One of the most confusing, and sometimes polarizing, instructions when it comes to making cocktails is when the recipe calls for a “dash of bitters.” That’s because so many people differ on what the measurement actually is. While a drop seems pretty easy to interpret — it’s one drop of the liquid from the bottle — a dash is not so clear.

Some cocktail recipe creators say a dash is the same as a drop, while others say it’s slightly more. Others still claim a dash is a vigorous shake. In the end, a dash really seems to be up to the interpretation of the cocktail maker, or in your case, your taste preferences. After all, if the recipe creator intended a precise measurement, they could have specified.

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