Recently, we took a trip to Empire State South where the beverage director for Hugh Acheson’s restaurants, Kellie Thorn, showed us how to perform a double shake. The key to performing an effective double shake is simple: know which shaker to place in which hand. Thorn tells us that in her dominant hand, she shakes the drink that is going to be served up. In her non-dominant hand, she shakes the cocktail that will be served on the rocks. This practice allows bartenders to maintain the proper texture and level of dilution in each drink, thus not sacrificing quality shaking for the sake of efficiency.
Thorn believes in practicing mindful bartending when you double shake. “We don’t just throw things into tins and shake,” she says. “We consider the outcome and the guest experience, which is why we don’t shake the tins towards the guest’s face with loud ice.” Turning away from the guest shows respect by not disrupting their conversation or putting on an over-the-top show. You can impress them instead with two stellar drinks, shaken at once!
