When you start to craft more cocktails the precision and accuracy of your liquids become very important. Liquor bottle pourers take a lot of the pain out of this process and make measuring a lot easier. Different products have various strengths and drawbacks. Evaluating the options based on your needs is important to find a bottle pourer that helps your cause.
How Will You Use It?
There aren’t many varieties of liquor bottle pourers available, however the way you plan to use it is crucial to which option you select. There are a couple important questions to consider.
Is a pre-measured amount of liquid necessary? Do you need to be able to pour precisely two ounces from the pourer itself, our will you be determining the volumes separately.
Will you be fixing this directly to the bottle, or to an external structure/support? In the case of a regular bar with a human bartender the bottles are are free and have their own simple pourers attached. These are free to dispense until human intervention, or until the alcohol runs out! In a different case, SirMixABot uses a dispenser with a small reserve reservoir, and external mounting bracket. This allows the pourer to dispense a precise amount of liquid, as well as be fixed to an external surface.
The liquid bottle pourers you consider depends on your answers to those questions. Your specific use will bring you to one of the two main options available.
Simple Pourer: Cheap and Sturdy, No Volume Control
If you haven’t noticed this on a liquor bottle, you likely have seen it used with olive oil. A simple pourer fits to the top of a bottle like a cork, and allows fluid to be poured out a controlled rate. A more viscous liquid like olive oil will dispense slowly. A less viscous fluid like water or alcohol will dispense quickly, but still with control. These are great liquor bottle pourers for those just lining up shots. They are also great to have for experienced bartenders who can “eyeball” correct volumes based on pouring time and rate. For those needing a little more control and planning to make complex mixed drinks, a slightly more advanced alternative is available.
Advanced Pourer: Precise Volume Control, More Moving Parts
Volume controlled shot dispensers are the solution for anyone looking to craft cocktails with precision. Options are available with external mounting hardware for use in applications similar to SirMixABot. They can also be used in a “single shot” arrangement. This let’s you stick to your favorite liquor and regulate your intake at the same time. With certain combinations of alcohol, mixers, and liquor bottle pourers one can easily create all of the most popular mixed drinks in their living room. Depending on your ultimate goal there should be a simple or advanced solution available.