Cocktail shakers

How to choose a cocktail shaker

You shake rather than stir whenever a recipe has citrus, egg white, cream or a thick syrup: the shaker chills, dilutes and aerates all at once. The right shaker changes the texture of the drink, and the comfort of the person holding it.

What makes ALKA shakers different

The ALKA Le Pro Boston shakers are in their third version. Jean-Sébastien Michel, Alambika's founder, designed them after 20 years in the industry watching shakers that fall apart, and designer models sold for nearly $75 mostly for the name. The idea: a real pro tool at a fair price, so the money you save goes elsewhere in your bar. Years of testing with bartenders led to three choices:

• A base welded all the way around. When you see a shaker held together with electrical tape in a bar, its base was only attached by 4 to 8 weld points. We weld it completely: the weakest point becomes the strongest.
• Two thicknesses. Too thick and a shaker is hard to unlock; too thin and it dents. The 28 oz large tin is thinner (0.6 mm) so a simple squeeze releases the small tin, which stays rigid (0.8 mm).
• The right height. A shorter cheater tin handles better, especially for a double shake; a taller one holds more liquid and builds better foam. We went to the limit of what still handles well, to keep enough height.

The three-piece (cobbler): simple, but not for everyone

The three-piece shaker, also called a cobbler, was first used for one specific drink, the cobbler, made with pieces of fruit. It became popular because it is simple: the strainer is built in. In Japan it is even the bartenders' favourite format. Elsewhere, bartenders rarely use it: with 50% more pieces to open, it is more likely to get stuck or lose a part, and it often leaves less room to shake.

Once you are used to a two-piece Boston, it is a bit like driving stick: it works well and opens up more options, like the Cuban roll or flair, which are hardly possible with a cobbler. Our cobblers are thicker and better made than those on big general-purpose sites, and they don't get stuck. It is very rare, but if one of our shakers keeps getting stuck no matter what you try, bring it back to one of our stores within 30 days: we will test it and, if we reach the same conclusion, exchange it free of charge.

Size: 350 to 900 ml

For most cocktails, a 500 to 750 ml shaker leaves enough room for ice. The 28 oz and 18 oz ("cheater") Boston pair is the bar format: room for two drinks and for a sour to foam. The 350 ml is more than a small size: it fits in a travel kit and lets you test a recipe as a half cocktail, which costs less, while keeping the same dilution ratio. It is also easy to handle and good-looking on the counter. At the other end, the 900 ml Drahomir is named after Drahomir (Drahos) Chytry, a Montréal bar veteran since the early 2000s (Bishop & Baggs, Bar George, Marcus). For events he needed to shake a lot at once: with two Drahomirs in a double shake, he serves six cocktails in one go.

Material: stainless, copper, gold or black

Stainless steel is the toughest and easiest to care for. Copper, gold, black and other coloured finishes are not dishwasher safe: wash them by hand and dry them right away to keep their shine. A curiosity: run through the dishwasher, copper takes on a vintage patina that is not without charm, but it is not for everyone.

How to shake

Fill the shaker with ice, shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds, then double strain with a Hawthorne and a fine strainer for a clean texture. For stirred drinks, use a mixing glass.