All Shook Up

There is a galaxy of cocktail know-how needed to decipher those three little words. After all, it’s a cocktail conundrum that has sparked debates and defined iconic characters, such as James Bond, who famously requested his Vesper Martini “shaken, not stirred” in Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel Casino Royale.

One might wonder why certain cocktails lend themselves to being shaken while others should only ever meet the precise stir of a spoon. The answer has everything to do with flavor, texture and, yes—physics and chemistry, too.

“The build is paramount to the cocktail-making process,” elaborates Grace Labruzzo, Lead Bartender at Oak Room in The Lodge at Sea Island. “You can mimic classic recipes with different types of ingredients, but if you don’t build it the technical way–whether stirring, shaking, throwing or other essential techniques–it’s never going to be quite right.”

While shaking and stirring are both methods of emulsifying, chilling and diluting ingredients, they achieve these processes in dramatically different ways.

THE SHAKE DOWN

Vesper Martini

“Shaking is a way to achieve aeration and extract the flavors of a cocktail’s ingredients,” says Krysta Dean, former bartender and the current STEM Design Experience Specialist at Discovery Place Science Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. In her cocktail and non-alcoholic science demonstrations at the museum, Dean translates the often complex principles of mixology into digestible lessons on why technique matters.

“A simple way to look at it is if you’re mixing a drink with additives such as limes, lemons, oranges, other fruit, mint and the like, the rule is to shake,” says Dean. “It helps to incorporate the added flavors into the liquid through the process of aeration, which brings oxygen into the drink.

Many mixed drinks require shaking since ingredients like juice as well as some types of alcohol don’t blend very well on their own. That can be due to factors like a liquid’s density and chemical properties. If the ingredients aren’t incorporated properly through shaking, the result can be tough to swallow in the form of an unbalanced or overpowering cocktail.

Grace Labruzzo, Lead Bartender at Oak Room.

The shaking process is also responsible for adding texture, character and depth of flavor to cocktails since it works to break open ingredients.

When cocktails with fresh citrus, mint or berries are shaken, the agitation releases oils, juices and aromatic compounds from the ingredients. Without this process, ingredients can remain underutilized and leave the cocktail flat and unbalanced.

Shaking cocktails containing fresh citrus, mint or berries, helps incorporate their flavors more effectively. This technique is essential for drinks like margaritas, classic daiquiris and gin fizzes that rely on shaking to achieve the right texture and balance—without it, the ingredients won’t bind properly, and the mouthfeel will fall flat.

Water and ice act as solvents during shaking or stirring, helping to bind ingredients while softening the alcohol’s intensity. This process allows flavors to emerge and harmonize, ensuring a well-balanced cocktail with the right level of dilution. Additionally, ice plays a crucial role in distributing flavors evenly, resulting in a smoother, more cohesive final product in the glass.

WHAT’S THE STIR?

When it comes to cocktails made with primarily spirit-based ingredients—think Manhattans, Martinis and Negronis—they are often stirred.

Crafting the iconic Vesper Martini with Award-Winning No.3 London Dry Gin.

That’s because shaking can alter the delicate balance of alcohol, which may lead to a bruised cocktail. When shaken, spirits are exposed to more oxygen which can cause oxidation and result in a bitter or flat beverage. Stirring, however, preserves the purity and aromatic complexity of the spirits, allowing their true flavors to shine through.

The Vesper Martini is a timeless blend of vodka, vermouth and gin. Alessandro Palazzi, the renowned head bartender at Dukes Bar in London, has spent years perfecting this iconic serve, believing that the choice of spirits must not only be of exceptional quality but also strike a perfect balance of flavor. For the Vesper, he opts for No. 3 London Dry Gin, known for its crisp blend of juniper, citrus and spice—qualities that elevate the martini’s structure and depth. Palazzi emphasizes that stirring—rather than shaking—preserves these botanicals allowing the crisp, clean profile to shine.

While Bond may have famously ordered his “shaken, not stirred,” traditional mixology favors stirring for spirit-forward drinks, allowing the gin’s complexity to shine without excessive aeration or dilution.

Both shaking and stirring rely on similar basic principles of physics, but they play out in distinct ways. Shaking a cocktail is an intense, forceful process that involves kinetic energy, agitation and turbulence. As the shaker moves, the ice crashes against the liquid, breaking down compounds and increasing the surface area of the ice, in turn allowing for faster cooling and dilution. The result is a drink that’s not only perfectly chilled and ready to drink but often accompanied with that slight frothy texture that makes for such a lovely mouth feel.

The process of stirring, on the other hand, maintains the integrity of the ingredients by slowly incorporating them, keeping aromas and subtle flavors intact.

In short, it’s a more refined method, where the goal is to blend rather than emulsify and the result is a smoother, more aromatic cocktail where the spirits speak for themselves.

Stirring a Signature Barrel-Aged Manhattan at Oak Room.

ESSENTIALS FOR THE CRAFT

High-quality tools from a favorite bartender purveyor like Cocktail Kingdom not only look sleek and are a stylish touch to a bar top, but also aid in crafting the perfect cocktail, whether chilling liquids to the right temperature or straining with precision.

Globe Trotter X No.3 London Dry Gin, Unrivalled Martini Case

In the fast-paced environment of a bar, stainless steel mixing glasses are almost always preferred over glass. However, for a home bar, a classic Boston cocktail shaker set consists of a 28-ounce metal tin and a 12- to 16-ounce glass. For stirred cocktail preparation, a glass mixing vessel is recommended, as it allows for easy observation of the liquid’s volume and ensures even stirring of the ingredients.

Next, choose a strainer. The type of strainer needed varies depending on whether the cocktail being made is shaken or stirred.

Stirred cocktails of pure liquor as well as those served over ice require the use of a julep strainer. It has a perforated design that rests on the rim of a glass and serves to separate the ice from the cocktail while easing the pouring process.

Hawthorne strainers, used for shaken cocktails, are recognized by their signature springs. These allow ice and liquid to flow freely while simultaneously straining out chunky, aromatic ingredients such as muddled herbs and citrus pulp.

ICE, ICE BABY

When it comes to shaking methods, the type and quality of the ice play an important role.
Chris Hannah, legendary bartender at Jewel of the South in New Orleans, named among the World’s 50 Best Bars, says to adjust the shake based on the ice in the glass.

“If you’re using crushed ice, a quick whip shake will do—just three or four shakes. You don’t want to over-shake with crushed ice because it’ll dilute the drink too much,” he says.

At home, one might consider using filtered water in ice molds, as this can significantly improve the quality of a drink. “The key in that case is to shake less to avoid adding too much water to your drink,” says Hannah. “Quality ice is often overlooked, but it makes a world of difference.”

The Oak Room Signature Old Fashioned

TECHNIQUES TO TRY

Every bartender has their own way of shaking and usually their own rhythm, too, which just adds to the fun of taking a seat at the bar.

Some bartenders might say a cocktail must be stirred exactly 45 times while others rely on their intuition. But what’s consistent in both techniques are three processes: dilution, a change in temperature in the cocktail and the combining of ingredients.

In the end, whether shaking or stirring, it all comes down to landing on the right combination of textures and flavors in the drink raised to the lips or offered to guests. And there are some universal tips to try to achieve this.

When stirring a cocktail, keep the spoon’s shovel end pressed lightly against the side of the glass, ensuring it rests between the wall of the glass and the ice. Try to create a circular motion with the spoon and spin the shaft if possible, which allows the ice to circulate without making noise–a tricky technique to perfect. Keep in mind that if the ice is clinking, it probably means the stirring is too aggressive.

Answering the question “shaken or stirred” comes down to more than just following a recipe—the answer lies in gaining an understanding of the science behind the technique. With the right tools, a little practice and a light chemistry lesson, mixing a drink can become just as enjoyable as the sip that follows.