The Society/HBS 101

HBS 101: Terminology and How To Use This Website

Terminology 101

1

In order to use this website to the fullest potential, we understand that we may use certain words or phrases you may not be familiar with. Below are some examples of words we use often:

  1. Up / Down / On the rocks: You may be familiar with these terms but here is how they are used in our website. Up (or straight up) is for any cocktail without ice in a coupe, a Nick and Nora glass, a wine glass or a martini glass. Down (or straight down) is similar but instead of no ice and up, it’s no ice and served down - you simply strain into a rocks or old fashioned glass with out ice. On the rocks means to always use fresh ice, never the dirty ice as they are already in the process of melting. You can also use a BFR (Big F**king Rock) of ice or whatever you have on hand.

  2. Waterize or Waterized: This term is used when a cocktail is fully built but has no water or ice added to dilute it. Dilution varies from stirring or shaking, but it is essential for a well-balanced cocktail. This term can also apply to batching. Some folks may want to “waterize’ their batched cocktail for ease of serving. Other may want to batch or build a cocktail and wait to “waterize” it until your partner or guests arrive so it is nice and fresh.

  3. TMI (or Too Many Ingredients): At home, we use this phrase almost daily when figuring out what cocktail to make. Some nights you want something easy and reliable; for us that is usually a Manhattan or a variation. Some nights we want to make something new or a classic that requires a bit more ingredients.

  4. Golden Ratio: I have seen it called other names, but this is what we use. Coined by Jamie Bourdreau of Cannon Seattle, this term simply means a recipe you can follow that will always work if you follow these simple rules. It will always work. The build is:

    1. 1.5 oz ANY SPIRIT

    2. .75 oz Aperitif (like Lillet, Vermouth, Punt e Mes, Chinato, or a wine-based Amari).

    3. .25 oz Any liqueur (This can be an amaro or any liqueur with a bit of sugar and alcohol).

Simply put, we created 3 distinct levels of expertise on each recipe. They are measured by how many ingredients the cocktail has, what type of ingredients the cocktail has (i.e., allocated, hard to find or availability). We also include any DIY or homemade ingredients, infusions, unique bitters, any special bar tools you may need and especially, all the labor to make the drink from start to finish. Each aspect goes into the drink rating. We understand everyone makes drinks at home in their own way and that is perfectly fine with us.

How level of difficulty works on this website

2

What makes you different?

3

We combine a thoughtful, curated approach without the pretentiousness of some cocktail magazines or larger cocktail websites. We are not owned by any corporation or company. We are a husband and wife, who have been making good cocktails at home for over 20 years.

What is the Cocktail Index?

4

A long time ago when we first started this website, we had a Google spreadsheet of all the cocktails we have made, created or tasted. Made with the help of AI, the Cocktail Index pulls from this spreadsheet and provides instant results for the user. Some of these cocktails will be on the website already, some may never be. The spreadsheet will always continue to update so new content can be added frequently.