Help, I need to buy a real pro shaker

[Fat Guy]

With the two metal cups. How do I figure out what to buy?

PS I am in Zabar's NYC right now.

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[TAPrice]

With the two metal cups. How do I figure out what to buy?

PS I am in Zabar's NYC right now.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

You don't want one with two metal cups. You want a clear mixing glass and a metal top. Just test them to make sure they seal well.

[KD1191]

I prefer two metal tins. I find the seal is better and I can more accurately gauge the chill based on how/when they start to ice over. The pair I use are just the bottom tins from two cobbler shakers I was given as gifts. One was a bit larger than average, one a bit smaller, together they work perfectly. They look a lot like these, but are not Japanese.

I have no idea what their hours are, or if they are only open by appointment, but you could try calling Cocktail Kingdom.

54 W. 21st Street

Suite 601

New York, NY 10010

Telephone: 212-647-9168

Email: info [at] cocktailkingdom.com

Edited March 18, 2011 by KD1191 (log)

[bostonapothecary]

at my house because i'm always shaking triples and larger, i swear by the canning jar. quart for three drinks (9oz.) and a half gallon for six (18oz). fill them to the brim with ice.

double strain into another shaker tin or pitcher then pour it out for everyone.

[lancastermike]

I know many insist two cans are better than a can and a glass. I have always had the glass and can Boston shaker both at home and when I tended bar. For average everyday user I just can't imagine why there would be a difference

[EvergreenDan]

I like to see the ingredients in the mixing glass, but that's a minor point. I can gauge coldness by how much my left hand hurts. ;-)

That said, the mixing glasses are surprisingly fragile around stone countertops. Having multiple glasses makes it easy to mix a bunch of drinks, then ice and shake them as a second step. (If the drink is stirred, add ice to those first to get a headstart on the chilling.) Depending upon the cocktails, you have to wash the shaker and strainer. (A little Martini flavor won't hurt a Margarita, but a little Margarita flavor will definitely hurt a Martini. Yes, I shake Martinis sometimes. Don't hate me.)

For the same reason I have a bunch of OXO 2oz measuring cups. I can usually avoid having to wash one.

Another good online resource for such things: The Boston Shaker shakers.

[Will]

I've used both two tins and tin / glass, and I don't think there's a huge difference; just comes down to personal preference (I don't like the small cheater tins that you have to hold, but there are tins which will lock in place more or less in the same way as a pint glass). Either way, the Japanese tins from Cocktail Kingdom are great, and fairly reasonably priced, though they're still more than a $2.99 special from barproducts.com or a local restaurant supply store.

[Karri]

Alessi makes a very good boston shaker, the one with the separate glass and metal, worked with these ones for four years, very good, very sturdy, excellent seal, but do not wash the glass in a machine or you're going to end up with a face full of shards.

edit: quick googling located this at Bloomingdales http://www1.bloomingdales.com/registry/wedding/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=115883&CategoryID=8287 108USD, a little steep...

But it is an excellent shaker, never been disappointed with it in a professional setting.

Edited March 18, 2011 by Karri (log)

[janeer]

at my house because i'm always shaking triples and larger, i swear by the canning jar. quart for three drinks (9oz.) and a half gallon for six (18oz). fill them to the brim with ice.

double strain into another shaker tin or pitcher then pour it out for everyone.

I thought I was the only one who did this. When I broke the glass piece of my (inherited) father's shaker, I started "temporarily" to use a quart canning jar--and never went back. For one drink for myself, I use a pint jar.

[Pierogi]

I prefer two metal tins. I find the seal is better and I can more accurately gauge the chill based on how/when they start to ice over. The pair I use are just the bottom tins from two cobbler shakers I was given as gifts. One was a bit larger than average, one a bit smaller, together they work perfectly.....

After breaking the glass jars on two Oggi Boston shakers in a little over a year and a half, this is precisely what I use now as well. Both the glass jars broke in a VERY scary fashion....it reminded me of those old Western movies where the bad guy broke a bottle on the bar during the fight scene and threatened the hero with the jagged glass.

One I broke simply by hitting it against my sink faucet while I was washing it. And it wasn't a SLAM into the faucet, it was at best, a hard tap. The other shattered into lethal pieces when I pushed too hard with my muddler. *THAT* time I was seriously lucky I didn't bleed to death, or at least need stitches, from the resulting break. I was honestly scared carrying it to the recyling bin. And neither of them had been washed in a dishwasher, always by hand.

So, now I stick with the bastardized 2 metal cobbler parts. A plus is they both go into the dishwasher ! And I don't have to worry about having the ER on standby when I mix an adult beverage.

[eje]

Totally agree with Pierogi on this one.

After chipping one too many "tempered" glass mixing glasses I switched to all metal 3 or 4 years ago and haven't looked back.

[slkinsey]

I know many insist two cans are better than a can and a glass. I have always had the glass and can Boston shaker both at home and when I tended bar. For average everyday user I just can't imagine why there would be a difference.

I think there are several good reasons to prefer an all-metal Boston set over a glass-and-metal Boston set. First, as others have pointed out, there is the breakage issue. An all-metal set won't break. Second, I find the seal in an all-metal set more reliable, in part because it's easy to have your index finger over the top of the cheater tin when shaking whereas in a glass-and-metal set you have to rely upon the strength of the seal. I've never had or seen an all-metal set fly apart mid-shake. Not so for a glass-and-metal set. Third, although I find it a more reliable seal, I also find it significantly easier to break the seal of an all-metal set. This is because of the flexibility of the metal. You can simply squeeze the large tin and force the cheater to the side until you get that cool "pop" sound only an all-metal set provides. I've never had a "stuck" all-metal set. Not so for a glass-and-metal set. And lastly, although the difference may be subtle to some, especially depending on the ice and other things you're working with, you can get a colder drink with an all-metal set (this was actually the original reason NYC bars started using them). This is because the thermal load of a room-temperature all-metal set is less than the thermal load of a glass-and-metal set (if you freeze the pint glass in a glass-and-metal set, the thermal advantage swings to that design). I actually find this last reason the least compelling reason to use an all-metal set. The ease of use and the fact that you can slam them around without worrying about breaking them is enough reason for me to prefer all-metal.

[Alex]

at my house because i'm always shaking triples and larger, i swear by the canning jar. quart for three drinks (9oz.) and a half gallon for six (18oz). fill them to the brim with ice.

double strain into another shaker tin or pitcher then pour it out for everyone.

I thought I was the only one who did this. When I broke the glass piece of my (inherited) father's shaker, I started "temporarily" to use a quart canning jar--and never went back. For one drink for myself, I use a pint jar.

Me three. I have a regular shaker, but usually don't use it unless we have guests and I want to put on a (purely amateur-level) show.

[slkinsey]

at my house because i'm always shaking triples and larger, i swear by the canning jar. quart for three drinks (9oz.) and a half gallon for six (18oz). fill them to the brim with ice.

double strain into another shaker tin or pitcher then pour it out for everyone.

I thought I was the only one who did this. When I broke the glass piece of my (inherited) father's shaker, I started "temporarily" to use a quart canning jar--and never went back. For one drink for myself, I use a pint jar.

Me three. I have a regular shaker, but usually don't use it unless we have guests and I want to put on a (purely amateur-level) show.

I use one of these for a crowd.

[Roddy]

Couldn't agree more on the double metal can -- much easier to break the seal.

For multiple stirred cocktails I have used a large french press with good results after unscrewing and removing the mesh part, I don't press down or anything, the slits in the lid work well enough.

[johnder]

Double metal, weighted tin, 18/28 is my standard.

[Fat Guy]

It turns out Zabar's didn't have a metal set or the two components thereof.

I already have a metal-and-glass Boston shaker and I don't favor it. It gets stuck most every time I use it and there's always a big to-do getting it unstuck.

I had to mix about 30 cocktails the other night and really wanted metal. I'd still like to have one around.

[weinoo]

It turns out Zabar's didn't have a metal set or the two components thereof.

I already have a metal-and-glass Boston shaker and I don't favor it. It gets stuck most every time I use it and there's always a big to-do getting it unstuck.

I had to mix about 30 cocktails the other night and really wanted metal. I'd still like to have one around.

Many of the restaurant supply places down near and around the Bowery have what you need. They're also pretty cheap and disposable. The place on the NW corner of Houston and Bowery, called Chef Restaurant Supply and the one on Lafayette just north of Houston, called Win Depot are two particular faves.

[Karri]

To 'unstuck' a boston shaker all you have to do is hit it not on either one of the inclined sides, but on the sides where the hold is strongest. And the talk about tempered glasses breaking, unless it has been washed in a machine or polished too much it will never break. Had only one glass burst on me and that was when a temp blocker had washed it in a machine... And this is in four years where I used it to make about 20-40 cocktails almost every night.

edit: And ofcourse if you do not like the boston, then a regular cobbler shaker is a very good option, you can get them very cheap, http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Cocktail-Shaker-Set-Stainless/dp/B000796F1W

Edited March 22, 2011 by Karri (log)

[EvergreenDan]

I would be interested in a tempered mixing glass. The ones I have seen are not tempered and break into a few pieces with jagged edges (rather than shattering completely into small pieces).

Also, I don't see how using a dishwasher at a maximum of 100*C would matter when the annealing temp is 720*C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toughened_glass

Edited March 22, 2011 by EvergreenDan (log)

[Karri]

EvergreenDan: I don't know, I always understood it was about the "inbuilt tension" that is prevalent. Since the same thing happens if you drop it on the floor, it becomes fragile. I promise you I've seen it happen a few times and the one time it happened to me also it had been washed in the machine, and when I banged it like usual on the side the whole thing exploded like prop glass, pieces flying everywhere.

[Mayur]

You might want to come around to East 6th near the corner of Ave A tonight...

[Mayur]

18/28 cheater/shaker in metal is what I use.

[weinoo]

You might want to come around to East 6th near the corner of Ave A tonight...

Not after last night.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I am new to making cocktails and I am thinking about a shaker. I like the look of a glass and metal combination, such as these:

Schott Zwiesel

WMF Loft

I of course want a shaker that doesn't leak and is easy to get apart. Any recommendations? Would a glass canning jar work just as well? And does one really need a special strainer, or could I make do with my kitchen strainer? Thanks!