Anyone who’s ordered their first martini at a bar has faced what I call the OO7 dilemma: Should I order my martini shaken or stirred? Sure, James Bond takes his drink of choice straight from the shaker, but (and I’m sorry if this is controversial) James Bond is also a fictional character, not to mention a murderer. Should we really be taking his advice? I’m skeptical.
I’ve been working on my bartending skills to save money on going out, and while there are lots of opinions in the world of booze, it’s a straight-up fact that the way you mix a co*cktail is really, really important. It can massively alter the taste and texture of your drink long before it’s even in the glass. The difference between shaking and stirring may seem trivial, like just another step of a recipe to do with what you will, but mixing correctly is often the most important part of making a co*cktail.
Why does mixing matter?
Mixing is obviously important for combining ingredients, but it’s far from the only reason bartenders reach for their spoons and shakers. “There are two things we’re trying to achieve whether we’re shaking or stirring a co*cktail,” says Natasha David, co*cktail consultant and author of the upcoming cookbook Drink Lightly. “We’re trying to dilute the co*cktail, and we’re trying to chill the co*cktail.”
Chilling the drink with ice makes sense, but diluting a drink on purpose may seem unexpected (and even like…a rip-off?). But it’s actually a good thing. According to David, the ice that melts during the mixing process helps bind the ingredients into a cohesive drink and softens the harsh taste of uncut liquor. Mixing in the right amount of ice-cold water is the difference between drinking two-plus shots of plain gin and drinking a cool, classy martini (give or take a couple of olives).
So when should I shake vs. stir a co*cktail?
Shake it!
“The general rule of thumb is that if a co*cktail has citrus, egg, cream, or any opaque ingredient, then you shake it,” David says. Essentially, that means shake when you’re mixing booze with anything that isn’t booze. A vigorous shake thoroughly combines alcoholic and nonalcoholic ingredients while quickly chilling a co*cktail and incorporating air. The end result is a light and frothy drink that’s uniform all the way to the last sip.
Stir it!
If a co*cktail’s ingredients are all liquor, you’re better off stirring it. Think classics like martinis and negronis. The biggest source of flavor in these drinks is the booze itself, so you want to preserve their character during mixing. Gently stirring the drink with ice prevents over-diluting the co*cktail and keeps aeration to a minimum. The result is a smooth sipping drink with a lush, velvety mouthfeel and the right amount of bite.
Build it!
The last category of drinks is built co*cktails, which don’t need stirring at all. These are mixed drinks like scotch and sodas or gin and tonics, along with many champagne and sparkling wine co*cktails. “You have bubbles in there,” David warns, “so you don't want to flatten the drink by shaking them.” By far the easiest category to make, simply pour over ice and serve as they are.
What kind of shaker should I use?
The two most popular shaker designs are the Boston shaker and cobbler shaker. Boston shakers are two tin cups (or a tin and a glass) slammed together to create a seal. They’re incredibly lo-fi, but as a result, simple to use and even simpler to clean. Cobbler shakers, on the other hand, are a bit more high-tech. These bottle-shaped devices are what you probably picture when you imagine a co*cktail shaker, and they come in three parts: a cup, a built-in strainer, and a cap to keep things from splattering while you shake.
co*cktail Kingdom Boston Shaker Set
Note: The top and bottom tins are sold separately.
While both styles are the same in terms of function and almost certainly won’t make a difference in the quality of the drinks you make, we tend to prefer the simplicity of Boston shakers. There are fewer pieces to keep up with and no nooks and crannies to clean, which makes scrubbing them out between rounds much faster. You will need a separate strainer (we like spring-loaded Hawthorne strainers for ease of use), but luckily those are nice and cheap.
Hawthorne Strainer
How should I serve my co*cktails?
Some stirred co*cktails—like an old-fashioned—are mixed and served in the same glass, ice and all. This creates a dynamic drink whose first sip is punchy while the last one is light. (To prevent over-diluting, you can use large ice cubes when stirring and serving these co*cktails as they melt more slowly.)
Pretty much all other co*cktails, shaken or stirred, are strained into a separate vessel before serving. co*cktails served “on the rocks” are poured from the strainer over fresh ice to keep things chilly and refreshing—ideal for bright drinks like margaritas, mai tais, and negronis. co*cktails served “up” or “straight up,” on the other hand, come without ice and are classically strained into a stemmed coupe or martini glass. If you ever get confused, you can remind yourself that the tall, stemmed glass lifts the co*cktail up off the bar. You’ll often see shaken drinks like cosmos and stirred drinks like Manhattans served this way. While the glass won’t make or break your drink, the stem will help keep your hands from heating things up in the absence of ice. Still, if you don’t own martini glasses, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll just have to drink faster.
Like most cooking “rules,” you shouldn’t take any of these tips as co*cktail gospel. Making your own co*cktails is about making drinks that are perfect for you. Once you know the basics, you can riff and experiment and tweak recipes to make the drinks you’ve been dreaming of. Shaken or stirred, you can always just make another round.
