce and a half of tequila in a shot glass. However, if you order something like a green tea shot or a lemon drop shot, you'll get a small pour of what's essentially a cocktail.

Many people also use the word "shot" to denote a specific measure of alcohol, especially when they're making drinks at home, so you might hear someone say their drink contains a shot of vodka, or two shots of tequila, etc. Bars typically use ounces to measure rather than shots, and some bars pour heavier shots than others, so it's a good idea to conceptualize a shot as something you throw back rather than as a reliable measurement.

This refers to the cheapest bottle of any variety of liquor the bar has on offer. Most bars have well vodka, well whiskey, well rum, well gin, well tequila, etc. It's usually what you'll be served if you ask for something like a vodka soda without specifying the brand of vodka you'd like. The bartending term "well drink" refers to the fact that these bargain bottles are usually stored in the rack directly below the bar (which is called the well) for easy access.

Though well liquor isn't the best quality (or tastiest) option out there, it can do the trick if you are prioritizing value or you're consuming a beverage in which the liquor isn't the star of the show. There's no need to waste your money on a top-shelf whiskey if you're planning to drink it with Coke. One thing to keep in mind is that some high-end establishments don't have well liquor, and will default to something more expensive if you just ask for, say, a gin and tonic.

If you're wondering what a call drink actually is, the best way to think about it is that it's any drink that you order by "calling" out a specific brand of liquor by name. Unlike a well drink, for which you don't specify a certain type of liquor, ordering a call drink requires you to make a choice about which brand you'd like to drink. For example, a Tanqueray and tonic is considered a call drink. So is a Tito's and soda, a Bacardi and coke, and so on.

Call drinks tend to cost a bit more than their well drink counterparts, but you'll have the advantage of knowing exactly what you're drinking, so the extra few dollars are usually well (get it?) worth it. Having a go-to call drink up your sleeve is a good idea because you'll always have a reliable, go-to beverage order when you need to make a game-time decision.

If you've ever heard someone request their cocktail to be served "up" and liked the way it sounded, we're here to let you know that you can order your drink this way, too. If a cocktail is served up, it means it's served without ice in a stemmed glass. The lack of ice means the drink is subject to less dilution, so you can sip instead of slurp since you won't have to worry about the ice melting and turning your cocktail into a watery mess.

If you order a martini, you'll need to specify if you'd like it served up, but other cocktails can be served this way, as well. For example, you can request drinks like margaritas and Negronis to be served up instead of on the rocks (more on that later). Every bar is different, so if you know you want your drink served sans ice, you'll need to let the bartender know to ensure your beverage turns out the way you want it.

This one is just bar-speak for a chaser. If you order a whiskey shot with a ginger back, it means you'll be given ginger ale to sip after you throw back the shot. Sometimes backs are just enough to wash the strong stuff down, and other times they are a full drink. For example, a pickleback shot consists of a shot of whiskey you drink first, and a shot of pickle juice that you drink second to neutralize the burn of the booze. On the other hand, if you order a beer and shot combo, the beer is still considered a back even though it's another full (alcoholic) beverage.

Having something on hand to help the booze go down easier can make the thought of taking a shot less intimidating, and the overall drinking experience more pleasant — so don't be afraid to ask for something to take the edge off.

Though not as common or popular as the request for a dry martini, it's also completely possible to order a wet martini. As you might suspect, wet martinis contain more vermouth than usual — and they're delicious. Requesting a wet martini is great for people who want to taste more than just straight booze. The added vermouth helps soften things up and makes them a lot more drinkable. Wet martinis are complex and flavorful, and it's a shame they've fallen out of drinking favor. 

A lot of people shy away from the idea of a heavy dose of vermouth in their beverage, but we highly recommend you go against the grain and try a wet martini! The bartender will likely be impressed, and your drinking companions might be inspired to try something new, too. The only confusing thing about this term is that "wet" refers to adding more dry vermouth — not sweet vermouth as you might be led to believe.

A twist is another fancy bar term for a simple citrus peel. Orange and lemon twists are common cocktail garnishes, with the former being used for drinks like Old Fashioneds and Negronis, and the latter being used for martinis. Bartenders "express" twists over the top of cocktails by giving them a quick squeeze to release the fragrant citrus oils in the peel into the beverage. Then, they'll usually rub the peel around the rim of the glass before twisting it (hence the name) and adding it to the cocktail.

If you're ordering a martini, you should specify if you'd like a twist to serve as your garnish. If you don't, the bartender will probably (and should) ask you what type of garnish you prefer. Twists are great garnishes because they add a touch of zesty citrus without adding too much acidity or overwhelming the other flavors in the beverage.

Sours are a category of cocktails that are made with a base spirit, lemon juice, and simple syrup. It's a simple template that results in a beverage that balances sweet and sour. Whiskey sours are by far the most popular iteration, but you can also try them with gin or tequila. They can be served up or on the rocks (see, we told you those terms were important!) depending on your preference.

Egg whites can also be added to give the beverage a nice textural foam, so don't be surprised if a bartender asks you if you'd like your sour with or without the frothy addition. Not all bars keep eggs on hand, so don't get your hopes up if you're ordering a sour at a dive bar. Sours are a great option when you want a cocktail that's simple and that you can order almost anywhere you go.

Muddling means gently crushing something in the bottom of a glass or shaker before adding it to a cocktail. Fruit, herbs, peppers, and sugar are all common ingredients that are muddled for various beverages. Muddled mint is a key component in a Mojito, muddled jalapenos give a spicy kick to Margaritas, and muddled berries make delicious brambles.

This technique brings out the flavors in whatever ingredient is being muddled and allows them to be incorporated into the beverage. When muddling herbs, it's important not to over-muddle them because doing so can make them taste bitter. Sometimes the bartender will strain out whatever was muddled, and other times they'll do what's called a "dirty dump" where everything that was in the shaker goes into the glass (which is why you'll often see bits of mint floating around in your mojito). You probably won't need to actually use this term too often unless you want to ask the bartender to muddle an orange in your Old Fashioned or if you just want to talk shop.

This is another simple one that's worth breaking down. Unsurprisingly, a stirred drink refers to one in which the ingredients have been added to a mixing glass and stirred together over ice. This technique is usually reserved for spirit-forward drinks, so if a menu notes that a drink is stirred, just know that the cocktail is going to be boozy.

Stirred drinks follow the opposite rule of thumb than their shaken counterparts — if there's no citrus juice in the list of ingredients, it usually means you should stir it. Stirring a drink still chills, mixes, and dilutes the drink, but it doesn't add air, so the texture doesn't change. Shaking spirit-forward drinks "bruises" the liquor and negatively impacts the quality of the drink, which is why we advise you to stay away from shaken martinis!

If there's one term you need to understand to stay on the bartender's good side, it's "last call." Last call means it's your last chance to order alcohol before the bar stops serving liquor. It also means you need to plan to leave in the near future because the bar is about to close. Trust us, asking for another drink after the bartender has given last call is not a good look.

Bartenders will usually verbally announce last call (sometimes they'll turn off the music, ring a bell, etc.), but if you don't hear them and miss your chance to get a drink, that's on you — and you're not going to get another drink just because you weren't paying attention. While last call means you can get one more drink, it doesn't mean you can order three and camp out for a while. A lot of times bars aren't doing last call just because they want to, as there are laws that regulate how late places can serve alcohol.