Throw

Technique

Throwing a cocktail means pouring it in a long arc between two tins, which chills the drink and adds fine bubbles.

Also called: throwing · thrown cocktail · roll · rolling · tumbling

Throws per drink: 4 to 5
Target dilution: 30 to 35%
Rolling passes: 4 to 6 between tins

What Throw means

Drinks made this way get fine bubbles and a lifted aroma that a stirred drink lacks. The long pour does the chilling, so you can use a lighter touch than a shake needs. Difford's Guide puts the target at 30 to 35% dilution, so the chill comes from the stream, not a hard shake.

You may have heard that throwing is only for show. The long pour does add fine bubbles and lifts aroma, which suits drinks with dry vermouth or sherry. A thrown Martini is a Martini made with this method.

Rolling is the gentler cousin. You pour the drink back and forth between two tins 4 to 6 times, and it keeps a Bloody Mary thick, where shaking thins the tomato juice. Miguel Boadas, trained at El Floridita in Havana, opened Boadas in Barcelona in 1933. For nearly 50 years it was the only bar in the world still throwing drinks.

How to throw a cocktail

You need two tins, one with the ice and drink and one empty to catch the stream, plus a julep or Hawthorne strainer.

1.Put the ingredients and ice, about two-thirds full, in one tin, and hold a julep or Hawthorne strainer in it at about 45 degrees.
2.Start with both tins high, then lower the catching tin as you pour, until the stream is fully stretched with about a third of the drink left.
3.Pour the drink back into the iced tin, and repeat the throw 4 to 5 times in all.
4.Practice with plain water first, so you learn the stream before you pour a real drink.

Throw compared

RollingRolling pours the drink gently back and forth between two tins at close range. Throwing stretches the stream into a long arc.
StirStirring adds no air. Throwing adds fine bubbles and opens up aromas.
ShakeShaking makes larger bubbles and a cloudier drink. Throwing chills with a lighter touch and finer bubbles.

Related terms

Ingredients

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Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.