Dram

Measure

A dram is an informal word for a pour of whisky, and it has no fixed size of its own.

Also called: wee dram

US fluid dram (old apothecary unit): 0.125 oz (3.7 ml)
Whisky dram in a bar: No legal size; usually the house measure
UK pub measure: 0.85 oz (25 ml) or 1.2 oz (35 ml)
Scotland, common pour: About 1.2 oz (35 ml)

What dram means

Dram is used most for Scotch and other whiskies. Bartenders and hosts usually serve it neat in a tasting glass or a rocks glass. The word is loose, so it does not name one fixed amount. You will hear it from a host who pours you a whisky and calls it a dram.

A dram is not a set unit in drinks, so it does not match a shot. Bars that pour one usually use their own house measure, and the menu or the host can tell you the size. The only fixed dram is the old fluid dram, 0.125 oz (3.7 ml), which is far smaller than a whisky pour.

You may have heard that a dram is a fixed whisky measure. In practice it is whatever the bar or host pours, so ask about the size. In Scotland a common pour is about 1.2 oz (35 ml), which is a useful guide when nobody says. UK pubs pour 0.85 oz (25 ml) or 1.2 oz (35 ml), and the bar shows which it uses.

How much is a dram, and how to measure it

Pick a size first, since a dram has no fixed amount, and a jigger keeps the pour steady.

1.Fill a jigger's 1 oz (30 ml) or 1.5 oz (44 ml) cup for a home dram, which is a suggested size rather than a standard.
2.Pour the whisky neat into a tasting glass or a rocks glass, with nothing added.
3.Serve a small glass of water on the side, so the drinker can add it to taste.

Dram compared

ShotA shot is a set bar measure, 1.5 oz (44 ml) in most US bars. A dram is an informal word with no set size.
FingerA finger is judged against the glass, while a dram has no measuring rule at all.
Fluid dramA fluid dram is a real unit, one eighth of a fluid ounce (3.7 ml), and far smaller than a whisky dram.

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.