Many cocktail recipes require the ingredients to be shaken with a help of a cocktail shaker, of which many different types are available. A cocktail shaker is the most useful, entertaining, and enjoyable way of making mixed drinks and is simple to use.
Shaking is one of the primary bartending practices, and learning how to do it can considerably improve your cocktails. By following some tips and a little practice, you can master the cocktail shaker in no time.
Many of us have seen a picture of a cocktail shaker and know how it looks, but it’s worth taking some time to learn about the equipment’s basics. It is a distinct tool that is specifically designed to do three basic things:
If you have tried adding sugar into your iced tea and mixing it, you most likely have realised that it can take a long time to completely dissolve. This is a big issue that bartenders face most of the time, as cold ingredients require lots of effort and patience to mix.
The cocktail shaker is a perfect tool to speed up the stirring and mixing process. This is because the small ice pieces in the shaker serve as a “blender ball”. Consequently, the drink moves around with more speed compared to that of spoon stirring. The more movement within the liquid, the faster substances will mix and dissolve.
It is not well known that cocktails need to be diluted to have the best taste. In fact, if you exactly followed the whole recipe for your cocktail and omitted the ice, mixed all the ingredients well and cooled it down in the fridge, the chances are you will find this cocktail way too strong. This is because cocktail recipes are expected to be diluted with water from 25% to 40% with shaking. If you are a beginner, you will need to read the complete process for cocktail dilution before starting.
While you are mixing your iced tea, the bartender has probably finished making three cocktail drinks and could clean the bar as well. A cocktail shaker is the right tool to make warm ingredients such as booze, chill rapidly.
The ice inside the cocktail shaker acts as a blender ball to assist in the mixing of the ingredients. This also chills down the drink as the ice moves in the drink. Shaking drinks in the shaker makes the ingredients move over the ice frequently and the ice cubes break into small pieces, thus, providing a colder surface area to chill the drink. As a result, you will get a very cold drink quickly.
Cocktail shakers have many different types and getting the right one mostly depends on your preferences regarding the shaking style and bartending budget. They are divided into three main types:
These are the two-piece shakers. The mixing glass is a bit smaller and is generally made up of glass, and a metal tumbler shields the glass. A drawback of this type of shaker is that it does not have a julep strainer.
A Cobbler shaker is a three-piece shaker containing a strainer, a metal tumbler, and a small metal cap that covers the strainer completely. The purpose of the cap is to prevent spills from the Cobbler shaker. It also serves as a measuring spoon.
A French shaker is another form of a two-piece cocktail shaker with a big metal tumbler with a small lid. Just like the Boston model, there is no strainer in the French shaker.
Another two-piece shaker, the French shaker is a large metal tumbler with a smaller metal lid. Just like the Boston shaker, there is no built-in strainer.
It is very easy to shake a mixed drink. The process of mixing with a cocktail shaker will take a few minutes, from pouring the ingredients into the unit to straining into the drink.
Generally, you need to follow the simple steps below to shake your cocktail:
Please get in touch for any further information or advice on our range of cocktail shakers and barware. You can reach us by completing our contact form or emailing info@glassjacks.co.uk. One of our team will be happy to assist you.
