If A Cocktail Includes Any Of These Components, You Need To Shake It Up

James Bond popularized the iconic phrase "shaken, not stirred" when requesting his go-to cocktail in-between skirmishes with diabolical villains. It turns out everyone's favorite secret agent from across the pond wasn't ordering a martini like a true connoisseur, even if you can find martini recipes that call for shaking the drink. Still, there's a big difference between shaking and stirring a cocktail both in terms of flavor and aesthetics. According to Vlad Novikov, the head of bars at Ned's Club in Washington, D.C., there are specific ingredients that should always be shaken.

The Takeout had some ideas about which types of ingredients should probably be shaken; things like citrus, dairy, and egg whites. Novikov confirmed our suspicions. "Yes, those ones you listed are the ones. Those and any cordial or syrup with particulates," he said. "It's critical for aeration and emulsification."

While it would be a crime against the cocktail Anthony Bourdain called "perfect" to shake a classic Negroni, Novikov made the case that stirring mixed drinks with citrusy or creamy elements is equally deplorable. "Best case scenario, you just have particulate that settles to the bottom of the drink and looks bad," he said. "Worst case scenario, you don't have a homogenous mixture and taste all of the ingredients separately instead of as a composed drink." Most folks will get over a cocktail not looking its best, but when it tastes off there isn't much redemption to be had.

Like any good expert in their field, Novikov noted that although shaking cocktails containing citrus elements is the rule of thumb, sometimes rules are meant to be broken. Essentially, if shaking a beverage would alter the intended flavor profile, it's time to grab a dedicated drink stirrer. "Some stirred cocktails that call for very small amounts of citrus or small amounts of cloudy cordials -– a good example is Stephen Cole's Bitter Guiseppe, which is stirred with ¼ ounce of lemon juice. There is so little particulate in the juice that you can't see it, and shaking it would ruin the smooth texture of the stirred drink."

And then, of course, you have layered drinks. These should never be shaken or stirred to preserve not only the aesthetic appeal, but also the way the cocktail is supposed to taste. When asked for an example, Novikov said, "Floating whipped cream onto an Irish coffee so you have the contrast between the cool cream and warm drink." The same would apply to a Bob Marley cocktail, which features layered ingredients that resemble the colors of the Rastafarian flag. In that same vein, a black and tan beer cocktail would be a disaster if it weren't perfectly layered to maintain its visual impact and flavor profile.