Wet Shake

The wet shake solves a fundamental problem with egg white cocktails. When egg white is shaken with ice, cold temperatures work against foam formation. The two-stage process separates aeration from chilling, producing a significantly thicker and more persistent head on the finished drink.

In the first stage — the dry shake — all ingredients including the egg white are combined in a shaker with no ice. Shaking vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds allows the proteins in the egg white to unfold and trap air. Without ice, this works more efficiently because the proteins are not inhibited by cold temperatures.

In the second stage — the wet shake — ice is added and the drink is shaken again for 10 to 15 seconds. This chills the cocktail, adds dilution, and integrates the foam into the finished drink.

A Whiskey Sour or Pisco Sour made with the wet shake method holds its foam through the entire drink rather than dissipating within minutes. A single shake with ice produces noticeably thinner and shorter-lived foam.

Some bartenders perform the dry shake first, then add ice for the wet shake. Others reverse the order — a technique called the reverse dry shake — which is said to produce a lighter, airier foam because the foam forms after chilling rather than before it. Both approaches are widely used in professional bars.

Aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas, is a popular vegan substitute for egg white in cocktails. The wet shake technique produces comparable foam with aquafaba and no animal products are required.