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Terms

• A few terms might be unfamiliar or used in a particular sense in the mixing context:

  Blend: In a drink recipe, this means with a blender.

  Cocktail shaker: A device that allows you to shake drink ingredients without them getting all over the place. It is composed of a stainless-steel vessel with either a glass that fits into it or a lid. You simply place the ingredients and ice (usually) into the shaker, connect the glass or lid to the shaker and shake.

  Dash: A small amount of an ingredient. This is somewhat vague, to allow room for individual tastes, but generally a dash should be about 1/4 tsp.

  Glassful: Measure a glassful in the glass in which the drink will be served.

  Shake: Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, usually with ice, and shake five to 10 times so the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and chilled by the ice. The contents usually are strained into a glass.

  Stir: Take a long, thin utensil, place it into a container that holds drink ingredients and move it around in a vigorous, circular motion. Many drinks require ingredients to be stirred with ice and then strained into another glass for drinking. You can stir the drink in anything large enough to contain the ingredients and ice.

  Strain: A strainer is a device usually made of thin metal formed into a circle, with stainless-steel coils around one half of the circle and a handle projecting from the other side of the circle. The strainer is used to keep ice in a container in which ingredients have been shaken or stirred while the drink is being poured into a glass. The coiled side of the circle is placed against the edge of the container from which the liquid is being poured, and this keeps the ice cubes inside the container.