What Is A 'Finger' Of Whiskey, Exactly?

If you've ever heard someone order "a finger of whiskey," you might have wondered what that means. We know what a shot of whiskey is and what a pour is, we know that ordering bourbon neat means no ice and on the rocks means ice, but what is this strange body part-related request? It's actually a measurement: If you hold your index finger around the base of a rocks glass used for sipping whiskey, the width between the side of your finger along the base and the side closer to the top roughly equates to the standard amount of whiskey that is served.

When you order a shot, the size you'll get at any bar that takes measurements and responsible serving seriously is 1½ ounces. If you order a neat or on-the-rocks pour, that increases slightly to two ounces. To measure these pours, bartenders use jiggers; those are the metal tools that look like two differently sized funnels stuck together at their ends. You'll see bartenders use them to pour spirits before dumping them into glasses or shakers  — they vary, but most commonly, the larger end measures 1½ ounces, and the smaller ¾ of an ounce. Jiggers are one of the most important tools to have for your home bar, but if you don't have one, you can use measuring spoons. Or when just serving up a neat pour of a spirit like whiskey, you can also use your own fingers. One finger equals about two ounces, two fingers equals four, and so on.

It's tough to determine the history of this estimated finger measurement. It may have originated in the saloons of the West in the 19th and early 20th century, where it's hard to imagine bar tools and time-consuming serving processes being utilized. Regardless, it's fairly self-explanatory — over time, people may have realized while holding their glasses that their finger matched the level of whiskey. It's seen as a warm, hospitable offer or request, likely because it's more often heard at friends' homes rather than at bars, which tend to use tools for precise measurements. If you do order "a finger of whiskey" at a bar, you can expect to still get that neat pour of two ounces, and you'll get charged accordingly, so it's good to know just how accurate the finger measurement is.

It all depends on your finger and the glass. Fingers don't vary all that wildly in width — you can expect maybe a fraction of an ounce's difference. The bigger variable is the glass. The assumption of a "finger" equaling about two ounces is based on that rocks glass. If you're using something taller and thinner like a Collins glass, that changes because of the smaller surface area in that glass. In that case, you'd need more like a finger and a half to equate to two ounces. When in doubt, order a neat pour out and have fun using "finger of whiskey" verbiage when home-bartending.