Cocktails: Difference Between Shake and Stir - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. We are going to talk about making cocktails shaken or stirred. Yes there is a difference. The general rule of thumb is if you have citrus or egg in your drink you are going to wanna shake it. You want the shards of ice that you get from the shaking. They filter in, they make it frothy, they give it a little lightness, they give it a little deliciousness, and they also dilute it a little bit. Water is important in a cocktail. If you have a clear drink like a martini or a Manhattan, you are not going to shake it; you are going to stir it because you want it to remain crystal clear and seductive. Shaking is gonna make a drink colder so if you want an extra cold drink that you are stirring the trick is stir for fifteen, twenty seconds, let it rest for thirty seconds, stir it again, then strain it and you will have an extra cold drink.