How do measured pour spouts work?
When managing a bar, supply costs are always a major concern. If bartenders get a little heavy-handed with their drink pours, it can cost the business a lot of money. On the other hand, you don’t want conservative bartenders to alienate customers by making drinks that are too weak. What’s the solution?
You can actually automate drink measuring through the use of measured pour spouts. They ensure that every drink gets the same amount of alcohol, taking pressure off of bartenders and ensuring that patrons get quality drinks. How does it work? This short explanation will cover everything you need to know.
The Concept
As a concept, a measured pour spout automatically measures and limits the amount of fluid that comes out of a liquor or spirit bottle. The idea is that you can turn the bottle over to pour a drink, and the flow of liquid will stop on its own after a set amount.
Traditionally, the spouts are designed to measure out one ounce of fluid, but you can get spouts designed for pours of different volumes. In general, this device is supposed to help bartenders work quickly without having to worry about the costs associated with over-pouring drinks. The spouts can also help bartenders stay within regulations when drink limits exist.
How Does It Actually Work?
But, how does the spout achieve this feat?
The secret lies in the two ball bearings. They act as a pair of valves that exploit gravity to automate the measuring and pouring through these
spouts. When the bottle is upright — just sitting on a shelf — the bearings fall to the bottom of the spout. When you tip the bottle over to pour a drink, the bearings slide down an engineered path, and they ultimately shut off the flow of liquid.
To better understand this, most measured pour spouts have two chambers within the spout. One chamber is a reservoir while the other is the shot that you actually pour. When you tip the bottle, the top bearing closes off the reservoir, but it leaves the pour chamber open. So, the fluid already in the pour chamber is free to flow into the patron’s drink.
Meanwhile, the second bearing is the valve for the reservoir. When the bottle is pouring, the reservoir valve is open. When you set the bottle down, the second bearing closes, so the reservoir can’t drain back into the bottle.
Using this system, each time you pour a shot, you load the next shot into the reservoir. That’s how the bearings automatically measure each pour and cut off the flow of liquid as designed.
Accessing Great Pour Spouts
If you need access to measured pour spouts, or pour spots of any other design, then you need Pour Spouts by Anytime Bar Supplies. You can contact us today to discuss your needs and see our full selection. We’ll outfit you with the perfect spouts so that you can focus on delighting your patrons.
