Drams

/dræmz/ noun

Definition

Plural of dram; small units of weight (1/16 of an ounce) or small measures of strong alcohol like whisky or brandy.

Etymology

From dram (Greek drachma, an ancient unit of weight), plural formed by adding -s. The term applies both to weight and to a standard serving of spirits.

Kelly Says

A dram is precisely one-sixteenth of an ounce, a measurement that survived for centuries because it became the standard measure for serving whisky—old apothecaries needed exact weights, so the dram stuck around and got adopted by bartenders.

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