How long should you shake your cocktail?
When you’re shaking a cocktail you are doing 3 things to it; chilling, aerating and diluting. Aeration happens pretty quickly when you start shaking and can be done without ice (look at dry shaking) but when we introduce ice we now bring in the chilling and dilution factor to the cocktail. It is actually the melting of the ice that chills the drink, so we want to ensure we shake our cocktails long enough that enough of the ice melts. We need to chill the drink and bring that overall ABV% down, however, at the same time we need to ensure we don’t shake it for too long and overdilute the drink.
I have heard many different opinions over the years in the world of cocktails and mixology when it comes to shaking your drinks. Different shaking techniques, different types of ice, the time required to shake your cocktail, these are all factors that contribute to your final drink. I have even heard that when shaking your cocktail, it’s safer to take a bit longer as ‘the liquid and temperature inside the shaker will get so cold that it reaches a point of equilibrium and the ice will no longer continue to melt while shaking’. It was this hypothesis that really had me wondering, so I set out to conduct an experiment against it.
For this experiment, I wanted to find out the final volume in 3 different Daiquiris that were shaken for 3 different amounts of time. To maintain consistency, each drink had the same specs, the same initial volume, shaken in the same set of tins (washed and dried in between) and shaken with the same amount of ice (1 large cube and 1 small cube). One drink was shaken for a short 10 seconds, one for 30 seconds and one for 90 seconds. After shaking each drink it was double strained into a separate glass as if it was being served up in a bar. Once all 3 drinks were made, the final volume was measured.
Each drink started with an initial volume of 82.5ml. The specs were 45ml Rum (40%ABV), 22.5ml lime juice, 15ml simple syrup. The results for each drink were:
10 Second Daiquiri
Final volume: 110ml
Water added: 27.5ml
Dilution percentage: 25%
30 Second Daiquiri
Final volume: 115ml
Water added: 32.5ml
Dilution percentage: 28%
90 Second Daiquiri
Final volume: 140ml
Water added: 57.5ml
Dilution percentage: 41%
The results proved the hypothesis of ‘reaching an equilibrium’ an absolute myth. As demonstrated by the results, the extreme length of the 90 second shake drastically increased the amount of water added to the cocktail.
When it comes to a shaken cocktail like a Daiquiri, I always like to say aiming close to 30% dilution is ideal. This will give you good balance from the dilution and a nice, chilled temperature of at least -4 degrees Celsius or lower. (That’s right, cocktails end up having a temperature below freezing.)
So how long should you shake your cocktail for? Well based off this data, anywhere between 15-30 seconds with a good, hard consistent shake should give you optimal results. Lean closer to 15 seconds if you like your cocktails a bit stiff, or closer to 30 seconds if you want it a bit softer and easier.
Be sure to take into account the different factors that will have an impact on results:
-ABV% of the drink before shaking, initial volume of the drink before shaking, temperature of ingredients before shaking, type of ice, total mass of ice used when shaking, surface area of ice when shaking, grip on the shaker as you’re shaking.
