Shaken or Stirred?

What is it with cocktails? (channeling Seinfeld here)

Shake it? Stir it? Are certain tools suppose to be used? Well, my friends, there is a difference. A little bit of alchemy. 

A general rule of thumb:

If a cocktail contains any opaque or cloudy ingredients, such as fruit juices, egg, or cream, it should be shaken vigorously.  

If a cocktail consists entirely of transparent ingredients, such as spirits, vermouth, sweeteners, bitters, then it should be stirred. 

It comes down to texture. With a shaken drink, one is looking to liven up the ingredients and add texture to the drink via air bubbles. Agitating a citrusy cocktail creates a frothy texture on top and a refreshing aroma and lightly effervescent first sip. 

When you stir a drink. A slender bar spoon allows you to stir quickly and fluidly, hence chilling and diluting the drink smoothly without adding texture (air bubbles). This accomplishes the goal of a properly stirred cocktail: a silky mouthful.

Hera’s Pinch

For drinks that you need to shake, use a combination of small and large weighted shaking tins, 18 and 28 oz in volume. Develop your own technique and rhythm, keep in mind you need more bubbles in there so shake shake shake to your hearts content.

Now a special treat, I am going to introduce you to Bamboo.

This drink is delcious, extremely smooth, has a sweet note, and an intoxicating aroma.

Bamboo

1 1/2 oz Vermouth

1 1/2 oz Sherry

1/2 teaspoon Simple Syrup

1 dash of Angostua Bitters

Garnish: Lemon Twist

Directions: Stir all the ingredients over ice, then strain into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a Lemon twist.

Cheers to our new mixology section!