What's a 'dry shake'?

A dry shake is the first step in shaking egg-white cocktails: shake the egg white plus the other ingredients with NO ice for about 10 seconds, to whip the egg white into foam, then add ice and shake again to chill and dilute.

Egg white in cocktails creates a silky foam on top of the drink (Whiskey Sour, Pisco Sour, Clover Club, Ramos Gin Fizz). Without the right technique, the egg white doesn't emulsify properly and the foam is thin, watery, or absent. The dry shake solves this. Procedure: (1) Combine all ingredients including the egg white in the shaker, no ice. (2) Seal and shake hard for 10 seconds — the egg white whips into foam during this step. (3) Open, add cubed ice, seal again. (4) Shake another 15 seconds to chill and dilute. (5) Double-strain into the serving glass. The foam settles on top within 5 to 10 seconds; you can drag a few dashes of bitters through it for the classic latte-art look. Some bartenders prefer the reverse: wet shake first (chill the egg white), then dry shake (whip it cold). Either approach works. The critical thing is doing the no-ice step at all; people who skip it and just shake with ice rarely get the proper foam.