How Many Ounces in a Cocktail Jigger ?

A standard cocktail jigger holds 1.5 ounces on one side and 0.75 ounces on the other. That’s the most common configuration you’ll find. But jiggers come in several size combinations, and understanding which ones actually matter will save you from cluttering your bar cart with redundant tools.

Standard Jigger Sizes

The 1.5 oz / 0.75 oz jigger is what most people mean when they talk about a “standard” jigger. The larger side matches a standard shot measurement, while the smaller side gives you exactly half. This makes it easy to scale recipes up or down without mental math.

Professional bartenders lean toward a 2 oz / 1 oz configuration. The larger capacity speeds up workflow when building spirit-forward cocktails like Old Fashioneds or Manhattans, where you’re pouring multiple full ounces. The 1 oz side handles modifiers like vermouth or liqueurs.

Beyond these two workhorses, you’ll find jiggers with 0.5 oz, 2.5 oz, or even 3 oz endpoints. These exist for specific use cases. A 0.5 oz measurement is handy for syrups and tinctures. Anything larger than 2 oz is overkill for home use unless you’re batching drinks for a crowd.

Which Jigger Sizes You Actually Need

Most home bartenders only need two jiggers to handle nearly every recipe: a 2 oz / 1 oz and a 0.75 oz / 0.5 oz. Call them the big jigger and the baby jigger if you want.

These four measurements cover about 90% of classic and modern cocktail recipes. When a recipe calls for 1.5 oz, measure 0.75 oz twice. For 1.25 oz, combine 0.75 oz and 0.5 oz. No redundancies, no wasted drawer space.

If you’re only buying one jigger to start, go with the 2 oz / 1 oz. You can always double-pour from the 1 oz side when smaller measurements come up, and the 2 oz capacity gives you room to build bigger drinks or batch ingredients.

Jigger Styles and Internal Markings

Japanese-style jiggers have a tall, narrow profile with a slim diameter. The tapered design makes it easier to see exactly where the liquid sits, reducing the margin for error when you’re pouring quickly. Many come with internal measurement lines at 0.25 oz, 0.5 oz, and 1.5 oz, turning a double jigger into a multi-purpose tool.

Classic double cone jiggers have the traditional hourglass shape with a wider diameter. They’re durable, affordable, and perfectly reliable. The trade-off is slightly less precision when eyeballing fill levels, but this matters more in high-volume bar settings than at home.

Single-sided measuring cups like the OXO angled jigger offer graduated markings on the inside, letting you measure multiple amounts with one tool. No flipping, no dripping between pours. The downside is slower workflow if you’re making several drinks back to back, since you need to rinse between different ingredients.

When “One Jigger” Means 1.5 Ounces

Here’s where terminology gets confusing. In cocktail recipes, when someone writes “one jigger of bourbon,” they’re referring to 1.5 ounces, not the physical measuring tool itself.

This comes from old bartending conventions where a jigger meant a standard pour size, roughly equivalent to a shot. The term stuck even as the tools evolved into double-sided measuring cups with multiple capacities.

So if you see “1 jigger” in a vintage recipe, assume 1.5 oz unless context suggests otherwise. Modern recipes usually specify ounces directly to avoid confusion, but you’ll still encounter the old shorthand in classic cocktail books.

The tool you use to measure doesn’t change the accuracy of your drinks. A cheap plastic jigger works just as well as a $40 Japanese import if you’re filling it correctly and pouring with intention. Consistency matters more than equipment. Measure the same way every time, and your cocktails will taste the same every time.