Help, I need to buy a real pro shaker

[Adam George]

And just because I'm a proud man and not so secretly like getting papped, here a shot of me smashing out a drink in a Baron Shaker.

What are you shaking in now?

Edited November 11, 2013 by Adam George (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I also note Golden Age is in China while Cocktail Kingdom is about forty or fifty miles from me. In between there don't seem to be many suppliers of Japanese shakers that I can find.

And the Yukiwa is also out of stock at Cocktail Kingdom...

[Adam George]

What are you shaking in now?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

What are you shaking in now?

This.

[Adam George]

Cool. I only ever manage two shakers at once.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Cool. I only ever manage two shakers at once.

Well, usually one at a time.

Golden age has this in stock:

http://goldenagebartending.com/#!/~/product/category=2348862&id=15473191

I don't see it anywhere else. Anyone know of a US source?

[Adam George]

You could give cocktail kingdom a ring and see what they have in stock.

[Adam George]

Though to be honest, other than the fact they look pimp as fuck, is there any reason you need such an item? Glass is a better insulator than stainless and if there is any chance you will mix more than one drink an once, the ridiculously cheap (comparatively) Koriko tins are a much better buy

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Though to be honest, other than the fact they look pimp as fuck, is there any reason you need such an item? Glass is a better insulator than stainless and if there is any chance you will mix more than one drink an once, the ridiculously cheap (comparatively) Koriko tins are a much better buy

Don't the Koriko tins take more technique? Agility is not my strong point. Also, wouldn't one then need to go out and find a proper strainer?

Edit: Can any one tell me the difference between the Yukiwa Baron and the Yuukiwa Deluxe, other than a slight variation in shape and cost? They are both 500 ml.

Chubo sells shakers that are sent from Japan:

http://www.chuboknives.com/collections/kitchenware/Barware

Edited November 12, 2013 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[Hassouni]

Don't the Koriko tins take more technique? No. Agility is not my strong point. It's OK, no agility needed. Also, wouldn't one then need to go out and find a proper strainer? Yes, but those are cheap and you should have one anyway.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I wrote Cocktail Kingdom to check on the availability of the stainless version of the Yukiwa Baron. I don't foresee much shaking drinks for more than one (me), although I may want larger volume concoctions such as eggnog, for which I assume a 500 ml shaker is sufficient.

[Adam George]

Uh... You had to tempt me with that glass Yarai Shaker again... must resist.

Anyway, in the bar, with partially thawing ice a 500ml shaker is not big enough. You may get away with it at home with ice from the freezer.

I've never seen that Deluxe Shaker in person, but you can see by the side by side photos that it is wider further down the body, whereas the Baron is slimmer. For that reason I favour the Baron.

However, if you're short on barware, I'd recommend the Koriko tins paired with their Fine Strainer - which is excellent - and either an AG Hawthorn - the best of its type - or a CK Julep Strainer, which will allow you to throw drinks between tins.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Cocktail Kingdom let me know that they will no longer be carrying the Yukiwa Baron.

[slkinsey]

. . . Glass is a better insulator than stainless . . .

I'm not sure I understand your point here. Glass does have much lower thermal conductivity than metal. But, much more importantly in making cocktails, a typical glass mixing vessel has a much higher thermal capacity than a typical metal mixing vessel. This is a disadvantage if the vessel will be used at room temperature because glass will transfer more thermal energy into the drink, or an advantage if the vessel will be frozen because the glass will absorb thermal energy from the drink. Typically, stirring pitchers are frozen and shakers are used at room temperature. This is among the many good reasons not to use a glass shaker.

[Adam George]

Exactly, in an ideal world, you're chilling either mixing vessel.

In the bar we chill our shakers and mixing glasses and you'd be able to do the same at home, to greater effect. If you were going to choose one material over the other and titanium or such is out of your price range, glass would seem like the preference, provided you planned ahead by ten minutes to freeze your equipment.

I however do not like shaking in glass because thermal capacity aside, I don't like how cumbersome and heavy glass boston shakers are.

I could get used to that Yarai glass cobbler though....yum.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

This afternoon I took delivery of my Yukiwa Baron shaker, in plain silver finish. I don't go in for gold and all that bling (well, except maybe in small amounts as earrings, but that's a different weakness). I purchased the Yukiwa from Kayoko of umamimart in Oakland, California. I cannot say too many good things about the service I received. I am in New Jersey and the package made it here across the continent over the weekend.

http://shop.umamimart.com/pages/about

During tonight's mixology session the shaker stayed together when it was supposed to, yet came apart easily when it was time. It did not leak. I was quite pleased, having in the past been denied my drink when I couldn't get the wretched screw lid off the canning jar. If there is one fault I could find with the Yukiwa, it becomes quite cold -- painfully frigid, I might add. Does anyone make such a thing as a cobbler cozy? Or do people shake with potholders?

Note umamimart also offers a yarai glass cobbler shaker, not that I'd expect that anyone were interested.

[campus five]

That's how you can tell it's done.

[Adam George]

That's actually the best thing about the cobbler.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

One thing to consider about glassware for shaking: until I got the Baron I had been using Bormioli Rocco canning jars for mixing. Today I gently swirled one of the jars to mix a non-alcoholic concoction for my breakfast -- and the bottom fell out. (This after having cleaned the kitchen last night.)

It could well have been my mai tai.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

A disadvantage of my Yukiwa Baron -- the only disadvantage I have found -- is that it tends to tarnish. Very sad. I like the shaker so much it seems like I have had it forever, however looking at the calendar I see it's lived here less than three weeks. Though it has been in essentially daily use.

Maybe I should avoid using the Baron for egg based drinks? With non-egg drinks I have just been carefully rinsing it with hot water between uses, sometimes wiping it dry and sometimes letting it air dry. Maybe I should start a thread about care and feeding of a real pro shaker?

[slkinsey]

Tarnish? Stainless steel shouldn't/doesn't tarnish. What are you seeing? Maybe you can post a picture.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tarnish? Stainless steel shouldn't/doesn't tarnish. What are you seeing? Maybe you can post a picture.

I was seeing silver sulfide. I'd post a picture but I spent a good bit of time yesterday getting rid of the tarnish by the electrochemical method using a water bath of aluminum and baking soda. I was afraid this process might dull the Baron's mirror finish, but I can report that all is well, and my mai tai came out fine last night.

I'm looking for advice on how to care for the shaker so that it hopefully does not tarnish again so fast. Yes, stainless steel would have been an option, but if a plain stainless steel Baron exists for sale anywhere in the US, I don't know how to find it. And not for want of trying.

Silver was not my first choice, but I must say it is beautiful (you can see the Baron in a couple of pictures I posted in the drinks thread) and silver surfaces are antimicrobial which stainless steel surfaces are not. Silver is said to be self-sanitizing. Whether the antimicrobial properties are useful in a shaker I cannot say, since the ingredients are usually in contact just for a few seconds.

[slkinsey]

If you want to keep the silver from tarnishing, you definitely want to make sure that you wipe it down until it's bone dry every time you use it. I've found that if silver is rubbed with a cloth frequently enough, you shouldn't need to use any tarnish removal chemicals. Or, yanno, you could just let it build up a nice attractive patina.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I noticed tonight that the description of the Baron shaker I have has been changed to say "pure silver", so maybe it isn't silver plate. Anyway, I am very happy with it.

[Slimchandi]

However, if you're short on barware, I'd recommend the Koriko tins paired with their Fine Strainer - which is excellent

I have been experimenting with some basic dry shake drinks lately (Ramos Gin Fizz, Morgenthalers Amaretto Sour). I have a no-name boston shaker, and when I dry shake there's more than a little leakage between the tin and glass. Would the Koriko tins give me an improvement on this?

Strainer looks nice but might have to wait until payday: http://www.cocktailkingdom.com/Koriko-Hawthorne-Strainer-Stainless-Steel-p/str_korikohawx_0000_stl.htm