Cocktail shakers

Almost every bartender uses a Boston set: a large 80 cl tin and a smaller one that you tap in at an angle. One tap seals it, another opens it, and there are no parts that can freeze shut. You do need a separate strainer, though. If you want to buy a Boston shaker, factor in the strainer too. The 50 cl cobbler shaker has the strainer built into the lid, along with a measuring cap. It’s the easiest choice for home use. The lid can sometimes freeze shut if you shake it hard, though. The 55 to 65 cl Parisian consists of two parts with no built-in strainer and has a sleeker profile than the Boston.

A 50 cl shaker is plenty for one cocktail. If you’re making two at once, choose 70 or 80 cl, since the ice takes up quite a bit of room too. Stainless steel is the standard and the easiest to keep clean. Copper and gold are coatings over steel. They look great behind the bar, but they’re not dishwasher-safe.

Fill the tin two-thirds full with ice, add your ingredients, and seal it. Use large ice cubes. Small ice melts too quickly, making your cocktail watery. Shake firmly and briefly. Ten to fifteen seconds is enough for a margarita or a daiquiri. If it contains juice, egg, or cream, it goes in the shaker. If you're making a cocktail with only spirits, stir it instead, because shaking will make it cloudy.

With an espresso martini , it's the other way around. You need to shake it as hard as possible, or you'll never get that layer of crema on top. Then strain it straight into a chilled glass, because the ice will keep melting in the tin. If your drink contains mint or pulp, double-strain it through a fine tea strainer.

Stainless steel is dishwasher-safe, but it's best to rinse a shaker immediately after use. Lemon juice and sugar syrup dry in the seam between the tin and the lid. That's what makes a Boston set stick. Take all the parts apart, let them dry separately, and don't store them nested together.

Copper, gold and matte black are finishes that become dull from dishwasher tablets. Hand-wash them and dry them with a cloth. The vinyl version gives you grip and makes less noise, but it can't handle boiling water. A glass cocktail shaker like the Mason Jar is the most fragile of them all. It doesn't belong in a busy bar.

A shaker alone isn’t enough. Measure with one of the jiggers. For stirred cocktails, grab a bar spoon, and a Boston set calls for a separate cocktail strainer. And whatever you shake needs to go into something. The cocktail glasses are grouped by shape. Looking for a recipe instead of tools? On the cocktail pages you’ll find the proportions for each classic and which glass it belongs in.