and to be really tricky the standard measure of a uk spirit such as scotch whisky is 1/6th of a gill which is 1/24th of a pint
If only it were that simple
from :-
http://www.smws.co.uk/archives/a_to_z_o ... p?letter=N
N is for Nip
Writing in 1950, Marshall Robb (Scotch Whisky) states that “In Scotland in former times the ‘glass’ and ‘nip’ of whisky were respectively one-half and one-quarter of a gill*”. The terms were synonymous with a ‘small/single’ or ‘large/double’ measure, although the measures have changed – hence the familiar order of a ‘half’ (i.e. ‘half a glass’ or a single whisky), oft heard in Glasgow and on the West Coast.
During the First World War, the Scots nip was reduced to one-fifth of a gill by the Central Liquor Control Board, while the standard English spirits measure was made one-sixth of a gill. A few avaricious publicans used the latter measure in Scotland to confuse customers and increase their profit; others returned to the old measure, when they were allowed to, including gentlemen’s clubs. “The true Scottish measure is half-gill or quarter-gill and such should be demanded. A good innkeeper will serve them. The half-gill is almost double one of the debased English doubles” (Ivor Brown, Summer in Scotland, 1952). This remained the situation until January 1995 when all measures went metric, so a nip is now 25mls (between one-fifth and one-sixth of a gill) and a glass is 35ml (which is less than a quarter of a gill).
What of the etymology of ‘nip’? Gavin D Smith tells us (Whisky – A Book of Words, 1993) that it is an abbreviation of ‘nipperkin’, which was an archaic term for half a pint of ale or wine and may have its origins in Dutch or Low German. Until the late 18th century, Scots liquid measures had colourful names like ‘mutchkin’ (4 gills) and ‘chopin’ (2 mutchkins): by such reckoning a ‘nipperkin’ would be equal to a ‘chopin’ (half a Scots pint). To further confuse the issue, a Scots pint was equal to three English pints.
Perhaps the term ‘nip’ also has to do with the perceived effect of swallowing a measure of whisky. Chambers Scots Dictionary defines the word inter alia as ‘to taste sharp; a pungent flavour; a burning, biting taste’, which would describe the fiery confections of the eighteenth century to a tee. I am reminded of the Gaelic ‘morning dram’ which was called a scalc – the same word as ‘skilp’, i.e. a sharp blow to the side of the head!
In some parts of Scotland if you ask for a ‘dram’ you will receive a nip; in other places you will receive a ‘glass’, a large measure. This is confusing for visitors, but both large and small measures are supported by custom and usage. On the one hand, authorities such as Charles Craig (Scotch Whisky Record, 1997) state that a ‘dram’ is “a generous but indeterminate Scottish measure”, while the Scotch Whisky Association claims that “a dram can only apply to a measure of Scotch whisky, the size of which is determined by the generosity of the pourer”. On the other hand, many authorities derive the terms from Greek, drachma, one-eighth of a fluid ounce (.35cl) – a very small amount, familiarly used in measuring out medicines. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as ‘a small draught of cordial, stimulant or spirituous liquor’.
Perhaps our fondness for diminutives might account for the shifts in meaning from ‘very small’ to ‘generous’ – “I’ll take a wee dram; just the merest hint”, and so on. Certainly the term was current not only as a noun, but as a verb in the early 18th century. ‘Dramming’ – i.e. supplying distillery workers with a glass of whisky at the start and at the end of each shift – was part of the immemorial custom of distilleries until the 1970s, when it was banned in connection with Health and Safety regulations. Distillers used the ‘generous’ interpretation: the dramming measure was usually a gill, and the spirit, which was always at full strength, was either mature or new, depending upon the generosity of the brewer or distillery manager dispensing largesse.
The thinking behind the custom was that if the workers were supplied with generous amounts of free whisky, they would be less tempted to pilfer. It would be churlish to suggest that they had forgotten the old adage: “one dram makes a new man of you, and that new man needs another dram”!
* A gill = 5 fl.oz = 14.2cl
* A pint = 20 fl.oz = 56.8cl (1 fl.oz = 2.84 cl)
bring back the groat too!
