The age-old conundrum faced by many a bar owner is whether to allow free pours or require controlled pours in their establishment. In Part 1 of our extensive examination of this topic, we look at the math and the madness behind the (correct?) answer.
**By Bob Johnson, aka “BobTheBarGuy.com”**
There has always been controversy among bar owners, managers, and bartenders over which is best—“free pour” (pouring from the bottle without any means of measurement) or “controlled pour” (using a shot glass, a ball bearing Posi-pourer, a metal jigger, or some form of laser/electronic dispensing. There are definite reasons for why you want your bartenders to measure the pour, but when you come right down to it, there is little difference which way your bartenders pour liquor. The difference in any pour is the individual doing the pouring—the bartender! A controlled pour can be abused just as easily as free pour. A house oriented bartender with the right values is going to do it the right way 99 percent of the time, regardless of which way you dictate he or she pour.
However, it takes more skill to use a shot glass/jigger correctly than it does to free pour. The shot glass is a device that guides and controls the amount of liquor going into the drink. If used correctly, it’s extremely accurate. Free pour is popular among bartenders because it’s the “easiest” way to pour liquor. In most cases, it’s not the customers who demand free pour, it’s the bartenders.
