The main reasons for shaking a mixed drink is to make a cocktail cold, mix ingredients, or put a head on some cocktails.

As a general rule, all cloudy drinks (including cream drinks and sours) should be shaken, and all clear drinks should be stirred. Never shake a cocktail that has carbonated water or soda. For some drinks, such as the stinger or martini, your guests will tell you whether they prefer them shaken or stirred.

To shake a cocktail in a Boston shaker, put some ice cubes (if called for in the recipe) in the glass container and add the cocktail ingredients. Now place the metal container over the glass container. Hold the metal and glass containers together with both hands and shake with an up and down motion. Make sure that you point the shaker away from your guests to avoid spilling anything on them if the shaker isn't properly sealed.

The two pieces of the shaker may stick together after you shake a drink. Never bang the shaker against the bar or any other object; instead, gently tap it three or four times at the point where the glass and metal containers come in contact.

When pouring or straining the cocktail, always pour from the glass container.