Everybody loves the drama and action that comes with shaking a cocktail, but sometimes you’ve got to resist the urge to shake and just go for the stir.
“The rule of thumb,” says The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, “is that if a drink contains spirits only — such as a martini, a Manhattan…the Negroni — it should be chilled by stirring.”
If you’re going to stir cocktails you need a few simple tools to get started: a large mixing glass, a strainer and a bar spoon. And it might be counterintuitive, but Abou-Ganim believes that it’s not just spirits that can make or break a drink; as he puts it, “ice is important to making great cocktails.” You need to make sure you have large ice cubes so that when you are stirring you don’t dilute the cocktail too much.
To hear all of Abou-Ganim’s tips as well as the recipe for a perfect stirred martini, watch the video above.
We also recognize the importance of ice in our current drinks issue with our feature on Hundredweight Ice. Read on to learn how they make flawless frozen cubes for delivery to bars across the city.
Still thirsty? Join us at Good Spirits on February 13 for creative cocktails thoughtfully paired with small plates from some of our favorite food and drink vendors. Read more and get your tickets here.
