How to Mix a Drink - are you doing it wrong?

In today’s video I'm going over some bar basics - how to mix a drink! Specifically, shaking and stirring. I’ve received some questions about when, why, and how to shake and stir. Although both techniques chill and dilute the cocktail (very important!), the difference comes down to texture. I’ll explain how air affects the cocktail, mention some common mistakes I've seen (and done), and show you the techniques I've learned behind my bar. The important thing is to keep it fun. Remember, we're not saving lives, we're mixing cocktails. Happy mixing, everyone!

If you want to dig deeper in the science on shaking, check out these studies by Dave Arnold:



TIME STAMPS
Intro: 0:00
Shaking: 1:27
Common Mistakes: 3:24
How I Shake: 4:31
Stirring: 6:38
Stirring Technique: 8:26
Multitasking: 9:44

THE TOOLS

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Anders Erickson
4610 N. Clark St
Box 1051
Chicago IL, 60640

Co-produced with the lovely Azusa "Az" Inaba 🎥 🎨

[AndersErickson]

Hey everyone! Sorry this upload was a little late!
I wanted to answer some of your questions about technique. Obviously this isn't the only way to do it - but it's how I do it. Hope you find it useful! 🍹🍸🥃

[dicktaketheday]

I've been a bartender for 28 years. Your information is awesome, accurate, and non pompous. Thanks for being one of the good guys, I've known too many drank-slangeRs that think themselves as gods. Cheers to you and yours.

[ThreeOttersInATrenchcoat]

What a stirring performance! I must confess, I am shook!

[hunterelson]

As a new bartender pursuing exploring a passion for cocktails and mixology, your videos are an amazing resource to have! I love the technique videos you do in and amongst your recipe videos. They really help me understand the “why” behind cocktail creation. Thanks for all you do!

[mizzmanda]

I love that you said "this is how I shake" instead of saying "this is how you shake"...everyone does shake differently and there is no "right way"...it is whatever is natural to you.

[jamesonevenden]

Interestingly enough, if my kids are around when I put on one of your videos, they all gather to watch the whole thing. So, at least MY kids are impressed by your ability to make multiple cocktails! My daughter says your videos are "interesting and look really neat!" - but now they want you to make a video about MOCKtails - they want to be a part of the fun, but you know, without the booze. Keep up the great work!

[trentcriswell]

Really appreciating the lack of ego in these videos while remaining super informative. A rare quality in the industry

[MrKnifeHammer]

I just started as a bar back at a pretty fast paced bar. While bar backing is relatively easy, it's hard to run bottles and wash dishes while trying to watch bartenders make drinks. This video was immensely informative with answering little questions that I wouldn't wanna bother the bartenders with.

[BeedeeEx]

"Hey kids! Look at me! I'm making multiple cocktails." Single best line I've heard in a long time! Great video! Thank you!

[sebastiank]

“She did make a vulgar comment so I’m going to bleep that out.”

The rest of us: We love Az BECAUSE she’s honest and vulgar. Tell her never to change!

[pfisher]

I'm getting into bartending. Long time cocktail connoisseur, just fed up with watching cocktails being made badly by "pros." Between your channel and How to Drink. I think I'm set! Love your presentation. No excess "nattering, " very concise and helpful.

LOVE your sweetie doing the things!! My kids are both grown, so of course I want to impress them making cocktails at home.

[jessicacruz]

I am a bartender of 12 years, and I am LOVING this channel! I mostly have worked at commercial bars but working my way into more craft cocktail work lately and it’s a lot of fun to detail my work that I’ve been doing over a decade lol it’s also fun to watch and be like “oh! I do that!” Lol loving the vids 🤗

[johnfoster]

Anders, you are a joy to listen to. I have read all of the great comments about you in this post and I agree with them all. Thanks for your videos!

[BabylonBoyce]

Just want to say, I'm bartender who had limited cocktail experience and these videos have been wildly helpful. Thanks a lot dude, and keep up the great work.

[Sassy_Kins]

I’ve only just recently (2 months) started my journey as a bartender and mixologist and I have to say watching this vid has given me SO much more confidence. Can’t wait to try and master these techniques and show them off to the guests :) also having a bit more knowledge about how the alcohol works makes a good talking point because people ALWAYS ask. Thanks Anders!!!

[aakelbo]

That citrus milk and egg tip is extremely useful, I've sorta just been shaking whenever a recipe tells me too. And ill make sure to stir delicate flowers and spices now too!

[JimSalmons]

My wife and I have subscribed and enjoy watching Anders' channel for a while. During the pandemic in early July 2020, I had a fall at home and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. After a week in ICU and 2+ months of inpatient rehab, we were sent home to fend for ourselves. Each day at sundown, we celebrate Sundown Chill to reflect on the day and celebrate just being here for our Bonus Rounds. (Before my spinal cord injury, we both thankfully survived our horrific cancer battles in 2012-13.) Our go-to drink for the Chill is a Bourbon Blackhawk.

While we love the cocktail-specific videos Anders does--which has broadened the "palette" of our pandemic-attenuated at-home drink selections--we found this episode particularly informative and entertaining. We were like 90-10 percenters on shaking versus stirring prior to this video. Now that we understand the bartender-science of the two techniques, we will adjust our Chill-related behavior to take these science-driven considerations into account. We particularly enjoyed the production values of the demonstration of the physical consequences of XOS--eXtreme cocktail Over-Shaking--which is most relevant to us at our advanced ages.

Thanks again, Anders, for your inspiration and knowledge-sharing. If there is anything that twerks us ATM, it is the dominance of non-sensical favored liqueurs--come on, root beer is NOT a proper profile for a liqueur. These foolish flavors crowd out store shelf-space for the tried and true traditional mixers. Case in point, there are MANY interesting and flavorful cocktails made with Sloe Gin. Try finding a reliable local vendor of Sloe near you!? You'll see shelves of these weird non-sensical mixers and rarely find a decent Sloe Gin. (We are seniors on a budget, so we routinely special order Hofland brand for mixing over the pricier premium brands like Plymouth.) Could you PLEASE consider doing an episode featuring the variety and pleasures of Sloe Gin cocktails? Once a classic beverage goes extinct, it is extremely hard to bring it Jurassic-Park-like back from the Beyond.

Thank you and and keep up the great work you do helping us all get through another day of the Crazy,
Jim & Timlynn
from Broomfield Colorado, looking forward to Chill-time :-) :-)

[piptalkk]

I am a new bartender and your video was so informative, clear, and fun. You make me excited to dive into the nitty gritty. Thank you :)

[KelsaurusRex]

Thank you for making these technique videos and filling the "in between" pieces of information like this. There's a saying like "there are things you know, things you know you don't know, and significantly more things that you don't know you don't know". There is SO much more to know than just memorizing recipes and brands!

[milesmossman]

An old manager of mine says “use 95% of your energy to shake properly and 5% to avoid making a face while doing it”