Stir

Technique

Stirring chills and dilutes a drink by turning it with ice in a mixing glass, so a spirit-forward drink stays clear and smooth.

Also called: stirred · dilution · stirring

Typical stir: 30 to 45 seconds
Stir needed to match a hard shake's dilution: 90 to 120 seconds

What Stir means

Drinks made only of spirits, vermouth and bitters are usually stirred. Stirring suits a Martini or any drink without juice, cream or egg, and it keeps the drink looking clean. Stirring also softens the bite of the spirit as the ice melts into it.

You will see the word first in a Martini recipe, since bartenders stir that drink rather than shake it. Stirred drinks are usually served up, which means chilled, strained and poured with no ice in the glass.

One popular idea is that a quick 10 second stir is enough. Stirring chills slowly, so most drinks need 30 to 45 seconds. Cook's Illustrated tasters preferred Martinis that were stirred longer. If you quit early, the drink can still taste hot with alcohol.

How to stir a cocktail

Stir in a mixing glass, not a shaker, when a drink has only clear ingredients.

1.Fill the mixing glass with plenty of fresh, hard ice.
2.Pour in the clear ingredients, such as spirits, vermouth and bitters.
3.Keep the back of the bar spoon against the glass wall and stir smoothly, so the ice turns as one mass.
4.Stir for 30 to 45 seconds. If the drink still tastes hot with alcohol, stir a little longer.
5.Strain with a julep strainer or a Hawthorne strainer into a chilled glass or over fresh ice.

Stir compared

ShakeA shake chills faster but adds air and clouds the drink. Stirring keeps a spirit-only drink clear and silky.
ThrowThrowing pours the drink in a long arc between two tins, which adds fine bubbles. Stirring adds none.
SwizzleSwizzling spins a stick through crushed ice in the glass itself. Stirring moves a spoon through cubes in a mixing glass.

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.