Hard Shake

(v.) A highly choreographed and controversial version of the hand shake said to increase emulsification, texture and quality of ice chips that float on a shaken and poured cocktail. Developed in Japan by bartender Kazuo Uyeda, the process involves rapidly moving a filled cocktail shaker held at a precise angle through three separate points relative to the cocktail-maker’s body (around head height, slightly lower than head height, and then slightly lower), which supposedly maximizes the amount of contact between the ice and the liquid, making a better cocktail. The idea that this process works better than a standard hand shake is a point of contention in the bartending world; a 2009 panel at the annual Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans reported that experiments have not yet been able to discern a difference in a finished cocktail, though some experts insist that researchers have not come up with the appropriate test yet.