you can remember how many shots go into a certain size of drink by counting the syllables.
tall-1, grande-2, venti-2, iced venti-3

for frap toppings, anything with frap chips gets mocha on top. “chips get drips”

i don’t have any other useful sayings for drink making but, there’s that ! it’ll get easier with time, the more you practice the easier it gets. you’ll start to see patterns and muscle memory will kick in. keep at it and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

$1 A lot of drinks fall into the same patterns. Teas are easy since you just follow the shaker instructions, and whatever is in them is in the name. The hard part of espresso is knowing the shot numbers and how to build the drink after syrup (shot first for latte, milk first for macchiatos). Fraps are the hardest just because of all the components but once you know the basic three (caramel, java chip, and creme [like vanilla and green tea]) you’ll know how to make all of them sans the strawberry because it’s just weird. If you want to study in your free time, feel free to use the link I provided! But you just started, no one is expecting you to know any of that yet. It takes about three months before you start to get sort of comfortable

One thing my trainer used to help me remember syrups was day in your head “Starbucks short tall grande venti iced” and stop when you get to your size, you’ll end up with 2,3,4,5,or 6 pumps, hope this helps!

What really helped me (and i didn't actually get told this until my shift certified me)

"Hot" syrups it's 345 (tall, grande, venti) so latte, cappuccino, americano

"Cold" syrups it's 3467 (tall to trenta) anything that's shaken or iced coffee

"Frozen" syrups and scoops it's 234 (it says on the frappe pump bottle for coffee syrup if you need to doublecheck) Our scoops of vanilla, matcha, dried berries happen to be right next to the blender

But this was just for me with the way our bar is laid out. If you ask the baristas at your store they might have better tips depending on how your store is laid out.

Thank you everyone for your input!

I don't do well with mnemonics and stuff like that. My strat is as follows. Basically, I understand that there are default standards. Short = 2 pumps syrup, 1 shot esp; Tall = 3 pumps, 1 shot; Grande = 4/2; Venti = 5/2. So regarding shots and coffee-milk ratios, Short is analogous to Grande while Tall is analogous to Venti.

As for deviations from standard, it's just a matter of understanding *why* those deviations exist. Americanos get more shots because of the nature of the drink (i.e., the point is the espresso). Iced Ventis get more espresso and syrup because they're bigger than hot Ventis. Caramel Macchiatos get less syrup because they have caramel drizzle to compensate (and aren't horrific abominations of sugariness like other drinks like the SCM).

I'm not saying my logic will make sense for you. What I'm saying is ya gotta find a logic that makes things make sense for you. It's so much easier to remember stuff when there's a reason for it.

I’m a green bean in my second week and I haven’t really been on bar at all but I know the recipes for the most part from watching my trainers make them and memorization, the only part I’m having trouble with is remembering how may pumps and shots for different size drinks

I definitely suggest making notes at home and going through the recipes online/on the app to see how things are made. Don't be afraid to make mistakes either! It's just a cup of coffee/tea, and you're allowed to have a bumpy learning period. Even three+ years in I'll still make mistakes. For me, remembering everything came with time and practice. Don't be afraid the ask your trainers and manager if you need to take it slower or if you want advice from them.