Dave Arnold, the author of Liquid Intelligence (https://amzn.to/3QhTxOQ), has a Fundamental Law of Traditional Cocktails which states: “There is no chilling without dilution, and there is no dilution without chilling.”
Chilling and dilution are directly related. In fact, if you make two Manhattans with different sized ice, that are stirred for different lengths of time and stirred at different speeds, they will be identical once served if stirring was stopped once they hit the same temperature (meaning that they also have the same amount of dilution).
Ice melts at its surface area. Therefore, increasing the surface area will increase the rate at which ice can melt. Increasing the rate at which it melts also increases the rate at which it chills.
Stirring or shaking a cocktail increases contact with both the liquid and ice, therefore chilling (and diluting) faster. The faster the drink moves, the faster the drink can chill.
A shaken cocktail will reach equilibrium once shaken for 15 seconds – meaning that it will have minimal further effect on both chilling and the dilution of a drink.
In regards to chilling and dilution, stirring is inefficient and it will take around two minutes to reach the same or a similar temperature (and dilution) as shaking.
No one stirs a cocktail for two minutes. So, by shaking a cocktail for 10-15 seconds it will over dilute your drink.
My point is. Don’t shake a Manhattan 😉
Dave Arnold’s Liquid Intelligence is a must have on your book shelf: https://amzn.to/3QhTxOQ
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Check out Dave Arnold's Liquid Intelligence: https://amzn.to/3QhTxOQ ….speaking of books, I wrote one! https://bit.ly/STB-cocktail-guide
Shouts out to who? 🧐
I guess I am willfully pretentious.
I'm guessing if you'd shake boozy cocktail you'd definitely fine strain it and it wouldnt be as bad. That being said I'd never make my Manhattan shaken 😀
NEVER shake or put a manhattan on the rocks.
My first thought was why would anyone push back on saying you should stir it over shaking? The only reason I can think of is if you didn't have a half decent way to make a stirred cocktail, but even then, get some stuff together to be able to make stirred cocktails, problem solved.
Maybe double straining would have been a better direct comparison since you'd avoid the ice chips in the shaken one. No need to do that though, the shaken looks bad in all regards.
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I received Liquid Intelligence for Christmas several years ago, and it's the reason I went from occasionally making a margarita to considering bartending one of my biggest hobbies
I mean… you can dilute whiskey with room temperature water. But realistically, nobody would do that with a cocktail so I suppose that is fine.
Still weird to call that a "law".
Do you have small glassware or just giant hands?
Count me on the stirred side. The worst Manhattan I was ever served had been shaken and was full of ice shards. Guess I’m pretentious too.
Seriously… I can’t believe people would even consider shaking this! Lol definitely stirred bro!! 🤘🏼
Dave Arnold is technically wrong because you can absolutely chill a cocktail without diluting it, it’s just not necessarily the most time effective thing. You can refrigerate them or add whiskey stones, neither adds dilution. Technically… I’m a lot of fun at parties…
Cocktails with citrus and sugar should be shaken. Other cocktails should be stirred. Shaking also gives cocktails a lighter texture, while stirring gives a richer mouthfeel.
Why wouldn’t you double strain the shaken version?
I loved this! And no, Steve, you are not even CLOSE to being pretentious. Some people just like arguing with the professionals because it makes them feel better.
I’ve often wondered how a shaken Manhattan would taste; but think I’ll pass!
countsistency?
I've had my Manhattan, stirred with & without ice, shaken, on the rocks & on a block of ice. So everyway you can think of. If I make them at home I don't shake them. I used to though.
That's why James Bond have his Martini shaken, to sip on the dilution and ice shards on top while on a mission! What a great spy!
I always stir manhattans. 1 to avoid it looking like coffee and 2 to avoid getting foam on top both of which spoil the aesthetics of the cocktail. Agree with you 100% Steve.
How about if you double strain the manhattan? You would not get the ice shards, might still not get the result you want but might not be as bad as this?
Shouldn't you strain the shaken also? To get those small pieces of ice
This hack cheated & wasted time, his & ours, then he whined about the taste, I hope this is a joke, if not he sucks.
Soooo many more cocktails fit this profile. But you should do it blindfolded with someone else doing the stirring and shaking.
Hi early I think floating is the best way
We keep our vodka, gin and vermouth in the fridge to mitigate the delusion of ice…
What about trying a Campari Shakerato? Just campari shaken on ice which changes the drink tottaly
You forgot option 3: served on the rocks in a rocks glass with only a swirl to incorporate at the beginning. Startsbout strong like the stirred version and dilutes to shaken strength by the end. Best of both worlds and lazier than either option here 🤣
Love the video Steve. Shut that guy the hell up.
Love your videos. Pleeeease done make these click bait titles.