baradventures:
I have been in the hospitality on and off since I was 14 years old and although I haven’t been bartending for very long I like to immerse myself in the world of mixing drinks and learn as much as I can.
Something that has been brought to my attention recently is, a lot of bartenders don’t know when to shake or stir a cocktail. Here are a few general rules and some basic principles of the two;
Shake
Shake cocktails when they include fruit juices, cream liqueurs, simple syrup, sour mix, egg, dairy or any other thick or flavorful mixers. Shaking will create a strained drink with a cloudy, effervescent look at first that will clear up within a few minutes after straining.
Stir
Stir cocktails that use distilled spirits or very light mixers only. Stirring is a more gentle technique for mixing cocktails and is used to delicately combine the drinks with a perfect amount of dilution. Many gin and whiskey cocktails are stirred because shaking is said to “bruise” the spirit.
I hope this helped some people. Again these are some “rules” and not necessarily “laws”.
Have fun and drink responsibly! Cheers.
