Why Don’t We Swirl Cocktails?

Swirling looks so classy when we do it with our wine, assuming we don’t spill. Again. So why aren’t we swirling our cocktails?

You’ve tried it, maybe you failed miserably, or maybe you got a few good revolutions, took a sniff, and then downed the whole glass. Mic drop. Swirling wine, well, it’s a thing.

Whether it’s a necessary thing—or as necessary, or as necessarily aggressive—as some people make it out to be, that’s another story. But on a simple level, gently swirling your glass of wine can help oxygen reach wine beyond the flat surface area in the glass, poking out aromatic molecules and giving you a slightly richer sense of the wine’s bouquet.

Why don’t we do this when we order a cocktail? In fact, why do we do almost the exact opposite? Think of the last time you ordered a Martini, a Margarita, or whatever it is you like to drink after a long week of Pokemon-ing. Especially if you’re in a craft cocktail bar, you’ll see the bartender almost reverently place the drink on a cocktail napkin and very gently slide the drink to you. After all that shaking—or stirring—it seems an odd choice to suddenly avoid agitation at all cost. And if you think about it, you’ve probably also never seen anyone nod “Thanks” to their bartender, pick up their cocktail and give it a hefty swirl.


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