Atomiser
An atomiser is a small fine-mist spray bottle, 10 to 100ml in the ones we use, that puts a trace of something aromatic onto a drink or the inside of a glass. Each spray is roughly 0.1ml by our measure, so it scents a drink with absinthe, peated whisky or saline without changing its balance. It can replace the absinthe rinse in a Sazerac, with almost nothing poured away.
About the Atomiser
A Spray Is Roughly 0.1ml
A dash from a bitters bottle is somewhere under a millilitre. A spray from a fine atomiser is a fraction of that, and it lands as a mist across a surface instead of a drop in the liquid.
That suits the strongest-smelling bottles behind a bar. A trace of absinthe or peated whisky on the glass reaches the nose with every sip and barely touches the taste.
It Can Replace an Absinthe Rinse
Several of our recipes coat the glass with absinthe and pour the rest away: the Sazerac, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 and the Remember the Maine. The rinse uses 5 to 10ml to leave a thin film behind.
Two or three sprays into the chilled glass leave a similar film with almost nothing wasted. The rinse is the traditional method and works well; the atomiser simply wastes less.
An atomiser against other ways to add a trace
Atomiser
- Amount used
- About 0.1ml a spray
- Where it goes
- A mist on the glass or surface
- Suits
- Absinthe, peated whisky, saline
Glass rinse
- Amount used
- 5-10ml poured, most tipped away
- Where it goes
- A film inside the glass
- Suits
- Sazerac, Corpse Reviver No. 2
Dash bottle
- Amount used
- Under 1ml a dash
- Where it goes
- Into the drink
- Suits
- Bitters
Float
- Amount used
- 7.5ml or more
- Where it goes
- On top of the drink
- Suits
- Lagavulin on a Penicillin
| Method | Amount used | Where it goes | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomiser | About 0.1ml a spray | A mist on the glass or surface | Absinthe, peated whisky, saline |
| Glass rinse | 5-10ml poured, most tipped away | A film inside the glass | Sazerac, Corpse Reviver No. 2 |
| Dash bottle | Under 1ml a dash | Into the drink | Bitters |
| Float | 7.5ml or more | On top of the drink | Lagavulin on a Penicillin |
Clear and Strong, Nothing Sticky
Fill it with clear, high-strength liquids and saline. Sugar, cream, juice and pulp block the nozzle or spoil in the bottle.
Keep one bottle for each liquid, label it, and store it away from daylight. Absinthe fades in light, as bitters do in a bitters bottle, and a small atomiser is used up before that happens.
Using the Atomiser
Usage
Coating a chilled glass with absinthe in place of a rinse, for the Sazerac, the Corpse Reviver No. 2, the Remember the Maine and the Twenty-First Century. Also a mist of peated whisky over a stirred drink, or saline over a Margarita. Two or three sprays is usually enough.
Pro Tip
For absinthe, spray the empty glass rather than the drink. A film on the cold glass scents every sip without clouding the drink. Save spraying over the surface for a peated whisky or saline you want the nose to meet first.
Professional Tips
- Spray the chilled, empty glass, then pour the drink in.
- Start with two sprays and taste before adding a third.
- Keep one bottle for each liquid, and label it.
- Hold it a little way off the glass so the mist spreads evenly.
Alternatives
Budget Alternative
The rinse itself. Pour 5 to 10ml of absinthe into the cold glass, roll it round the inside and tip out the rest, as our Sazerac and Corpse Reviver No. 2 recipes do.
Premium Option
A refillable glass atomiser with a metal pump, of the kind sold for perfume. It gives a finer, more even mist and in our experience lasts for years; the dose is the same.
Specifications
Material
Glass or aluminium bottle with a fine-mist pump
Capacity
10 to 100ml in the ones we use
Details
A fine-mist nozzle rather than a jet; a pump that comes apart for cleaning
More to explore
Common Questions
What is an atomiser used for in cocktails?
Is an atomiser better than rinsing the glass?
What can I put in a cocktail atomiser?
How do I stop flavours mixing in an atomiser?
How many sprays of absinthe for a Sazerac?
How do you make saline for an atomiser?
Should an atomiser be glass or plastic?
Made with the Atomiser
Used In These Cocktails
Related Equipment
Related Ingredients
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 18 October 2026