Shake cocktails that contain citrus, dairy, or eggs because shaking builds frothy texture, helps ingredients merge, and dilutes overpowering flavors. Shaking with ice adds an airy mouthfeel and blends fruit juices or cream with alcohol for a smoother sip. Most drinks with these ingredients need about 15 seconds of shaking to properly mingle. Shaking longer risks over-dilution and excessive foam. Alcohol-forward cocktails that lack juices, eggs, or cream are best stirred to preserve clarity and balance. Use shaking for texture and integration; use stirring for spirit-forward clarity.
The vigorous movement helps ingredients merge seamlessly. Similarly, when fruit juices and dairy products are mixed with alcohol, a good vigorous shake can result in blended concoctions that ultimately go down smooth. Though it is tough to make sweeping statements about anything that happens in the kitchen or behind a bar, you can't go too wrong by shaking up citrus cocktails, and drinks with eggs or dairy ingredients.
Whether you're adding cream (hello white Russian), pineapple juice (hola piña colada), or egg whites (bonjour spiced clementine sour) into your mixing cup, shaking the ingredients with ice can help dilute overpowering flavors and add an airy texture to cocktails that might otherwise feel flat on the tongue. These kinds of drinks only need to be shaken for 15 seconds to properly mingle.
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