What's the difference between shaking and stirring a cocktail?

Shaking chills faster, dilutes more, aerates the drink, and produces a cloudier texture. Stirring chills more slowly, dilutes less, and keeps the drink clear and silky.

Shaking forces ice through liquid violently, producing aeration (tiny bubbles), heavy dilution (the ice surface area against the liquid is huge), and a cloudier result from the broken ice fragments and incorporated air. Shake when the drink contains citrus juice, egg white, dairy, or any non-clear ingredient — those drinks want the texture aeration provides, and they hide the cloudiness because they are themselves opaque. Stirring moves ice gently against liquid, producing slow dilution and minimal aeration, with a perfectly clear final product. Stir when the drink is spirit-only (Martini, Manhattan, Negroni, Old Fashioned) or contains only clear spirits and modifiers — those drinks want silky, viscous texture and visible clarity. The popular phrase 'shaken, not stirred' for Martinis is a James Bond eccentricity, not a bartender's choice — every classic bartending manual stirs the Martini, because shaking it bruises the gin, over-dilutes the drink, and clouds it with ice shards. Shake all citrus drinks; stir all spirit-forward drinks. That's the rule.