How to choose the best cocktail shaker
When choosing a cocktail shaker, you should definitely consider its size to ensure it suits your needs. Will you be mixing classic cocktails for two or whipping up fancy blends for drinks gatherings? It’s also worth looking at the material (see below) and also how easy it is to use to suit your skill level. Make sure your shaker has a strong seal to prevent leakage, but that it’s also easy to pull apart to serve up. Most cocktail shakers are dishwasher safe, which is another useful aspect to consider.
What’s the difference between types of cocktail shakers?
The most common styles of cocktail shakers are cobbler, Boston, and Parisian. A cobbler shaker features a built-in strainer, while Boston and Parisian shakers require an external strainer. Beginners will probably find a cobbler shaker the easiest to use, although they can take longer to clean.
Boston shakers are the most common in bars and will make professional-style cocktails, although you might need a bit of practice to master the mixing process.
A Parisian shaker is the least common of the three. Style-wise it looks like a combination of a cobbler and a Boston shaker. This type is slightly easier to hold and shake than a Boston, though it can take some practice to open up a Parisian shaker.
What’s the best material for a cocktail shaker?
Cocktail shakers should help to ensure that your drinks are served nice and chilled. For that reason, look for materials like stainless steel, glass and copper.
Are cocktail shakers worth it?
If you want to make bar-style cocktails at home then a cocktail shaker is essential. Flavours can be perfectly mixed together and chilled compared to just pouring the ingredients into a glass. And using a shaker can add texture to drinks. Shaking also creates a frothy top for a bar-quality finish.
What’s the best cocktail shaker to buy?
We weighed up cost, ease of use, size, and added extras when choosing the best cocktail shaker, and we rate the Twice Element Cocktail Set based on these factors. This kit features everything you need for making all types of cocktails and comes with a handy storage pouch too.
How we chose our recommendations
Because we know that there’s nothing like a real recommendation from a real parent, we first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out which cocktail shakers discerning Mumsnet users had bought. We compiled a list of cocktail shakers they recommended, noting how effective they found them, and whether they were particularly good for any certain needs.
We then did some research across the wider web, looking at which cocktail shakers had won accolades or been featured in ‘best buy’ lists across websites and print media, and what customers’ reviews said about them.
Having collated all that information, we picked the cocktail shakers we thought would make the best buys in several interest categories.
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