Our best-selling vodka was getting a 2 oz pour

2026-10-17

We count the back bar by hand, then line the bottles up against what the POS actually rang. Four days, one bottle, simple math:

• Started with 14.4 bottles, received 24, ended with 25.7. 12.7 bottles left the shelf.
• The POS rang 161 drinks of it. At our 1.5 oz pour, that's 9.5 bottles.
• Gap: 3.2 bottles in four days. Divide what actually poured by the drinks rung and you get a real average pour of 2.0 oz.

Nobody was stealing. When we looked at how the drinks were rung, the pattern was obvious:

• One double in 161 drinks. Regulars asking for it "strong" were getting a strong single.
• Tall drinks rung at the single price, with a free pour to fill the glass.
• Martinis and lemon drops rung as a plain shot, even though they take 2–2.5 oz.

Half an ounce doesn't feel like much at the well. On a 750 ml bottle it's about two bottles lost every 100 drinks. On your best seller, that's real money every month.

What we're doing about it: measured pour spouts on the top sellers, jiggers for anything tall, a double button that actually gets used, and martinis priced as the 2 oz drinks they are.

Want to run the same check on your bar? The count sheet and over-pour worksheet we used are free: backofhousehq.com/free-count-sheet