Shaken or Stirred?
Any cocktail recipe should tell you if you are shaking or stirring the drink. But, I think it's helpful to understand why you should shake or stir certain cocktails. That understanding comes in handy when creating your own cocktail recipes.
When to Shake
As a general rule, you shake when a cocktail contains juices (especially citrus), egg whites, or dairy. These ingredients don't naturally mix well with alcohol because they vary in density. If you didn't shake these ingredients, you would probably end up with a drink that was super gross because everything would be in separate layers. So, when you shake, you are combining these ingredients together nicely. Shaking also introduces air, which helps create a light, frothy texture you often find in shaken cocktails. For cocktails you would shake, think Margaritas, Gimlets, Daiquiris, Whiskey Sours, Gin Fizzes, etc.
When to Stir
On the other hand, as a general rule, you stir when a cocktail is more spirit-forward. The ingredients in spirit-forward cocktails are typically similar in density so they mix well together. We stir, not only to chill and dilute the ingredients but, also to create that smooth, velvety texture you find when drinking stirred cocktails like the Old Fashioned. Shaking a drink that is meant to be stirred ruins the texture and can result in over-dilution. For cocktails you would stir, think Negronis, Old Fashioneds, Sazaracs, Manhattans, etc.
Building
Stirring and shaking aren't the only ways you can make a drink. For some drinks, you can just build the cocktail right in the glass and add ice. Highballs and Spritizes are good examples.
How to Shake
1. Add Ingredients - Add all your ingredients to your shaker tin. Fill your shaker tin with ice.
2. Seal Shaker - If using a cobbler shaker, simply secure the lid to the top of your shaker tin. If you are using a Boston Shaker, position your top tin at a slight angle and smack the bottom with your hand to seal the tins together.
3. Shake - With a hand on the top and bottom of the shaker and the shaker parallel to the floor. If you are making drinks in front of people, you should be holding the shaker away from them to prevent any accidents. Depending on the size of your ice, it should take about 8 to 10 seconds to chill the drink.
4. Strain and Enjoy - Once the drink has been shaken, remove the shaker top and strain the drink using the built-in strainer on a cobbler shaker or by placing a Hawthorne strainer on the Boston Shaker.
How to Stir
1. Add Ingredients - Add all your ingredients to your mixing glass. Fill the glass with ice.
2. Stir - Stir gently with a bar spoon until the drink is chilled and diluted. How long it takes to chill and dilute the drink depends on the size of the ice. If you're using large ice, you'll have to stir longer than if you use small ice since larger ice takes longer to melt.
3. Strain and Enjoy - Once chilled, strain the drink into a glass by placing a Julep or Hawthrone strainer on top of the mixing glass.