Comments on: How much is a dash?

By: john

john — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:09:28 +0000

1 dash = 1/32 oz = 1/4 teaspoon

By: Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum … « The Martini Diaries of Sue and Cathy

Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum … « The Martini Diaries of Sue and Cathy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:03:01 +0000

[...] http://www.adashofbitters.com/2007/03/03/how-much-is-a-dash/ [...]

By: Maria Jette

Maria Jette — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:21:45 +0000

Greetings from frosty Minnesota…
I’m pondering the “dash” concept tonight, having had tangerines left over from grating their rinds into biscotti, and recalling some cocktail recipes in some books on my shelf… didn’t care to peruse all of the UKBG or Savoy, but just Googled gin & tangerine, and came up with the Luigi Cocktail. The inclusion of grenadine appealed, as I have Routin 1883’s fantastic Grenade syrup, which adds sublimity to any grenadine recipe… here’s how it looked in metric vsn:

LUIGI
20 ml fresh tangerine juice (3/4 oz)
 30 ml gin  (1 oz)
15 ml dry vermouth (1/2 oz)
 7 ml Cointreau  (1/4 oz)
7 ml grenadine  (1/4 oz)

… with my US measurements a bit generalized, of course. Very fruity and sweet, and my husband predictably adored it. I wondered, though…

And now that I’ve been plodding through Savoy, I’ve found this on p 98:

LUIGI

1 tsp grenadine
1 dash Cointreau
The juice of 1/2 tangerine
1/2 dry gin
1/2 French vermouth

QUITE a different cocktail!

So… the definition of a “dash” becomes more curious when juxtaposed with a teaspoon, and I have a hard time imaging it as 1/16th of a tsp! I think that’s approaching a single drop, and while I don’t object on principle to the idea of an almost imaginary quantity of Cointreau, I do find it hard to believe that Harry Craddock would have bothered with something so undetectable. I like a quarter teaspoon.

At any rate, this cocktail looks worthy of some “dashed” experimentation.

By: Michael Dietsch

Michael Dietsch — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:28:47 +0000

Hannes,

I think your old eyes led you to miss the part where I said, “For ingredients that don’t come with that little cap with the hole in it–for example, for recipes calling for a dash of pastis or Cointreau…”.

One flick of the wrist could “dash” in up to a full ounce of those! That’s a hell of a lot more than three or five drops, curmudgeon.

I now keep dasher bottles on hand for ingredients like absinthe that are often called for by the dash, but I hadn’t amassed enough of them when I wrote this post. Surely you would admit that an ounce of absinthe, when only five drops are needed, would ruin certain drinks.

Grump less and pay attention more, next time. Thanks.

By: Hannes Oljelund

Hannes Oljelund — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:49:44 +0000

Being an old curmudgeon I almost lost faith in the younger generation reading the exchange on How much is a dash. Where is your daring? Where is your dash? Through away your measuring spoons – one flick of the wrist will do the trick and don’t tell me you can taste the difference if you got three or five drops in your drink. Measuring spoons indeed!
Hannes Oljelund

By: Scofflaw’s Den » Blog Archive » Dashing through the snow

Scofflaw’s Den » Blog Archive » Dashing through the snow — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:27:45 +0000

[...] found this blog posting on A Dash of Bitters and just read the top part first. Michael Dietsch, the author of that blog, [...]

By: pronobarisnag

pronobarisnag — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:02:08 +0000

If you have to ask how much it is, you can’t afford it.

—————————————————————————————————-
http://ebloggy.com/clydeholdenwo

By: Jesse

Jesse — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:32:51 +0000

I agree with Mark. I just read a handout from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Commission that says a dash is 1/6 teaspoon, so that’s pretty precise definition. The problem is how to measure it – I have measuring spoons as small as i/8, but no 1/6 spoon. I see several “dash” size spoons for sale, but the sellers don’t offer any specific amount of what that means. Bitters in particular, though, too little is far better than too much.

By: Of Campari and Orange Bitters » Oh Gosh!

Of Campari and Orange Bitters » Oh Gosh! — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:48:59 +0000

[...] dealing with ingredients that don’t come in bitters bottles with the tiny hole in the top. General consensus seems to rest at around ¼ teaspoon, so I tend to pour a tiny bit in to my bar-spoon, so it [...]

By: Cocktail Shaker

Cocktail Shaker — Wed, 23 May 2007 22:54:43 +0000

I’ve seen a dash measurement defined as 4-5 drops.
This seems to fit with the dispensing method.
To me 1 drop is not enough (unless you’re just aquiring a taste for bitters) But 4-5 tastes just right to the mature sipper.
As it spills out of the bitters bottle, cont the drops.