The Complete Handbook of Cocktail Shakers

Chapter 1: Understanding Cocktail Shakers

A cocktail shaker is not a complicated machine, but it is a precision tool. At its core, it is a vessel that must do three things: seal completely when closed, allow for vigorous agitation without leaking, and transfer heat efficiently between your hands and the liquid it holds. Every design decision in a shaker, from the shape of a Boston tin to the spring-loaded lid of a cobbler, is a compromise between these three functions. Understanding how they work, and where those compromises lie, is the difference between buying a shaker that works for a decade and one that frustrates you from the first drink.

The basic function of a shaker is to mix, chill, and aerate a drink. The mixing and chilling happen because the liquid is in contact with the cold metal of the shaker, and that metal is in contact with the environment or your hands. As you shake, the liquid moves, the ice moves, and the temperature of the drink drops quickly. The aeration is a secondary, but important, effect. When you shake a drink, you incorporate a small amount of air into the mixture. This changes the texture of the final product, giving it a slight froth and a lighter mouthfeel. You cannot get the same result by stirring; the physics of the two are different. A stirred drink is denser and silkier; a shaken drink is brighter and more aerated.

To understand how the shaker accomplishes this, you have