A pony glass may mean one of two types of small
glassware:
A quarter-
pint glass of beer: 5 imp fl oz (142 ml), metricated to 140ml in Australia.
A small, stemmed glass of about one ounce,[1] similar to a stemmed
shot glass. Used for
liqueurs or
cordials,[2] hence also called a "cordial glass" or "liqueur glass".
A
bar measure that is half of a
jigger, used to measure a cordial. A pony traditionally held 1 imp fl oz (28 ml), and is attached to the bottom of a jigger measure, which held 2 imp fl oz (57 ml).[citation needed] In modern times, however, both the size and ratio of the jigger to pony varies widely.
Name
The name "
pony" is due to the small size, and dates to the 19th century.[3] Similar terms include
pony bottle and
pony keg.
History
The pony as a measure reached its apex around the end of the 19th century, which also happened to be a golden age of barware.[4]
^Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide, Mr. Boston Distiller Corporation, Boston, 1978, back endpapers
^Notes and Queries, August 8th, 1896,
p. 126: “It seems probable the origin is due to the diminutiveness of the glass;”
“The expression ‘a pony of beer’ is often used in South Wales for a small glass containing about the fourth of a pint.”