Harmann Barney Burke: About Mixing, Icing, Stiring, Shaking and the School of Berlin Bartenders

From:
Burke's Complete Cocktail and Tastybite Recipes. 1936, New York
About the Berlin School of Mixing

Page 41: " Mixing
Measuring: Measure deliberately and with car. Too much or too little of an ingredient may cause the drink to just miss its mark.
Icing: The mixture generally should be poured over the ice. In some instances this is immaterial, but it is the safe way. In a certain high-class hotel in Berlin a barman is discharged if he is detected dropping ice into a cocktail mixture. The meticulous Germans explain that pouring the liquid on a liberal quantity of ice, sets up an immediate chill which is an outstanding attraction of the cocktail.
The same school of mixing prohibits violent shaking and insists that the drinks be poured off the ice as quickly as possible after genlte, quick shaking. This is a professional method, and unless carefully done may result in "warm" drinks. the secret is,plenty of ice and quick, gentle movement.
If the above method is used, the number of shakes provided for ih the recipes in this book should de reduced one-half.
Stirring: Where stirring is prescribed, always stir gently from the bottom, and preferably with a glass rod.
Shaking: Do not shake vertically. Turn the Shaker on its side and use a push and pull stroke. A shake is counted for each single stroke, thus to and from is two strokes. The shaker should never be more than three quarters full.
The figures as they appears preceding the ingredient, mean parts.
Glass means 2 ounces, a standard whiskey glass.
Jigger means 1 ounce.
Dash means 3 or 4 drops."

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