Jiggers are one of those bar tools that you either love or you hate. If you are a free pourer, you probably think that jiggers are a bit of a waste of time. If you are a cocktail puritan, you probably value the jiggers ability to be precise in the serve.
Either way, although the expression ‘jigger’ has been around since the early 19th century, it took till 1893 for the double-ended version we see today to be patented by inventor Cornelius Dungan.
Now if you’ve been itching to see this icon piece of barware updated, then Whisky brand Monkey Shoulder is about to satisfy your trigger finger. The brand has reinvented the classic jigger with the launch of a new bar tool said to be 100% accurate with every pour.
The brand believes that some venues that are using “inferior” jiggers and these can cause imprecise pours by as much as 20%, due to the chance that spirits will spill while being measured. So the brand decided to be proactive and actually do something about it and reinvented the classic.
The new device, called the Trigger Jigger, is not only precise but is also said to save bartenders roughly four hours and 32 minutes on average every year.
Now in case you curious, pouring into a standard jigger will on average take about 8.6 seconds of your time. The Trigger Jigger takes about 7.89 seconds, which cuts a whole 0.79 seconds off the process.
“I think if you talk at that scale, people might not see the significance,” said Mike Lowe, Australian Brand Ambassador for Monkey Shoulder, “but over the course of a year, it’s a different matter. When you’re mixing as many drinks and cocktails as bartender friends do, the saving of just over four hours might be more significant.”
Joe Petch, Monkey Shoulder Global Brand Ambassador, who created the Trigger Jigger said, “We all know that most basic jiggers are not accurate, we wanted to make one that was as accurate as possible.
“However we wanted to add in another fun element into bar service just like with all of our previous tools (ispoon, Konga etc) & my old mechanical jiggers seemed to put a smile on everyone’s face, so we decided to reinvent.”
The Trigger Jigger was inspired by a nickel- and silver-plated jigger from the late 1880s and through countless hours of research with bartenders around the world and Pitch set about righting some wrongs.
“Basically the piston valve ensures that the liquid can pour from the jigger without any leaking & with an efficient stop & start flow rate,” said Petch. “It was also required for the shape of the design to change.
“The original late 1880’s model needed to be taller due to its valve design, it was also fairly inaccurate, top-heavy so easy to knock. Above all we didn’t want to just outright copy an old design, I love taking inspiration from the past but always look to reinvent instead of just copy. ”
Petch explained that he explored many options but wanted the jigger to be sturdy, accurate & far more robust than the old models.
This is not the first time that Monkey Shoulder have designed bar tools. In the past, the brand has had great success with items the extendable iSpoon in 2014, the 1930s Konga Shaker in 2016, and ice tong The Claw in 2017.
The response has been positive,” said Lowe, “and I get emails almost every day asking, “Can we have one? How do we get one?” So generally that’s one of my daily duties is keeping track and sending these out to bartenders all over Australia.”
The jigger works with a piston release system that ensures an accurate cut start and stop flow rate. The piston valve is a simple trigger release system. You just depress it after you finish pouring, and it flows smoothly out the bottom. It also comes in both US fluid ounces and the millilitres in measurement.
Lowe explains that Petch’s position with the brand has allowed him to unleash his own innovative and creative side. “His enjoyment in being creative in that way is part of the reason why he derives new innovation within our tools for Monkey Shoulder.
“Monkey Shoulder is a brand that was born out of innovation,” explains Lowe. “We set about the task of challenging the malt whiskey category with our first offering and that became the cornerstone of our identity. We support the bartenders of the world by recreating, in a cheeky and fun way, the tools that they use daily.
“I do understand there’s a thought that perhaps we’re over-engineering something that didn’t necessarily need to be engineered,” he continued. “But creating that piston valve, ensuring that this jigger was, in essence, a more accurate version. Yes, there are more moving parts, but it does make things simplier and it’s cleaned very easily.”
So, what has Monkey Shoulder got planned next? Well, Petch was a little coy on this issue. “I am afraid that will be telling, we always have a few things in development, some work out & some don’t but we are excited about one new tool redesign in particular at the moment …”
The Trigger Jigger is available to trade only through your local Monkey Shoulder ambassador.
For more information on Monkey Shoulder, go to monkeyshoulder.com
