Cocktail Sticks

Stirring chills and dilutes without aerating. A stirred Martini stays clear and has a silkier weight to it; the same drink shaken goes cloudy with tiny bubbles and feels thinner. Drinks with juice, cream or egg are shaken because they need the aeration.

Long enough to chill it and add the dilution the recipe expects, usually somewhere around 20 to 30 seconds on fresh ice. The outside of the glass frosting is the practical signal.