If Your Drink Includes These 3 Ingredients, You Should Shake It, Not Stir It

You've been assigned a bartender position at your friend's house party and are surveying some of the commonly requested cocktail recipes before the first guests arrive. You notice that some drinks call for ingredients to be shaken while others are meant to be stirred, and you're worried you're going to botch orders of pineapple mojitos and classic negronis once a line forms at the bar. Not to worry, we have an easy guideline to help you sort out which process is meant for which ingredients as you work to satisfy thirsty revelers. The core of it is this: If a drink has citrus, dairy, or eggs, it should be shaken.

Shaking ingredients can help build frothy texture, which is important for those cocktails that call for using egg whites. 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. Any longer than this and you run the risk of overshaking your cocktail, which means your drink could be watered down or be unnecessarily foamy once poured into a glass to garnish and serve.

When it comes to alcohol-forward recipes that do not include juices, eggs, or cream, there are many boozier cocktails that should simply be stirred. Attempting to shake bitters and whiskey to make an old fashioned cocktail could result in a diluted beverage, for example. And the added aeration may not make the kind of smooth cocktail that is meant to be sipped and enjoyed slowly.