Cocktail Tips & Techniques P. 2: Shaken

We're sharing our shaken cocktail tips from our class during Feast Portland at the Multnomah Whiskey Library.

Shaken Cocktail Tips from co-founder Lucas Plant

1. Shaking a cocktail should be done vigorously. It will aerate, dilute, and incorporate all ingredients. Try a 10 second standard shake, or shaking until your tins get frosty on the exterior.

2. A good rule of thumb is shake when you have citrus and egg white in your cocktail. Save spirit forward cocktails for stirring.    

3. Fill your 18 oz tin to the top with ice. Note: We recommend against using a pint glass when shaking because of breakage. Try these 18 oz and 28 oz tins.

4. Make sure you have an adequate seal on your tins so they don’t break open mid-shake. Then, when unlocking the seal, gently squeeze one side to release.

5. You might see recipes call for double straining. This is when you strain your shaken cocktail through a hawthorne and fine mesh strainer. Double strain when you want to remove ice chips and any excess pulp from your cocktail. We find that this tends to be a personal preference, so experiment on your own to see what you like.

Put these tips to work by shaking up one of the most iconic drinks of all time: the daiquiri. 

Daiquiri by Lucas Plant, Bull in China

• 2 oz Silver Rum (we used Ron Cartavio)

• .75 oz fresh lime juice

• .50 2:1 cane syrup

• Barspoon of Lazaronni Amaretto

Add all ingredients into a shaker tin. Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe and enjoy!