Blog pal Doug notes that one of the most useful products in the OXO line has been discontinued:
This little measuring cup is simply the best jigger out there. If you are making cocktails that require precision, or you are cooking and use small amounts of ingredients, these little cups, with markings as low as 1/4 oz. or 10 ml, are a very valuable tool. Tiara asks in her post what everyone’s favorite jigger is, and the hands down winner is the OXO. But Jim of Vessel alerts us in the comments that OXO has discontinued them!
I immediately called OXO to confirm this. The lady I spoke to had no explanation but did confirm that OXO no longer makes the mini measure. She also said that they had received a surprisingly large number of complaints, especially from bartenders and other cocktailians, about the move.
I think we need to encourage everyone we know to contact OXO and ask that they return the cups to production. They are tracking the response they get. To contact OXO, you can email them at info@oxo.com, call them at (800) 545-4411, or use their web contact page.
These aren’t the jiggers I use while working. For that I like the speed of a three jigger stainless steel set (1/2 & 3/4 oz, 1 & 1.5, 1 & 2). My one objection to using the OXO measuring cup in a bar context is that it needs to be held level to give a precise measurement whereas a traditional jigger can just be filled to the brim. But for home or travel use it’s absolutely the tool I go for, as it’s more convenient that keeping a set of jiggers clean.
If you’d like to pick a few up while they’re still available, click here for plastic or here for steel. (Note that the steel cup doesn’t have metric measures.) And if you contact OXO do me a favor and ask them to add a 3/4 oz marking — it’s a commonly used cocktail measure that the cup is currently missing.
Previously:
Stocking your home bar, pt. 1
Stocking your home bar, pt. 2
Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, barista, mixologist, and magician in Portland, OR. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Reason Online, The Oregonian, and other publications.
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Stop the presses!!!! This is OXO. Seriously…OXO. I want to clarify that the Mini Measuring Cups are NOT discontinued! They are currently only available at retail (and I saw them on Amazon - just type in “OXO Mini Measuring Cups”), however we are working on a configuration to make both the stainless steel and plastic versions available on our website, http://www.oxo.com, very (very) shortly. Stay tuned!