Technique
Strain
To strain is to pour a shaken or stirred drink into its glass while holding back the ice it was mixed with.
In practice
Use a Hawthorne strainer (the one with a spring) on a shaker tin, or a julep strainer in a mixing glass. Straining off the mixing ice keeps the drink from watering down; if it's served on the rocks, it goes over fresh ice.
Drinks to try it with
Strain, in short
What does strain mean in cocktails?
To strain is to pour a shaken or stirred drink into its glass while holding back the ice it was mixed with.