Dry shake

A dry shake is a shake performed with no ice in the tin, done before the normal shake with ice. It is used almost exclusively for drinks containing egg white, aquafaba, or other proteins that need to be whipped into a foam, such as a Whiskey Sour or a Ramos Gin Fizz.

The reason it comes before the iced shake is that ice interferes with foam formation, breaking up the protein structure before it has a chance to set. Shaking hard without ice first lets the egg white or aquafaba fully emulsify and trap air, building the thick, stable head that then survives the colder shake that follows.

A tight-sealing shaker is essential here, since a dry shake with any pressure buildup and a loose seal can pop open mid-shake. Some people add a few drops of the citrus juice to help the foam stabilize before shaking. A common mistake is skipping the dry shake and going straight to shaking with ice, which usually produces a thin, weak foam rather than the dense one these drinks are meant to have.