Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2021)
Cocktail Time with Emily: Shaken or stirred? BY EMILY O’CONNOR What’s shaking with your home bar? I’m about to stir it up. With the right tools and technique, any- one (of age) can enjoy their favorite craft cocktail without having to leave the house. Is there a drink you miss from when we were able to go to bars (looking at you, b ourbon s our with egg whites)? Learning about shaking versus stirring cocktails is a good fi rst step toward becoming a home craft bartender. Shaking is about the ice. The number one purpose for incorporating ice is to chill a cocktail — but the reason for choosing to shake versus stir is to control how the ice chills the cocktail. For instance, stirring a spirit-heavy cocktail like a martini rather than shak- ing it allows ingredients to chill with- out becoming overly diluted and cloudy. A lemon drop, which has citrus, simple syrup and alcohol, needs a little more dilution to round out the fl avors — so James Bond’s shaken martinis are not as cool as you may have thought. Recipes typically advise one technique Rittenhouse Rye whiskey sours with egg whites. or another. A good rule is that if the recipe calls for juice and/or a sweetening syrup, shake it. a dry-shake. A dry shake means shaking with the people you love. Cheers. When it comes to tools, I prefer a dou- your liquid ingredients together for about Whiskey sour (yields one serving) ble-tin Boston style shaker because it is 30 seconds before adding ice and shaking light and gets cold. Using a pint glass and again. Then, double strain using a fi ne mesh Ingredients • 2 ounces Rittenhouse Rye tin Boston shaker can be great for begin- strainer (I recommend Hawthorne strain- • ¾ ounce lemon juice ners because the pint glass allows you to ers). This renders a thick, beautiful foam • ½ ounce agave syrup (equal parts agave see what is happening. The glass can also that makes cocktails smooth and velvety and boiling water, chilled) double as a stirring vessel. There are tons of like merengue. If you are worried about • One egg white, separated shakers to pick from. I recommend avoid- yolks or shells, separate your whites into • Five dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters ing the ill-fi tting, common Cobbler shaker. the tin before adding other ingredients. Preparation There are many subtleties to the tech- I recommend beginners put uncooked Separate an egg white into a shaker tin. nique of the proper stir and shake that will rice in an empty tin and shake it in diff erent Add all ingredients except bitters and shake make noticeable results in the fl avor and ways, taking note of how the rice moves. without ice for 30 seconds. quality of your cocktails. When building a Keep in mind, the most important part Add ice and shake for another 30 sec- stirred cocktail, always add ingredients to of home bartending is enjoying great drinks an empty stirring glass fi rst, then fi ll it with ice. Using the spiral handle of a long bar spoon as a guide, gently spin the ice in the glass. This should be relatively silent. Con- tinue stirring like this until you’re bored or NEW GO KART TRACK your arm gets tired. When shaking, build into your tin, add ice, top with either your other shaker tin or GO KARTS pint glass and shake hard for 20 to 30 sec- MINI GOLF onds or until the tin is frosty and hard to GYROXTREME hold. If you fi t your top in at an angle, it ROCK WALL off ers an easy release, popping the small KIDDIE RIDES gap above the seam with the heel of your AND MORE! hand. I like to hold the shaker horizontally SEASIDE, OREGON over my shoulder because it is easier to balance. HWY 101 (1/4 mi South of Seaside) • 2735 S. Roosevelt • 503-738-2076 When working with egg whites, use OPEN DAILY 11 A M T O 6 P M Emily O’Connor onds. Double strain into chilled coupe or old fashioned glass, allowing the foam to set up for at least 10-15 seconds. Slowly drip bitters over the foam in a pattern. Use the end of a garnish toothpick to swirl the bitters like latte art. Garnish and enjoy, Emily O’Connor works at the Pickled Fish in Long Beach, Washington. Welcome Spring Breakers! NOW OPEN! THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 // 7