Stir

Stirring is the mixing method used for spirit-forward cocktails that contain no citrus, cream, or eggs — drinks that should remain visually clear, silky, and undiluted by aeration. Using a bar spoon in a mixing glass, the bartender gently rotates the ice and liquid together for 30 to 40 seconds, achieving the proper temperature and dilution without introducing air bubbles or cloudiness. This distinction between stirring and shaking matters both technically and aesthetically. Shaking aerates a cocktail, suspending tiny bubbles throughout and giving the drink a slightly hazy, foamy character. A Daiquiri is meant to be aerated; a Martini is not. A stirred cocktail retains crystal clarity and a smooth, dense mouthfeel that would be disrupted by the aeration of shaking. Classic stirred cocktails include the Martini, Manhattan, Negroni, Rob Roy, Boulevardier, Old Fashioned, Sazerac, and Vieux Carré. The target temperature and dilution are similar to shaking: approximately minus five degrees Celsius and 15 to 25 percent added water, though stirring typically adds slightly less dilution than shaking. Thirty to forty complete revolutions of the bar spoon is the standard. The technique requires keeping the spoon's back pressed against the inside of the mixing glass wall and moving everything in a smooth, quiet circular motion without creating a vortex or splashing. Japanese bartenders, particularly following the approach formalized by Kazuo Uyeda in the latter twentieth century, treat stirring as a refined skill in its own right — the ice should move smoothly without clicking or grinding, and the technique demonstrates control. Pre-chilling the mixing glass before adding ingredients is standard professional practice: fill the glass with ice, stir briefly to chill the glass itself, discard the water, then add the cocktail ingredients. This head start means the drink reaches temperature faster and with more predictable dilution.