The Reverse Dry Shake

The traditional dry shake—shaking egg white without ice first, then adding ice and shaking again—works, but the reverse method is superior for several reasons.

With a reverse dry shake, you shake with ice first, strain out the ice, then shake again without ice. This produces denser, more stable foam and virtually eliminates the risk of your shaker exploding from pressure buildup, which happens when CO2 from carbonated ingredients gets trapped during a dry shake.

The science is simple. Shaking with ice first chills the ingredients and begins protein denaturation in the egg white. When you remove the ice and shake again, you're whipping already-activated proteins without dilution, creating a tighter foam structure. The second shake doesn't need to be long—10 seconds of aggressive shaking produces excellent results.

This technique works for any egg white cocktail: Whiskey Sours, Pisco Sours, Ramos Gin Fizzes. Some bartenders add a spring from a Hawthorne strainer during the second shake to help aerate, though it's not strictly necessary.

The reverse dry shake also prevents the common problem of ice chips in your finished drink, since you're straining before the final shake. Your foam will be thicker, more stable, and more attractive than what a standard dry shake produces. It's now the preferred method in most serious cocktail bars.