Cocktail Shakers: Shake up your Drink!

The cocktail shaker is one of the most used tools in the bar. Shakers not only serve to combine the ingredients of a drink, but also aid in the rapid chilling of a drink. It depends on the color of the drink to know whether it should be shaken or stirred. If a drink is supposed to be clear, it is supposed to be stirred and not shaken because it might end up cloudy.

The first cocktail shakers were patented in the 1800’s, and these were different from the ones today. Before those shakers, however, bartenders would just use a pitcher or a mixing glass for mixing the drinks. Rolling was another method of mixing. This is where you poured all the contents from one mixing glass or pitcher into another then interchange them over and over again until you are satisfied. The story of how the shaker was invented tells the tale of a bartender who was using different sized containers. He realized that by fitting one on another in a tight fit, he could mix the drinks by shaking and not spill anything. This was believed to be the event that led to the invention of the cocktail shaker.

There are actually three kinds of shakers, but only two are well-known and used. These are the “Cobbler Shaker” and the “Boston Shaker.”

The “Cobbler Shaker” is made up of a snug lid that fits perfectly to avoid spillage, a tumbler made out of metal, and a small cap that fits over the lid. This is the type of shaker that most people have at home and at some bars because of its simplicity.

The “Boston Shaker” is similar to what bartenders in the past would have originally used. This shaker’s lid doesn’t have a built in strainer, so it only consists of two parts. One of these is a metal mixing tumbler and the other is a smaller glass tumbler. This is the type of shaker that bartenders often use.