OF ALL THE things that bartenders do behind the bar, unnecessary use of the shaker is the one thing that annoys me the most.  For most, the sound of the shaker is music to their collective ears.  It signifies that the bartender is preparing the cocktail that they just ordered.  But is he or she really preparing it, or is he or she destroying it?  Believe it or not, there is a clear set of rules to determine whether a drink should be shaken or stirred.  Most of today’s bartenders don’t know that these rules exist, so they don’t follow them, and as in real life, when you don’t follow the rules you usually get unexpected results.

So, what are the rules?  There are only two rules and they are very simple.  Shake a cocktail if the recipe includes fruit juice, sour mix, simple syrup, cream liqueurs, eggs, dairy, or any other thick or flavorful mixers.  Examples of this are the Mai Tai, Cosmopolitan, Brandy Flip, and the Margarita.  Stir a cocktail if the recipe includes distilled spirits and very light mixers only.  Examples of this are the Martini, Manhattan, Gibson, Gimlet, and Sazerac Cocktail.

You’re probably thinking that if these are the rules, then why don’t bartenders follow them?  I was never taught these rules when I was first promoted to bartender all those many years ago.  I read about them as I became interested in the history of cocktails.  My guess is that not many bartenders are aware of the rules these days.  Those who are aware of them ignore them because they are lazy.  Yes, lazy.  Doing everything the same way cuts down on steps and allows the bartender to seemingly be more efficient.  However, there is a problem with this approach.

Cocktails like the martini were developed with the method used to make them in mind.  Martinis are meant to be clear.  Stirring this cocktail doesn’t change it, it just blends the ingredients.  Shaking it not only clouds it, but changes it fundamentally.  To prove this scientifically I did an experiment.  I made two martinis, one shaken and one stirred, with the resulting cocktails strained into martini glasses.  The results are worth noting.  After about 20 seconds, the most obvious difference was that the martini that was stirred remained clear while the martini that was shaken was cloudy, but there were other subtle differences.  The shaken martini was 26 degrees Fahrenheit, 22 degrees colder than the stirred martini.  This affected the taste of the drinks.  The shaken martini was too cold for me to be able to discern the nuances of the blending of gin and vermouth.  The stirred martini was far more flavorful at 48 degrees Fahrenheit.  The most startling difference was the volume of liquid in the individual glasses.  The shaken martini had an ounce more volume than the stirred martini.  The difference was shards of ice and air introduced from the shaking process.  Obviously, the ice shards eventually melt and dilute the drink, but the introduction of air also makes a difference with respect to volume as well.  Do you really want your $17 martini to be too cold and too diluted for you to be able to enjoy the perfectly balanced blend of gin and vermouth?  Probably not.

Shaking a cocktail like a Mai Tai or a Hurricane does no harm.  Again, these drinks were developed with the knowledge that they would be shaken, so the blend of fruit juices, distillates, sugar, etc. does not fundamentally change the drink.  It does introduce the same air and ice shards, but the thickness and the flavor of the ingredients overcome this.

I’ll anticipate your next question and answer it as well.  Why does James Bond order his signature martini shaken, not stirred if the rules state that a martini should be stirred.  James Bond is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming in 1953.  Since the rules for making drinks had been around for a while by the time Mr. Fleming began writing and since he was probably aware of them, I will assume that he used that fact to help create the Bond persona — a brash, heroic, womanizing rule breaker.  He orders his drink that way, not just because he likes it that way, but because it’s not the way it should be ordered.  You, the observer, know that he should know better, which somehow makes him even more suave and debonair than he appears on the surface.  I have to believe that Fleming was clever enough to know the rules and use them to his advantage.  This is obviously just a theory, but careful consideration will show that I’m probably on to something here.

So, there you have it, cocktails shaken and stirred.  Things are so much simpler when you break them down scientifically.  These days the line between shaking and stirring has been blurred.  Mostly because things have been done differently for so long that no one knows the difference any more.  The thing to keep in mind is that most cocktails, at least the classics, were developed with the rules in mind.  That means that bending or breaking the rules takes away from the delicate balance that was intended when the cocktail was created.  A Manhattan, an Old Fashioned, a Mint Julep, a Mojito, and a Sazerac Cocktail should always be stirred.  They should not be cloudy, frothy, or bubbly when they arrive at your table.  A Hurricane, a Margarita, Mai Tai, and a Singapore Sling should always be shaken.  But if that doesn’t happen, don’t yell at the bartender.  Just ask him if he wouldn’t mind making it differently the next time.  When he asks what you mean by differently, you can say shaken or stirred– which ever is appropriate.  Then compare the differences between the two preparations.  You’ll be surprised.

I’VE GOTTEN QUITE a few interesting questions over the last couple of days, so I thought I’d take the time to answer them.  Let’s see what we have in the inbox this week.

What is bitters?

Believe it or not, bitters is classified as an alcoholic beverage.  Despite being available on your grocers’ shelves, it weighs in at about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV).  That’s 90 proof if you’re counting at home.  The most common bitters, known as Angostura bitters, was developed in 1824 by a German physician living in Venezuela, Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, as a cure for sea sickness and stomach ailments.  It was later exported to England and Trinidad, where some creative minds began using it in cocktails.  Among its many uses, bitters can be used to stimulate your appetite.  When used in apéritifs and digestifs, bitters settles your stomach before a meal or before a night of drinking.

The most common ingredients in bitters are angostura bark, cascarilla, cassia, gentian, orange peel, and quinine.  The flavor of both Angostura bitters and Peychaud’s bitters is derived from gentian, a bitter herb.  Bitters is made by either infusing or distilling aromatic herbs, bark, roots, and fruits known for their flavor and/or their medicinal properties.

Several cocktails use bitters as a key ingredient.  Among those are the Sazerac Cocktail, the Manhattan, the Old Fashion, and the Pink Gin.  Brands of bitters that are most often used these days are Peychaud’s, Angostura, and Gammel Dansk.  Other beverages that fall under the category of bitters are Campari, Fernet Branca, Ramazzotti, Pimm’s No. 1, and Luxardo Amaro.

What are the other quality grades for Cognac?

As I mentioned recently, the official quality grades for Cognac were set forth by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC).  The grading system helps give you an indication of the age of the liquid in your favorite bottle of Cognac.  The following list should help you understand what the letters on the bottle mean.

VS (Very Special) – This means that the youngest Cognac or brandy in the bottle has been stored for at least two years in a cask.
VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) – This means that the youngest Cognac or brandy in the bottle has been stored for at least four years in a cask.
XO (Extra Old) -This means that the youngest Cognac or brandy in the bottle has been stored for at least six years in a cask, but average much closer to twenty years.
Napoleon – This grade is equivalent to XO.
Extra A – Cognac or Brandy with this grade are aged for a minimum of six years.
Vieux – This grade falls between VSOP and XO.
Vieille Réserve – This means that the grade for this Cognac or brandy is beyond XO.
Hors d’âge (beyond age) – The BNIC states that this grade is equivalent to XO, but in practice this term is used to describe Cognac or brandy of the highest quality and its grade is beyond the official age scale.

What is Ouzo?

Ouzo is an anise-flavored apéritif that is produced in Greece.  It is made by distilling pure ethyl alcohol that is 96% ABV with anise in a copper still.  Other ingredients such as cinnamon, clove, and star anise can also be added.  Ouzo production does not include multiple distillations or fermentation.

The precursor to Ouzo, Tsipouro or Rakia, was consumed during the reign of the Byzantine Empire and continued to be enjoyed throughout the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire.  A group of 14th century monks living in a monastery on Mount Athos are said to have helped develop what we know as Ouzo.  One of the many recipes that they used to make Tsipouro was flavored with anise.  This particular recipe eventually came to be known as Ouzo.  The Greek isle of Lesbos lays claim to producing what is considered modern Ouzo.  When the world-wide ban on Absinthe took place during the late 19th century, Ouzo was one of many anise-flavored products that gained in popularity.

The best way to enjoy Ouzo is straight up.  That’s my preferred method of consumption.  The traditional way to consume it is by pouring it over ice and mixing in a little water.  This causes the Ouzo to become cloudy and white, a process known as the Louching Effect.  It is a harmless reaction triggered by adding cold water to a beverage that contains anise.  It is a strong visual indicator that the beverage has been sufficiently diluted, making it less potent.  In the case of Ouzo, dilution isn’t necessary, but for those who enjoy Absinthe, dilution is vital since it is much more potent than Ouzo.  For those who don’t want to sip Ouzo alone, it pairs very well with appetizers such as calamari, clams, fried zucchini, salads, and sardines.

One word of caution when consuming Ouzo.  It is quite often referred to as a rather strong drink despite the fact that its ABV isn’t very high when compared to other liquors.  What makes it appear to be strong is its sugar content.  Sugar delays the absorption of ethanol in the stomach, giving the unsuspecting drinker the idea that he/she can drink more because they don’t feel drunk immediately.  Eventually, the cumulative effect will hit, thus the onset of sudden inebriation.  It is best to consume Ouzo with foods, especially those foods that contain fats or oils.  The presence of these foods in the upper digestive system prolongs the absorption of ethanol, which should ameliorate intoxication.

What is surfeit water?

Surfeit water is a medicinal liquid designed to alleviate the effects of overindulgence in eating or drinking.  The essential ingredients in these concoctions are alcohol, usually in the form of brandy or Aqua Vitae, dried fruits and poppy flowers.  Believe it or not, Papaver Rhoeas (corn poppy, field poppy, and red poppy) were often used.  This might not seem unusual at first, but it should be noted that this variety of poppy does not contain the alkaloids found in other opium producing varieties.  Evidence does suggest that there may be some mild sedative properties imparted by this particular species of poppy, which is probably one of the reasons it was used in this particular remedy for digestive discomfort.  Surfeit water was generally an aid prescribed by your local barkeep, not by your doctor.  The earliest documented use of the term surfeit water dates back to 1633.  It should be noted that during that century, there was very little distinction between a doctor and a barkeep.  The modern equivalent to this sort of remedy would be bitters or bitter liqueurs such as Fernet Branca and Ramazzotti Amore.  Cordials such as these are perfect digestive aids after a long evening of excess.

What is a Mickey Slim?

This question took a lot longer than I thought it would to be asked.  I intentionally mentioned it in my post on American-made gin just to see if anyone was paying attention.  I stumbled across the recipe while doing research and I was mildly surprised that such a drink could have ever existed.  But, I should never be surprised by the lengths that humans will go to in order to find the next out of body experience.  The Mickey Slim was a cocktail that had a short-lived existence during the 1940’s and 1950’s in the United States.  It was made by combining gin with DDT.  Yes, the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.  The drink met its end when most countries banned the use of DDT because it was linked to numerous health problems.  Those who enjoyed this fine beverage claimed that its effects were similar to those experienced when consuming absinthe.  I shake my head at the thought of consuming this drink today.  I’m not even sure that I’d have tried it back then either.  One of the interesting notes on mixing it suggests using very small amounts of DDT because it’s not very water soluble.  That should have been a clue, not that its use as an insecticide wasn’t a big enough clue already.