Dry shaking is the key to achieve that fluffy, frothy latte-esque foam on the top of your egg-white cocktail. Ready to learn how? Let's get frothy!
Start by selecting an egg and giving it a shake to release the whites from the shell.
Crack your egg on the edge of your cocktail tin. Gently separate the two halves of the egg and move the egg whites back and forth between the shells to separate the yolk from the whites. Only add the egg-whites to your shaker.
Continue to build your cocktail by following your recipe card as usual.
Seal your cocktail tins WITHOUT any ice, and knock to secure the lids in place.
Shake vigorously for 10+ seconds until the contents are frothy when you open the tins.
Add ice to the shaker and re-seal your tins.
Shake vigorously AGAIN for another 8 seconds to fully chill and dilute your drink.
Using a Cobbler shaker or Hawthorne strainer plus a fine-mesh strainer, double strain your cocktail into your desired glassware. Tap the bottom side of your tin against the fine mesh strainer to encourage all the frothy goodness into your glass. The end result should resemble fluffy foam akin to a meringue, like "head" on a beer, or froth on a cappuccino!
tips for dry shaking cocktails
If it's easier, you can separate your egg over a bowl or glass and then add the egg-white to your shaker tin once you have successfully separated them from the yolk.
Hold tight. The chill that is generated by shaking your drink with ice is in fact what creates the ‘seal’ on most cocktail tins. This means those first few "dry shakes" are the most likely to spill. To avoid spillage (and wasting drops of your delicious drinks!), be sure to securely replace the cap on your shaker. It's recommended to hold both halves of the tin while you are shaking by using both hands in your shake.
If you are using thin ice from your freezer that shatters easily, you can shorten your shaking time as the drink will be diluting faster due to more ice surface area being in contact with the ingredients in your tins. If you are using an ice mold (like a silicone 1×1 inch mold), you will have nice strong ice cubes similar to what you find in bars, and you can potentially shake for a full ten seconds. This is why straw-testing is common practice in craft cocktail bars. No, they’re not trying to steal a sip (although their drinks are tasty!), they are checking to ensure the drink is properly balanced.
Put some force into it! Shaking is a great workout and you want to give your cocktail nice vigorous momentum to get proper aeration. You are not just adding dilution, you also are trying to force air into the liquids to give your citrus, cream or egg cocktails (aka your go-to shaken drinks) a nice silky mouthfeel.
