How do I make stirred cocktails?

The stirred cocktail family — Negroni, Martini, Manhattan — and why stirring rather than shaking matters.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 10 min
Read: 2 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Stir any drink made entirely of spirits and modifiers; shake only when there is citrus, juice, dairy or egg. Stir with plenty of ice for about 30 seconds until the mixing glass is frosted, then strain into a chilled glass. The Negroni is equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth.

Stirred drinks are all-spirit cocktails, and they are stirred because shaking would aerate and over-dilute them, clouding a drink whose appeal is partly its clarity and silky texture. The technique is simple and the ratios are worth memorising because they repeat.

Safety

These are strong drinks — a Negroni or Martini is almost entirely spirit and contains substantially more alcohol than a typical mixed drink of the same volume. Measure rather than free-pouring, and be aware of how quickly they add up.

What you'll need

Mixing glass or jug
Bar spoon
Strainer
Jigger
Plenty of ice
Chilled glasses

Step by step

Decide whether the drink should be stirred or shaken.All spirits and modifiers: stir. Anything with citrus, juice, cream or egg: shake.
Chill the serving glass first, in the freezer or with ice and water.A warm glass undoes the chilling immediately.
Measure the ingredients into a mixing glass.Negroni: 25ml each of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Manhattan: 50ml rye, 25ml sweet vermouth, two dashes bitters. Martini: 60ml gin, 10ml dry vermouth.
Fill the mixing glass generously with ice.More ice means faster chilling with less dilution, which is counterintuitive but correct.
Stir smoothly for about 30 seconds, keeping the spoon against the side.You are chilling and diluting, not agitating. The glass should frost on the outside.
Strain into the chilled glass.Over a large ice cube for a Negroni or Old Fashioned; straight up for a Martini or Manhattan.
Express the citrus peel over the surface and drop it in or discard it.Squeezing the peel skin-side down over the drink releases oils. That aroma is a large part of the experience.
Taste and adjust the ratio next time rather than mid-drink.Vermouth quantity in particular is a matter of taste — Martinis range from equal parts to barely a rinse.

Tips

Big ice cubes melt more slowly. For drinks served over ice, one large cube is far better than several small ones.
Batch stirred drinks in advance for a group: mix the spirits, add about 20% water for dilution, and keep the bottle in the freezer.
Dilution is an ingredient, not a fault. An undiluted stirred drink is harsh and unbalanced.

Common mistakes

Shaking an all-spirit drink — It aerates and over-dilutes, clouding the drink and ruining the silky texture.
Using too little ice — Less ice melts faster, so you get more dilution and less chilling. Fill the mixing glass.
Serving in a warm glass — The drink warms immediately and the careful chilling is wasted.

Questions people ask

Why stir rather than shake?

Shaking aerates and over-dilutes, which clouds the drink and changes the texture. All-spirit drinks are prized for clarity and a silky mouthfeel, both of which shaking destroys.

What is the Negroni ratio?

Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth — 25ml each is a standard serve. Some prefer slightly more gin to reduce the bitterness.