Draft — architecture demonstration. Not yet reviewed as Handbook knowledge.
Technique
The single shake
One hard shake that aerates, chills and dilutes in a single movement — the standard build for a foamed sour when the protein does not require a dry shake.
Purpose
Produce a dense, matte cap without a separate air-only stage, so a sour can be made at service speed.
Revised 2026-08-17
When to use it
When the foaming agent hydrates and aerates cold. Fresh egg white generally still benefits from a dry shake.
- Duration
- 10–12 s
- Ice
- Hard cubes, filled tin
- Glass
- Pre-chilled
Execution
- 01Build coldAdd spirit, citrus, sweetener and the foaming agent to the tin.
- 02Fill with hard iceCubes with sharp edges. Spent ice dilutes before it aerates.
- 03Shake with intentShort, fast travel for roughly ten to twelve seconds. Listen for the sound tightening as the mix thickens.
- 04Fine-strain and serveInto pre-chilled glassware, immediately, in one movement.
Where it goes wrong
- Shaking longer instead of harder — this dilutes without adding structure.
- Straining into a warm glass, which drains the cap within a minute.
Governed by
Commonly fails as
Served via
Used in
Required by
About this Handbook
The Foam Handbook is published by FOAMY WHITES, who make a pasteurised liquid egg white for bars. We write about foam the way we would explain it across the bar — including where our product is not the answer.