Shaken vs. Stirred: Which Cocktails Need Which, and Why

James Bond got it wrong, and that's fine — you don't have to. The rule for whether to shake or stir a cocktail is genuinely simple, and once you know it you'll never have to guess again.

The one rule

Shake it if it has citrus, juice, egg, or cream. Stir it if it's all spirits. That's the whole thing.

Why shaking

Shaking chills and dilutes fast and whips a little air into the drink — exactly what you want when there's lemon or lime to integrate, as in a Daiquiri, Margarita, or Whiskey Sour. It leaves the drink bright, cold, and lively.

Why stirring

Stirring chills and dilutes more gently and keeps the drink crystal clear and silky — the right move for spirit-forward classics like the Negroni, Manhattan, and Old Fashioned. Shake one of these and you'd just bruise it with tiny bubbles and cloud.

The exceptions

There are a couple. An Espresso Martini gets shaken hard specifically to build its signature foam, despite having no citrus. And plenty of bartenders shake a lightly-juiced drink just to save time — no one will arrest you. But remember "citrus shakes, spirits stir" and you're 95% of the way to doing it right.