Bar technique
How to stir a cocktail
Stirring is for drinks made of spirits, vermouth, liqueurs and bitters. You want the drink cold, a little softened by water and still perfectly clear, with none of the air a shake adds.
It takes longer than shaking, so start the stir before you prepare the glass and garnish.
How to do it
- 1Chill the serving glass first, in the freezer or filled with ice and water.
- 2Measure into a mixing glass, smallest pours first: bitters, then vermouth or liqueur, then spirit.
- 3Fill the mixing glass with cold, dry ice, well above the liquid.
- 4Slide the bar spoon down the inside wall and turn it with your fingertips, so the ice spins as one block. Keep it quiet.
- 5Stir for 20 to 30 seconds, then taste a drop on a straw. It should be cold and smooth, never watery.
- 6Strain through a julep or Hawthorne strainer into the chilled glass, or over a fresh large cube.
Common mistakes
- Wet ice from the well, which adds water before you start.
- Stopping too early. The drink tastes hot and harsh.
- Clanking the spoon, which chips the ice and over-dilutes.
- A warm glass, which undoes half the stir in the first minute.
Related: ice and dilution, glassware, garnish, batching.
