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Technique

Shake

To shake a cocktail is to seal it in a shaker with ice and shake it hard, which chills, dilutes and mixes the drink and adds air.

In practice

Fill the shaker about two-thirds with ice and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, until the outside is frosty. Shake drinks with citrus juice, cream, egg or syrups that need to blend; stir drinks made only of spirits, as a hard shake makes them cloudy.

Drinks to try it with

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Shake, in short

What does shake mean in cocktails?

To shake a cocktail is to seal it in a shaker with ice and shake it hard, which chills, dilutes and mixes the drink and adds air.