[Sca-cooks] dram?

[Decker, Terry D.]

A fluid dram is formally, 1/8 fluid ounce in whatever system is used.  In
the US a teaspoon is 1/6 fluid ounce (4.9 ml).  In the Imperial system, a
teaspoon is 1/8 Imperial fluid ounce (3.55 ml).  A medical (or metric)
teaspoon (or dram) is 5 ml.  A US standard dram is 1/8 US fluid ounce (3.7
ml) or, if you are a barkeep, 1/12 jigger.

The metric teaspoon of 5 ml is a relatively modern convention and the
medical dram has been equated to the medical teaspoon for the convenience of
the medical profession rather than to conform to the traditional definition
of a dram.  The US standard dram is probably closest to 15th Century measure
as US standard fluid measures are originally based on the Elizabethean wine
gallon.

As long as you're using only one or two drams in a large quantity of
ingredients, 5 ml or a regular teaspoon will provide a close enough
approximation.

Bear

> So it would be safe to say that for every dram it is 5 ml on
> a syringe? My son (a paramedic) gave me a HUGE one for in the
> kitchen and I measure lots of stuff with it.
> Isabella
>  Randy Goldberg MD <goldbergr1 at cox.net> wrote:> Ok, I'm
> working with a recipe (1400s, English) for a medicament that calls
> > for items in drams. Should I assume that this is a weight
> (1/8 oz), or
> > that is it more? Liquid 'dram-cups' seem to be about the size of a
> > shot-glass, definitely not 1/8 oz.
>
> A dram is an apothecary measure of volume, equal to one sixth
> of a fluid
> ounce, or one teaspoon.
>
> ******************************
> Randy Goldberg MD