Choosing The Best Cocktail Shaker For Your Home Bar

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You may think that a cocktail shaker is not necessary for a home bar, unless you’re planning on putting on a show like Tom Cruise in the film of the same name. However, there’s more to a cocktail shaker than just adding some flair to your drinks.

A cocktail shaker is a device that makes cocktails by shaking the ingredients together, usually consisting of one large container and an attached strainer. They come in many different shapes and sizes, so take your pick from these best cocktail shakers on the market today!

What is a Cocktail Shaker?

Cocktail shakers are used to mix cocktails quickly and effectively. Shaking is frequently employed in the mixing of beverages, and the cocktail shaker was created for this purpose. It’s a cylinder with a tight seal with ice and ingredients added for the purpose of shaking, often known as a bar shaker.

Why Use A Cocktail Shaker?

If you’re tired of shaking your drinks and find it inconvenient or time-consuming, now is the moment to upgrade your cocktail game. You’ll immediately notice an improvement in your mixed drinks after you’ve had the first one. You’ll also be able to duplicate the flavor of every day bartenders’ cocktails.  Check out the common types of cocktail shakers to find the right one for you.

Different types of Cocktail Shaker

1. Boston Shaker

The Boston shaker is a cocktail shaker with two components, one of which is usually a glass and the other stainless steel. All of the more recent versions are constructed of stainless steel pieces with a heavier piece.

PROS: The weighted shaker tins are stronger, reduce bartender strain, and chill the drinks faster. Some prefer not having a built in strainer as they can choose the size of the strainer needed for each drink.

CONS: Because the two piece Boston shaker does not have a strainer, professional bartenders usually use the separate strainer known as a Hawthorne strainer to separate ice, pulp, and other components from their cocktails.

2. Cobbler Shaker

The cobbler shaker is probably the most well recognised and used cocktail shakers in home bars. If you were to search for “cocktail shaker”, it is usually a cobbler style shaker that would appear in the search results.

The body, built-in strainer, and cap make up the cobbler shaker. This is a fully stainless steel cocktail shaker so is often dishwasher safe.

PROS: Easy to use, does not require any additional strainers, usually dishwasher safe.

CONS: The most typical fault is that the cap gets frozen and trapped when the shaker becomes too cold. When combined with the cocktail, the large holes in the built-in strainer might allow pulp and muddled ingredients to flow out together.

3. Parisian Shaker

The third style, the Parisian or French shaker, is made up of two components: a body and a cap. Because it lacks a built-in strainer, it also requires a Hawthorne strainer. It is distinctive in its shape and a little more hard to come by than our other two styles of shaker.

However, if you’re looking for a vintage aesthetic to your home bar, the Parisian Shaker is a great choice.

PROS: Classic vintage design to give your home bar serious style, some prefer not having a built in strainer to control the size of strainer needed.

CONS: It’s not advised in big bars since the cap can also become wedged to the shaker. It may be unstuck by submerging it in hot water.

Advatanges to using a cocktail shaker

A Better Mix of Flavors

The primary goal of shaking drinks is to combine all of the components in a drink and turn it into one lovely flavor blend. The shake, as you may know, is the most thorough method to mix beverages.

In some cases, filling a glass and mixing the drink straight in it is sufficient; this is referred to as “building” a cocktail. However, there are distinct differences between a stirred and shaken version of the same mix when compared side by side. The shake mixes the components thoroughly, as well as aerating the cocktail. This relaxes the alcohol burn while adding zest. A shaken alcoholic beverage can be more drinkable in many cases.

Proper Dilution vs. Watered Down

The disadvantage of shaking, on the other hand, is that it assures proper dilution. During the shake, the length of time a drink spends in touch with ice just long enough to add the required amount of water to the mix ensures a smoother-tasting cocktail.

It’s a fact of life that the conclusion to an ice-filled cold drink is watered down and insignificant (especially in the heat). If you shook the same drink without ice and served it, the flavor (if not the temperature) would be constant from beginning to end.

The appeal of highballs and lowballs (i.e., the Tom Collins, mint julep, Vieux Carré, etc.) that rely on a glass filled with ice is not diminished by this fact. When pushing for “mixed up” drinks , the icy cold refreshment in a 10-second shake can’t be overstated.

It is also critical to remember that a cocktail’s strength varies with the amount of ice used. A well shaken or stirred cocktail adds about 1/2 ounce of water, making it more powerful. Many martini-style drinks are stiff beverages with an alcohol concentration of around 20 percent (40 proof). Drinking two of these equals a straight shot of hard liquor.

A vodka martini, for example, would be 35 percent ABV (70 proof) if you didn’t add the ice (56 proof), rather than the somewhat softer 28 percent ABV (56 proof). While the statistics appear to be little, the consequences on your body and how quickly you get drunk are significant.

Slow the In-Glass Dilution

Keeping a drink cold without watering it down is not difficult. Use regular ice cubes in your shaker and strain over a large ice chunk, such as an ice ball. Small cubes will melt more quickly and dilute the cocktail less than before. Using chilled whiskey stones to keep drinks cool without adding any extra water is also a good idea.

Martinis!

Forget the traditional cocktail and have a martini or two! You can’t really enjoy a martini the way it’s intended if you don’t have a shaker, and you’re avoiding yourself from partaking in this wonderful collection of drinks.

It’s not hard to mix a martini. They’re prepared in the same manner as mixed beverages, but with two extra stages: Shake or stir and strain. The majority of fruit-flavored martinis are shaken, while those that use other nonalcoholic mixers will at the very least need a strainer to remove the ice.

Cocktail shakers, for example, may be used to prepare margaritas. There’s no simpler way to make this type of cocktail along with martinis in a cocktail shaker.

Diversify Your Drinks

Beyond the many “martinis” on offer, you’ll find that a cocktail shaker opens up a world of possibilities. If creating and perfecting cocktails is your aim, a shaker is essential.

Bartenders use a shaker to create delicate, flavorful cocktails. The blending and dilution benefits are only the beginning; there’s more to it than that. It’s not just about being fashionable behind the bar. Simply put, the majority of mixed drinks just taste better. Some beverages require the shake for particular reasons:

The sweeter, the better! Firmly shaking blackberry-pineapple juice produces a foam texture that is unique to this particular combination. You miss out on fantastic beverages like a Piña Colada New Orleans fizz without the shake, including creamy drinks.

Cranberry juice, for example, requires some brightening up (a point that any cosmopolitan aficionado will agree with).

It’s Worth the Time

There are certain things in life that are worth waiting for, and one of them is the little time it takes to shake a fantastic cocktail. One of the most common concerns people have while using a cocktail shaker is the amount of time it takes. You may take a bit longer to shake drinks at first. It becomes second nature with practice and experience, and you’ll be able to prepare a great cocktail in no time.

There is also the problem of cleaning, but you may usually get away with a brief rinse between drinks for many cocktails. When combining ingredients like absinthe or hot peppers that have strong scents, a thorough wash is required to prevent the tastes from transferring over to the next drink.

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