The intent of specific methods of cocktail prep is to create the proper balance of ice manipulation and dilution for the ingredients on hand. Shaking a drink agitates the ice and breaks it up to help creamier ingredients blend, while stirring it delicately melts the ice among smooth, clear drink components. Shaken and stirred are the two most common cocktail preparations, but there is a third, showier method found in some bars.
Throwing a cocktail refers to the act of theatrically pouring the combined ingredients a long distance from one shaker or vessel to another before serving. Throwing creates a middle ground between shaken and stirred, utilizing the ice just enough to marry complex ingredients while keeping the resulting drink spirit-forward. Practitioners of throwing cocktails are known as flair bartenders, as they incorporate an exaggerated means of using the barware while preparing the drink, sometimes inventing their own signature flair methods.
This includes flipping or juggling bottles and shakers, or even setting beverages alight, like Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail. The first documented thrown cocktail is an article written about San Francisco's El Dorado Hotel, written all the way back in 1869. While the trend originally peaked in the 1990s, flairtenders such as are bringing the practice to modern audiences via TikTok.
Throwing is an incredible visual presentation for your cocktails, so request your martini be thrown during your next night out at a bar and see.