Movers & Shakers: How to Use Cocktail Shakers

When it comes to mixing, nothing is as personal as your shake! Generally speaking, we shake cocktails that contain multiple ingredients with different densities or compositions – like spirits, liqueurs, fresh juices and syrups. Depending on your shaker and skills, you can create unique textures and temperatures – as different cocktails require different sorts of shake. Common shaker styles include: 

• The Continental, or Cobbler Shaker – unique for its built-in strainer. 

• The Boston Shaker – traditionally used in American bartending. 

• Its contemporary – the Toby Shaker – with both ‘tins’ made of metal. 

• and less diffused styles – like the Parisian Shaker. 

All shakers are unique and have different characteristics – but ultimately, the goals are the same: To mix the ingredients, creating a good amount of dilution from the ice – and to incorporate air, that will create textural bubbles on the top of and through our drinks. Here’s some tip to improve your shaking game: 

• Widen your stance to improve your balance; 

• Use good quality ice – and fill your shaker as much as possible 

• Be careful not to hold the shaker from the middle of its body, as you will absorb precious temperature from the metal 

• Shake hard! – allowing the ice and content to travel from one end of the shaker to the other. 

• And strain your drink quickly, before the ice melts too much – nobody wants an over-diluted drink! 

When shaking, always think about what you are trying to achieve for that particular drink – And ask yourself why you are doing it that way – and what’s happening inside your tins while you’re doing it.