Why You Should Think Twice Before Shaking Your Mocktails

There are several different ways to combine the ingredients for a mixed drink, but two of the main ones are familiar to anyone who's ever seen James Bond utter that iconic movie line, "shaken, not stirred." Bartenders may clutch their pearls at the concept, noting that Bond's favorite vodka martini, one of the , really shouldn't be shaken as this will compromise the flavor. (Yes, .

) As a matter of fact, this applies to mocktails as well as martinis. Lacking the presence of alcohol, these drinks can't take a lot of added water, which is something you get from shaking. According to Cody Goldstein of the beverage consulting firm , shaking ice in a drink makes it melt faster, which has the effect of watering down the drink "about 20%.



" In some cases, this may be desirable, especially if the drink is a sugary one or especially boozy. But since mocktails lack the alcohol element, it's easy to over-dilute them. "I would err on the side of caution with creating too much dilution with a mocktail as you do not want to water down or dilute the flavors," Goldstein told The Takeout.

He especially advised caution if you're using an ingredient such as seltzer or tea that's pretty watery to begin with. In this case, he wouldn't shake the mocktail at all "to avoid double diluting." So depending on what's in your beverage, stirring may be the better way to go — or you could try an alternative option instead.

How to chill a mocktail without shaking There are other reasons for shaking a cocktail besides diluting it, according to drinks expert Cody Goldstein: It blends the flavors, and chills the drink. In the absence of a shaker, blending is something that can be done via James Bond's shunned method of stirring. When it comes to chilling the drink, however, there are several other methods you can use, too.

One of these, according to Goldstein, involves making the drink two hours before you plan to consume it and then sticking it in the fridge. Note: If the recipe incorporates any bubbly elements, you'll want to leave these out until right before drinking since otherwise, your mocktail will be flat, not fizzy. You could also chill your mocktail effectively by .

Try "crushed or pebble ice," Goldstein suggested, since this tends to keep the glass colder for longer. Small ice cubes, however, will melt and dilute the drink over time if you don't consume it quickly. If you choose larger ice cubes, these tend to melt more slowly.

Yet another option involves dry ice, since this will give you an undiluted drink that provides its own special effects. Dry ice is made of frozen carbon dioxide, not water, and it turns back into gas as it evaporates. This makes for a mocktail that not only won't get watered down, but also emits a striking-looking fog.

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