Portion control liquor and portion control food can achieve the same purpose, benefit to the restaurateur, but portion control liquor always has a bad stigma attached to it, from the customer’s point of view. The advantage for the owner is the profit for each drink, but the disadvantage is that the customer sees him as having run out of a decent drink. A properly measured one and a half ounce shot is perhaps two sips from the glass. At current prices of $5-7 for a drink, most patrons cringe to pull out their wallets.

Many venues, such as convention centers, have this type of automated dispensing, either in the form of metered pourers on top of the liquor bottles, or an automated dispensing machine where the bartender places the glass filled with ice, under a spout, You press a button on the register that matches the drink the customer ordered, and the machine does its job dispensing the measured amount of mixed liquor, like 7 corona and 7 up.

As mentioned above, this type of alcohol control is fine for profit, but the customer sees it as a waste of money. The bartender, in this scenario, is actually not a bartender but a server or cashier. He shows no talent for making a drink, as seen in the movie “Cocktail” where Tom Cruise shows his ability to juggle bottles while he is in the process of making a drink. Although his performance in this movie is not indicative of all bartenders today, a good bartender must have a good grasp of an ongoing variety of drinks that are invented every day. Like a good cook or chef, a bartender must have the same experience in his trade. The chef is a creator of his menu and a bartender is a creator of his drinks. After all, a bartender is a mixologist.

“Free service” is the preferred way to serve drinks in nightclubs and many bars. This method consists of pouring drinks directly from the bottle into the glass. Someone sitting at the bar watching this method of serving might think they are not getting the right amount of alcohol. An experienced bartender has a method of silently counting to 6, sending an ounce and a half of alcohol into the glass or blender. Counting to 4 sends an ounce to the glass or blender. Although some bartenders may have their own pace of counting, this is still the preferred way for most bartenders to serve drinks.

Another method of serving drinks is to use a jigger. Some bartenders prefer this method because it gives the customer an honest opportunity, especially when the customer is watching. Some establishments allow their bartenders to add an extra touch of liquor to the glass after filling the jigger. Whichever method is used, it is simply good business to do this.

One morning a salesperson walked into my establishment, sat at the counter, and pulled a bright orange pourer out of its box. He asked me if he knew what it was and I replied that if it is what I think I should put it back in his case and leave. He proceeded to explain to me that it was a metered pourer that dispenses one and a half ounces of liquor. He went on to tell me what a great profit margin he would have if he used them. Two of my customers saw and heard the vendor tell me this and told me that if he put those pourers on my bottles they would never come back. “Did you hear what my customers said? This is a neighborhood bar,” I told the vendor, “and putting these pourers on my bottles would be driving a nail in my coffin.” The seller left in silence.

Bottom line, portion control liquor has its purpose, just not everywhere. Convention centers, where people may visit once or twice, can be the ideal profit center for vending machines. Put them in a local bar or tavern, your customers will find another watering hole.