Shaking & Mixing

Mixing Glass

A mixing glass is a heavy, straight-sided glass with a pouring lip, 500 to 750ml by our guidance (Urban Bar’s own mixing jug is 60cl), used to stir a drink with ice and strain it into the serving glass. It is for drinks made only of spirits, vermouth, sherry, liqueurs and bitters, which need chilling and dilution without the air a shake beats in. The Manhattan, the Martini, the Negroni and the Vieux Carré are all stirred in one.

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An empty, straight-sided mixing glass with a thick base and a small pouring spout, photographed against plain white.

The tool

About the Mixing Glass

Stirring Keeps a Drink Clear

A stirred drink is chilled and diluted by ice turning slowly in the glass. No air goes in, so a Manhattan or a Martini comes out clear, cold and heavy on the tongue.

Shaking does the opposite. It drives air and small chips of ice into the drink, which a sour needs for its froth and lift, and which leaves a spirit-only drink cloudy and thin.

Twenty to Thirty Seconds Over Cubed Ice

Load the glass two-thirds with cubed ice, add the measures and turn the ice with a bar spoon, its back against the wall, for 20 to 30 seconds. That is how our Manhattan and Bamboo are made. Our Old Fashioned, stirred in its own glass over one big cube, needs 15 to 20 seconds.

Large, dry cubes melt slowly and give the most control. Small or wet ice thins the drink before it has chilled.

Mixing glass against other vessels for stirring

Mixing glass

Usual size: 500-750ml (our guidance)
Strengths: Heavy, steady, clean spout; you watch the drink
Drawbacks: Glass cracks under sudden heat

Boston tin

Usual size: 70 to 85cl (Urban Bar)
Strengths: Chills fast and never breaks
Drawbacks: You cannot see the drink

Pint glass

Usual size: About 570ml
Strengths: Already in the cupboard
Drawbacks: No spout; thinner walls

Rocks glass

Usual size: 20-40cl
Strengths: One glass to wash
Drawbacks: Only for drinks served over ice

Vessel	Usual size	Strengths	Drawbacks
Mixing glass	500-750ml (our guidance)	Heavy, steady, clean spout; you watch the drink	Glass cracks under sudden heat
Boston tin	70 to 85cl (Urban Bar)	Chills fast and never breaks	You cannot see the drink
Pint glass	About 570ml	Already in the cupboard	No spout; thinner walls
Rocks glass	20-40cl	One glass to wash	Only for drinks served over ice

Heavy Glass Holds Its Cold

Thick walls take a while to warm up. Chill the glass with ice and water first and it takes almost no warmth from the drink, so the ice does the cooling and the dilution lands where the recipe expects.

The spout matters more than the cut pattern. It sends the drink into the glass in a single stream, with the strainer held over the rim.

The Base Is What Cracks

A thick base cracks when hot water meets a glass still cold from the ice. Let it warm up before it meets the tap, and retire a glass with a chipped lip.

Using it

Using the Mixing Glass

Usage

Stirring drinks with no juice, cream or egg in them: the Manhattan, the Bamboo, the Boulevardier, the Martini and the Vieux Carré. Two-thirds fill it with cubed ice, stir for 20 to 30 seconds, then strain the drink into a frozen coupe or onto new ice. Stirred in its own glass over one big cube, a drink needs only 15 to 20 seconds.

Pro Tip

Chill the mixing glass first: ice and cold water in it for a minute, tipped out just before the spirits go in. A cold glass takes no warmth from the drink, so the dilution comes from the ice alone and the timing holds true.

Professional Tips

Load it two-thirds full of cubed ice first.
Keep the back of the spoon against the wall and turn the ice as one mass.
Taste from the spoon near the end; stop when the heat has gone off the spirit.
Hold the strainer firmly over the rim as you pour.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

A pint glass, or the large tin of a Boston shaker with a strainer over it. Both stir well; the tin chills faster, and neither pours as neatly.

Premium Option

A heavy, seamless glass with a well-formed lip. It holds its cold, sits steady and pours cleanly; the stir itself is the same.

Specifications

Material
Glass, sometimes crystal; steel versions exist
Capacity
500 to 750ml by our guidance; Urban Bar’s own mixing jug 60cl
Details
Straight or gently tapered sides, a thick flat base and a pouring lip; many carry a cut pattern for grip

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Why stir a cocktail instead of shaking it?

Stirring chills and dilutes a drink without beating air into it, so spirits and vermouth stay clear and silky. Shaking adds air and tiny ice chips, which suits juice, cream and egg but clouds a Manhattan. If nothing in the glass is juice, cream or egg, stir it.

Which cocktails are stirred, not shaken?

Drinks made only of spirits, fortified wines, liqueurs and bitters: the Manhattan, Martini, Negroni, Boulevardier, Bamboo and Vieux Carré. Anything with citrus or other juice, cream or egg white is shaken, because those need the force of a shake to mix and lighten.

Is a Negroni shaken or stirred?

Stirred. Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth are all clear, and stirring keeps the drink bright and weighty. Our Negroni is stirred in a mixing glass for 20 to 30 seconds and strained over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Shaken, it turns cloudy and frothy.

How long should you stir a cocktail?

Against a two-thirds load of cubed ice in the mixing glass, 20 to 30 seconds, until the outside feels very cold. Built over one big cube in the serving glass, it needs 15 to 20. Taste from the spoon: the drink should be cold, with the burn of the spirit softened.

What size mixing glass should I buy?

Around 500 to 750ml by our guidance; Urban Bar’s own mixing jug is 60cl. That holds one or two stirred drinks and a generous load of ice, and the spoon still turns freely. A smaller glass cannot hold enough ice; a much larger one is heavy to pour from and wastes ice on a single drink.

Do I need a mixing glass?

No. Stir in a pint glass or the big tin of a Boston shaker and hold a strainer over it as you pour. A proper mixing glass pours more cleanly, sits steadier and lets you watch the drink, but it is the easiest tool on a home bar to put off buying.

Is a mixer glass the same as a mixing glass?

Not usually. Shops often call a short tumbler for a spirit and mixer a mixer glass, and it is a glass to drink from. A mixing glass is the larger, spouted vessel you stir a drink in with ice and strain from, and it holds around 500 to 750ml.

Can a mixing glass go in the dishwasher?

Check the maker's guidance. Many thick-based glasses survive a dishwasher, but heat followed by ice can crack them, and cut patterns slowly cloud. A rinse straight after use and a hand wash keep one clear for years.