The Can-Pour shot glass fills to the smaller, Canadian ounce
A few years ago, Kyle Tweter and Dan Wilson, owners of The Moose bar in Vancouver, discovered that there was a consistent gap between their liquor inventory at the end of the night compared to their revenue from drinks poured. Most restaurateurs attribute the discrepancy to heavy-handed bartenders or employees sneaking drinks on the job. Tweter and Wilson were shocked when they discovered that it was the shot glass that was the problem—and they decided to do something about it.
A standard, traditional shot glass has a capacity of 30 mL, to satisfy the U.S. requirement that a shot be equal to one fluid ounce, or 29.574 mL. In Canada, however, the legal minimum requirement for a shot is a Canadian ounce, which, in the imperial system comes out to about 28 ml. Tweter and Wilson thought it was a big enough difference to merit a whole new glass, and thus the Can-Pour, a 28 mL shot glass that’s Government of Canada–tested and approved, was born. The Can-Pour is “designed to look identical to the traditional 30 mL shot glass,” says the company website. “Using Can-Pour, you can generate the same revenue while purchasing 7 per cent less liquor.”
The glass is now available through restaurant supply companies and, although it’s only been on the market for a few months, it’s had tremendous pickup by restaurateurs. For consumers, this means your navel is about to get less fuzzy. According to the National Post’s Adam McDowell, the Can-Pour is “poised to become as much a physical fixture of Canadiana as loonies, toques and Timbits.” Leave it to a couple of Vancouverites to ruin the party for the rest of us.
• Happy Hour: A few nanolitres short of a shot [National Post]
• New shot glass saves money, sticks it to imperial system [Post City]
Absolutely astounding. I couldn’t believe there was any way for drinking alchohol (as opposed to beer) in Canada to get any worse or miserly. It’s amazing that this is celebrated. These guys should be run out of town. We are the nation that supplied alchohol to the U.S. during Prohibition and now you can’t get a decent martini anywhere in the whole nation. Totally pathetic.
March 9, 2011 at 12:14 pm | by walkerpway to go Kyle and Dan, for contributing to the lameness that is Vancouver night life. I’ll be sure to tell everyone not to go to the Moose Bar.
March 9, 2011 at 12:20 pm | by meezlygo to 416 snack bar (http://www.416snackbar.com) for exactly the opposite sentiment.
March 9, 2011 at 1:03 pm | by ager416Relying on legislated minimums doesn’t make up for the lack of imagination as a business owner. Sure they’ll save 2mls per serve, but that doesn’t really add up to a whole lot when your bar is empty. (As it likely will be after this story).
March 9, 2011 at 3:13 pm | by JMust be why they changed the name. It used to be called the Loose Moose!
March 9, 2011 at 5:59 pm | by 4realway to spread the “suck” that is Vancouver (or Van-Hoover if you prefer) right across Canada! strong work
March 9, 2011 at 9:48 pm | by SteveWe had a bar on Queen street west in Toronto
the bottles that were in a rack upside down leaked drops every time a streetcar rumbled past.
24 hours a day those bottles dripped…enough to
March 10, 2011 at 11:17 am | by R. Thomaslose a fifth of a bottle a month.
Nothing like trying to build a following of loyal patrons. Canada is embarrassingly provincial. We shifted to entertaining at home almost always since even Toronto mediocrity became way overpriced. I am sure those shot glasses are already de rigueur in the bars and restaurants here. Does anyone remember corkage fee debacle in Hogtown – world class city, yup, that’s right.
March 14, 2011 at 12:54 pm | by B A RattleAnother notch in the gunbelt for Nanny McGuinty!
March 15, 2011 at 6:38 am | by AreThoseReal?geez, what’s with all the Vancouver haters? If you read the related articles you’ll see the guys aren’t just being douches (although they do own a sports bar in Yaletown…shudder) they were getting nailed by Revenue Canada for the discrepancy. Can you blame them for looking for a solution?
March 16, 2011 at 5:45 pm | by webpossum