How to Shake a Drink
History — shaking a drink is
a technique which became popular in the 1930s.
What to Shake
Shaking a drink is common with
drink recipes that contain
ingredients that are hard to mix such as fruit juices, cream or eggs.
Nowadays, a
blender is most often used to
blend drinks, but
with simple ingredients,
is just as simple to use the old fashioned shaker.
Types of Shakers
There are two types of
shakers,
and both are usually stainless steel. The first one is a traditional three-part
shaker
with a built-in strainer , and the modern two-part
shaker,
where one half is the
shaker
and the other half is a Boston mixing glass or smaller
shaker.
With the two-part
shaker
it is necessary to use a separate strainer.
Before Shaking
There are to simple rules you
should keep in mind. The first is that shaking
ingredients with ice
can dilute a drink by up to 25%, and mixes the
ingredients very well,
giving a nice foamy head to the
cocktail when the
mixture contains juices. The second is not to shake
ingredients that
contain carbonation, else your shaker will explode!
Filling the Shaker
Fill the shaker to 2/3 with ice and
add the ingredients.
After adding the
ingredients cover the lid tightly.
Shaking the Contents
Shake the
shaker
firmly for a few seconds moving it in and out from the body pointing the lid
away from you. Should the lid come loose, you won't spill the contents all over
yourself.
Drinks that are easy to mix, should
be shaken for approximately 10 seconds, while drinks using egg yolks need double
the time. Do not over shake a drink or it will taste watered down.
Serving the Drink
Remove the cover and strain into
the proper glass,
allowing the drink to form a foamy head. Finish by
garnishing and adding a
straw.
To ensure exact consistency when
pouring a round, fill the first
glass1/2 - 3/4 of the
way and continue down the line of empty
glasses. Try to fill
each glass with equal
amounts. Once you reach the last
glass, each serving
being equal, you can go over each
glass to top them off
starting back with the first
glass. This method of pouring ensures that all the drinks will have the same
consistent flavor, color and temperature, making the first being just as good as
the last.
Make sure you practice the above
mixing and pouring techniques before inviting a group of friends over for an
evening of revelry.
Learn more on: how to mix drinks...
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