Toronto bartenders’ methods for building, stirring, and mixing cocktails.
James Bond always asked for his martini to be “Shaken, not stirred!” he knew exactly why: shaking brings the drink closer to the ice and allows the glass to be served colder.
However, not all cocktails benefit from being shaken; drinks can be built, stirred, or mixed. Our cocktail experts explain when to use each method, how to do it, and what tools you’ll need.
Putting together a drink in Toronto
The term “building a cocktail” refers to the process of assembling the drink in the serving glass. Making a drink in this manner is the quickest and most convenient option. A few guidelines must be observed:
Ice is vital since everything is added to the serving glass at once. After all, the cocktail can’t be chilled afterwards. Drinking something too warm is one of the worst experiences imaginable. There are, of course, notable outliers. The same rule applies to mixed drinks made without ice: layer them. The following is true of any cocktail built: Each component must be poured slowly and steadily over a bar spoon. If not, the individual layers will blend into one another.
If you’ve followed the instructions carefully, your finished cocktail will look like the B-52, with its layers neatly separated.
I am using a stirrer to mix a drink.
When making a cocktail, stirring the ingredients is the preferred method because it ensures a clear drink.
We offer the Rosemary Martini as an illustration; it has two primary ingredients. Initially, you’ll want to place a sprig of rosemary in a glass and gently press it. Add the remaining ingredients to an ice-filled mixing glass. Meanwhile, fill a V-shaped serving glass with ice and chill it before use. Then, gently stir the components using the bar spoon while cooling the drink.
Finally, pour the cocktail into the V-shaped glass using a Double Strain and garnish with the rosemary sprig. Please remember to empty the serving glass of ice first.
There you go, a refreshing beverage that is both clear and cold.
Making a (blend) Toronto cocktail
A blender is a technical necessity when making a Toronto cocktail. Smoothies from fresh or frozen fruit are best made in a blender with sturdy blades. To make a frozen cocktail, combine all the ingredients with ice and blend until smooth.
Margaritas and Daiquiris are the two most well-liked icy drinks. Cocktails that require a lot of creaminess should be made in a blender with a whisk attachment. By doing so, you can rest assured that the ingredients will be whipped to a light and airy foam.
Put some ice in a shaker and make a drink.
Shaking a cocktail is undoubtedly the best method for visual impact. The Toronto cocktail is best served chilled, and shaking it is the best way to achieve both goals simultaneously. Not all trembling is the same, though. Various methods exist. Different variations include the “Dry Shake,” “Hard Shake,” and “Classic Eight.”
If your cocktail has juice, dry shaking is the way to go. Ingredients are combined in a shaker without ice and shaken with a wire spiral. The ice goes in at the very end. Using the “Dry Shake,” your drinks will be bubbly and flavoured.
As in the complex shake method, the ingredients are shaken vigorously in a metal cobbler shaker. The drink is cooled more quickly than with a regular shaker. Fruits and herbs release their aromatic compounds more strongly, too. At the end, the glass is double-strained to remove any remaining sediment.
In a word, Eight Shake says it all. The “Eight Shake” involves rearranging the ice cubes in the shaker into the position of a lying eight. This allows for better dispersion of the ice’s cooling properties and mixing of the drink’s ingredients. The result is a gorgeous Toronto cocktail packed with flavour.
The “Gin Tea Style” is the shaking method endorsed by the Barschule München.