4 Different Cocktail Shaker Types
There are many different Cocktail Shaker types available for both commercial and home bartending. The four main ones are the Cobbler Shaker, the Boston Shaker, the Tin on Tin Shaker, and the Parisian shaker.
Cocktail shakers come in all sizes and materials but they all have the basic same purpose – to mix cocktails. It is the subtle differences that set them apart that are worth noting. Some will chill mixed cocktails faster. Some will have a tighter seal. Some are better than others for home bar use.
Not knowing when to use a shaker can be an issue for any bartender. Learn which cocktails to shake and which needs to be stirred.
Cobbler Shaker
Typically the Cobbler shaker is a three-piece model that consists of a base, a tightly fitted top that serves as a built-in strainer, and a cap.
This type of shaker is very easy to use and perhaps in some ways one of the easiest to start out using. This shaker is the default of home bartending as it has very little chance of leaking or spilling while shaking.
The Cobbler shaker has a few negatives against it. The biggest is that sometimes while shaking an internal vacuum is formed making the lid and/or cap very hard to remove. Another issue with this shaker type is that the built-in strainer can get clogged very easily if you have certain ingredients in your cocktail such as muddled mint leaves.
Boston Shaker
The Boston shaker is probably the most well-known of the cocktail shaker types and is the one used by professional bartenders.
This 2-piece shaker comes with a large base made of tin but there are many types that are stainless steel and copper. The second piece of this set is a mixing glass that is slightly smaller in diameter than the base so that it fits perfectly inside to create a completely sealed container for shaking.
The biggest advantage of Boston shaker is that it is very quick to use which is ideal for a commercial bar. Also, the mixing glass will allow you to see what is being mixed.
There are a few downsides to this shaker type though.
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- There is no built-in strainer so you will need to purchase a separate one such as a hawthorn or julep strainer.
- Since the shaker is not completely made of tin the mixed cocktail won’t come out as cold.
- A poor quality Boston shaker set may come with cheaper mixing glass that could easily break.
Tin on Tin
The Tin on Tin shaker type is a 2-piece variation of the Boston Shaker. This shaker is made up of the normal base tin but instead of a mixing glass, it has a mixing tin which serves as the same as the mixing glass.
The advantage to this set is that being all tin the cocktails become colder faster. It is also pretty much indestructible
Parisian Shaker
The Parisian shaker is another of the two-piece cocktail shaker types that are the most aesthetically designed. Because of its flowing design ice has less a tendency to chip and end up in your mixed cocktail.
The biggest disadvantage to this shaker type is that it does not seal as well as the other types. This can pose a large issue with commercial bars and for that reason, it is not wildly used.
Now that that the different cocktail shaker types have been presented head over to see all of the different types of cocktail glasses that are found in a typical home or commercial bar.
