Readers: Don't shake babies, and don't shake martinis and Manhattans

Laura Shunk issued a plea yesterday to local bartenders: Stop shaking your martinis and Manhattans. You don't shake babies, and you don't shake drinks. "There's a geeky, technical reason for stirring these drinks: Booze combined with booze blends without force (unlike citrus and booze, which needs a good hard shake...

By Patricia Calhoun

March 16, 2012

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Laura Shunk issued a plea yesterday to local bartenders: Stop shaking your martinis and Manhattans. You don't shake babies, and you don't shake drinks. "There's a geeky, technical reason for stirring these drinks: Booze combined with booze blends without force (unlike citrus and booze, which needs a good hard shake to mix right)," Shunk wrote. "But not only is vigorous shaking not necessary, it's actually ruining the drink."

And she's tasted a lot of bad drinks while testing contenders for the upcoming Best of Denver issue.

Some readers thought she was being too picky. Wrote Elwood:

White people - Sucking the fun out of pretty much everything since the beginning of time.

But Monopod came to her rescue:

Gotta defend Laura on this one. If I'm paying $10 or $12 for a drink with high-quality ingredients, I definitely want it prepared right. And she's absolutely right that you can tell the difference. I've had many a Manhattan that tasted watered down when I got it; given that there's nothing but booze (and a cherry) in there, the only way that happens is if it's shaken. More bartenders should realize this.

Should they? Read more about the topic here. We guarantee the discussion will leave you stirred -- if not shaken.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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