On top of memorizing ingredients and proportions, you also need to know which technique to use: to stir or to shake cocktails!
(Wondering which shakers to use? We recommend these Professional Boston Cocktail Shaker Weighted Shaking Tins.)
What’s the general rule for shaking vs stirring cocktails?
Most purists would say…
- STIR Clear ingredients (spirits, vermouth, etc.)
- SHAKE Opaque ingredients (citrus, liqueurs, egg whites, etc.)
But alas, it’s not that simple!
To understand why let’s review the 3 functions that shaking and stirring serve:
- Combines ingredients
- Chills ingredients
- Adds dilution
Dilution becomes the annoying little gremlin you need to deal with to achieve a tasty drink.
While shaking dilutes a drink more than stirring, there’s another factor at play:
THE ICE.
There are many types of ice: pebble, cracked, crushed, crescent or Hoshisaki perfect 1â x 1â cocktail cubes.
And you can get real nerdy about it, but essentially, the type of ice you use affects your dilution as much as whether you stir or shake!
How Standard “Wet Ice” Affects Dilution
Most bars have machines that produce small and/or hollow iceâand the higher surface area results in ice that melts more quickly.
Wet ice significantly increases the dilution of a drink.
If you stir, you limit the aeration and dilution significantly and have much more control. If you want even less dilution, use sturdier cocktail ice that has higher density and holds a greater chillâdryer ice.
There was a lauded local cocktail establishment in Victoria, BC, that would stir 90% of their cocktails including Aviations, Sidecars, and Last Words. The bar manager knew the ice situation they were dealing with was not ideal and adjusted to lower the margin for error with his teamâs drink making.
In other words, they stirred cocktails to prevent over dilution from wet ice.
(Another option is to use a hawthorne strainer to strain out excess water from the wet ice before shaking.)
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