Stirring | Social Hour (2024)

Overview:

The purposeof stirring a co*cktail, as opposed to shaking, is to agitate the ice as little as possible sothe drink has a smooth and even texture without any air bubbles. For more aboutwhen it's betterto stir or shakea co*cktailand why, visit theShaking vs. Stirring Page.

The "Professional" Stir

Of course, we all know how to stir something. You just move a spoon around in a circle. This is more or lessthe way it works for co*cktails too, though for today's bartendersstirring a drink is a bit more involved than stirring soup on the stove,and it is this methodof stirring thatis outlined on this page.

If you've never seen this technique, it almost looks like a magic trick. The spoon quietly glidesaround the glasslike it's doingpirouettes in a co*cktail ballet. Dancemetaphors aside, what's going onis the back of the spoon is only touching the inner perimeter of the mixing glass. It never moves into the center. Why stir this way?

It has three major benefits:

1. It allows the bartender to stir faster,expeditingchilling and dilution.

2. It is more fluid, which providesbetter controlof chilling and dilution.

3. Perhaps most importantly, it makesone look, and feel, extremely cool.

For lack of a universally accepted term, I’ve dubbed this technique the "professional" stir. You mayalso see it referred to as a Japanese stir, because it was originally modeled after the stirring method of Japanese bartenders, like so many other modern co*cktail trends. ​

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Stirring

Step 3: Strain

It's commonto use a julep strainerin conjunction with mixing glasses, though someHawthornescan be used too. You can find a whole lot moreabout this technique on the Straining page.

Step 2: Stir

Here’s where things get interesting. To make the spoon circumnavigate the mixing glass, the stirring fingers take turns pushing and pulling it around,sharing the balance of power. As discussed above, the goal is forthe back of the spoon to stay againstthe innerperimeter. The best way to do this is to keep it pressed up against theglass' edge, this waythe contourscan help guide the spoon around.

Try to relax your hands, wrists and arms as best you can. It’s tempting to keep them stiff, but stiffness is the enemy. When stirring, ideally just your handshould be moving, and maybe your wrist somewhat. But your arms should be more or less still.

Below is a look at one stir rotation broken down from both the perspectives of the stirring fingers and holding fingers. Once you begin tostir faster, the centrifugal forceagainst the spoon will domost of the work for you andyour hand will just be the conductor. You'll barley have to think about it. But for starters, it helps to concentrate on the details.

Position.Place the julepstrainer over the mixing glass.Curved side down.

Hold.Secure it with your index finger.

Strain! Press down with your index finger.Lift, tip and pour.

Holding Fingers: Thumb& Index- After you've combinedall the ingredientsand filledyour mixing glass withice (in that order!), plunge your barspoon to bottom of the mixing glass, pressing the back of the spoon against the inside of the glass. Grip it lightly towardsthe top with your thumb and index finger. I wrap my index finger halfway aroundso the spoon rests at my middle knuckle. Don't pinch, the spoon will still be spinning between these fingers.

Stirring Fingers: Middle & Ring -

Next, straddle yourmiddle and ring fingers on opposites sides of the spoon, with the middle fingerdraped on top, right belowyour index finger and your ring finger underneath, the same side as your thumb.

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How Long to Stir? It Depends.

As I mentioned above, you’ll typically need to stir for 18-25seconds, though depending on certain factorsit could be closer to 30.The goal is to hit that sweet spot when the drink is perfectly chilledand diluted. This balance ismore tenuous in stirred co*cktails than it is in shaken ones, because they tend to be more delicate.

To me stirring a drink is like cooking a steak to the perfect medium rare. For most of a steak's cooking time the meat is underdone, then for a moment it’s absolutely perfect, but if you let it sit a moment too long you've missed the window, andit’s all over (it will come as no surprise to you that I obsessively use a meat thermometer when cooking steaks). If you don't stir a co*cktail enough, the drink willhave a sharpalcoholic edge and won't be sufficiently cold. But stir it too long you’ll it'll be over-diluted, thin andwatery.

To really get a sense of how long tostir, you need to take all the variables that affect the rate of chilling and dilution into account. Then you can adjust accordingly.

The Key Factors

• What's the Condition of the Ice? - This has the greatest impact. The larger the ice cubes, the slower they will melt and the longer you will have to stir, and vice versa. Any type of ice can be used, butI find larger cubes preferable. Small cubes melt quickly,making it difficult to control the speed of the dilution of your drink. Also, what is the condition of your ice. It is wet and shiny orfrosty and dry? The former will melt faster, the latter slower. You can read more these factors and ice in general on the Ice page.

• Is the Mixing GlassChilled or Not? - In addition to chilling your glassware, I highly recommend chilling your mixing glass beforehand. This is the best way to get the drink extra cold without over-diluting it. You’ll have to stir for a few seconds longer, but it's well worth it.

• How Fast are You Stirring? - The faster you stir, the quicker the drink with be chilled and diluted. So if you’re an experienced stirrer, you don'thave to stir as long.

When in Doubt, Taste

Now that I’ve overwhelmed you with more variables than you ever imagined could go intosomething as simple as stirring liquid in ice, let me recommend a different approach. Rather than obsessing over the details, usea straw or spoonto taste the drink along the way. It might not be obvious to you at first, but you’ll soon develop a feel for the balance you’re looking for and how it correlates to stirring time.Eventually it'll become likea second sense. Trust your instincts.

Practice, Practice, Practice

While it's not absolutely necessary to making good drinks,mastering the professionalstiris one of the mostgratifying co*cktails skills you can acquire. But you have to be committed. Bartenders make it look easy, but it takes some drilling to get it right. Yourhands a need chance to acclimate to how they’re supposed to move. As I often like to recall, one of my most vivid memories of learning to bartend was practicing stirringat 4am in my kitchen after a barbacking shift at Clover Club.

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I advise practicing with just ice and water at firstso you don’t risk wasting any co*cktails by over-diluting them. I wouldn'tpracticewith an empty mixing glass either. Agreat barspoon andmixing glass- the traditional vessel used to stir co*cktails in -makes a big difference as well. Though you can stir in anything, such as a rocks glass, which in some cases may even be preferable.

Most importantly, don’t give up! This will probably feela little unnatural at first. Have patience, don’t get frustrated, and keep practicing. Stirring is one of those riding-a-bike skills that you never lose. Once you have that “aha!” moment you’ll never think about it again.

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Building and Stirring in Glass

While I generally advocate for stirring co*cktails in a mixing glassand then straining them into the serving glass,an exception can be made if that co*cktail is going to be served on the rocks, like say, an Old Fashioned or Negroni. In those cases you can get away with the stirring the drink right in the glass you'll be drinking from. We call this method “buildin glass”. The main reason to do it is primarily for convenience. All you need is a barspoon. No mixing glass or strainer necessary.

The drawback of course is the drink will be sitting on the ice has been stirred with, which means it will have already begun to melt and therefore, the co*cktailwill become watered down faster. Butthere are few measures you can take toreduce this issue:

• Chill your glass -Put it in the freezer ahead of time, evenif it’s for 15 minutes.

• Stir with larger cubes(but not giant ones) - As I said above, bigger cubes meltslower. Stirring with ice from1x1 Perfect Cube Trays.is ideal. Of course if the ice is too bigyou won't be able to turn it around in the glass.

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• Don’t stir for quite as long -It’s a good idea to stopstirring short of a co*cktail’s sweet spotand let evolveas you drink it. This way you'll over over dilution on the back end. It’s ok if the drink it a little under diluted or not quite cold enough at first. It’ll get there.

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Additional

StirringVariables

I Prefer a Mixing Glass, But That's Me

I still think using a mixing glass achieves a better,and more consistent result and findthis method is better suited to home bartending environments. That said, if you manage the variables well, the sacrifices will be close to negligible, which, coupled with the added speed andefficiency might make it a worthwhile option for some professional bartenders.

Use a Round Glass!

If you do go this route, make sure you’re using a glass that’s circular without any edgesso you can stirfluently. If there are any corners you're going to have a tough time.

How Long to Stir?

Stirring takes longer than shaking. You'lltypically need about 18-25 seconds, depending on the ice you’re using. That's a pretty big window. The more co*cktails you make, the better you'll get a feel for how long you need to stir from one to the next. As always, when in doubt,taste. You can find more of my musings on stirring timebelow.

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Don't Trouble Yourself with Perfection

Like so many other co*cktails techniques and tools discussed on this site, whilethe professional stiris important for co*cktail bartenders to learn, it isn't essential tomakinggood drinks. If you're making drinksat home, do your best to push the ice around without jostlingit too much. As long as thatco*cktail gets chilled and diluted without being shaken, you’ve succeeded.