Today is the second part about the SHAKER, and we will talk about SHAKER’s VARIANTS. We suggest being prepared and check our first part here.
Enjoy your reading.
David Wandrich described in his book “Imbibe!” the cocktail shaker of the 40s as a simple and effective tool for making mixed drinks. But despite the perfect and simple design, at the end of the 19th century, new models, often crazy innovative and absurd forms, flooded the bars. Therefore, no matter how popular the early cocktail shakers were and how many shaker’s variants you could found, this was only the beginning of their fame.
Of this wide selection of shaker designs, three have passed the test of time: French, Boston, and Cobbler.
Early versions of shakers were made from tin, sometimes nickel-plated or sterling silver, but the final significant change came after the invention of stainless steel. In the 1920s, it became the preferred material to produce all three types of shakers, which are still not very different from their ancestors, who appeared 200 years ago.
SHAKER’S VARIANTS
By the beginning of the 20th century, the shaker’s variants become more stainable and most importantly received three different forms.
The first shakers that appeared in the United States were called Boston shakers, or Bostons. Shakers, which were popular in the UK, were called French, and later received a new name-Parisiennes. The third type of shaker, a three-part shaker or Cobbler, appeared later and included a built-in filter in the design.
Boston Shaker
History of the Boston Shaker
The first modern cocktail shakers, probably introduced in the 1840s, were early forms of the standard Boston shaker: a metal tumbler used in combination with a glass tumbler to mix drinks. The familiar name, Boston shaker, appeared in the 20th century.
Boston shaker/Boston-a two-part shaker that consists of two cups, one of which is metal, and the second can be made of metal or glass. These two parts are joined together and sealed before the neck with a light blow. Steel is more durable and is not subject to breakage. One or both metal tins can be equipped with weights. In addition, the weights provide rigidity and extra weight, which makes the shaker more comfortable and quieter to work with.
Benefits of the Boston Shaker
- Practically does not jam. If this still happens, for instance, and you cannot open the shaker the first time, a light blow of the hand to the place where the two glasses are connected will instantly solve the problem.
- Hygienic, easy to care for, easy to wash.
- It is well suited for working flaring.
Disadvantages of the Boston Shaker
- There is no built-in sieve, like Cobblers.
- A glass tin (if you use glass) of Boston shakers is easy to break.
French Shaker
In Europe was popular the two-piece metal shaker design, known as the French or Parisian shaker. The first convincing evidence of its widespread use is an 1878 catalogue from Rogers, Smith & Co., in which this type of shaker was mentioned. Parisiennes were widely used in European bars, but never won the love of American bartenders.
The French shaker is less common in bars than its counterparts โlike the golden mean between the Boston shaker and the Cobbler, it is comfortable and elegant at the same time. This is a two-part shaker, both parts of which are made of the same material (stainless steel or silver).
Advantages of Parisian
- Firstly, the upper part of the French shaker is located inside the lower metal cup, which allows you to close the shaker tightly and securely and reduces the likelihood of freezing the shaker parts to each other (but this is not always the case โ some of them have a similar design to the Cobbler and common problems).
- Beautiful, elegant shape.
Disadvantages of Parisian
- Like Boston, it does not have a built-in filter.
- Not very convenient for flaring.
Cobbler
For decades, inventors and bartenders patented new shaker designs, but it was not until 1884 that the next evolutionary step was the introduction of the three-part shaker. It was still the same two-piece, but in the smaller parts, there was a built-in strainer with a cap-cap. The “beverage mixing shaker” patent recognized the previous, two-part shakers, but cited the built-in strainer and small-cap as an improvement. The shaker got its name from the popular Sherry Cobbler cocktail at the time, which was prepared in two ways: by transferring the drink with ice and fruit from one bowl to another, or in a shaker. It is not surprising that most often this drink was prepared in a new shaker with a built-in sieve.
This is a standard three-part shaker, which consists of a metal cup, a conical lid with a perforation (the role of a strainer/filter) and a cap that closes it.
Advantages of Cobbler
- It has a built-in strainer.
Disadvantages of Cobbler
- Since the parts of the Cobbler simply connect to each other, rather than being tightly sealed like Boston’s, it can leak during the shake.
- The top cap can fly out when you shake, so you should hold the shaker and all its elements firmly in your hands.
- The built-in strainer is not so good, in other words, because the holes in it are too large and through the pieces of ice, fruit, herbs fall into the drinks. You will still have to use an additional tool.
- Very often it jams when water enters between the cone cap and the cap.
- Not convenient for flaring.
How to prepare drinks using the shake method
Varieties of classic cocktails made by shaking. We will give you some advice on how to do it properly and develop perfect shaking skills.
- Cool the shaker and the glass that you will use to serve the drink.
- Remove the ice from the shaker. In a chilled shaker, pour all the necessary ingredients.
- Do not mix carbonated drinks such as sparkling wines or any sodas in the shaker, add them on top.
- Whisk the drink vigorously, considering the type of shaker used. While holding the shaker, use both hands, firmly fixing all its parts.
- The ice in the shaker should make a rhythmic sound of hitting the walls.
- Try to keep the ice circulating inside and not crumble too much during the shake.
- If the shaker is covered with condensation during the shaking, it means that the drink is already sufficiently cooled.
- Open the shaker and after that filter the drink into a glass.
Above all, in terms of taking care of you Shaker, just follow simple and common rules that applying to any Bartender Tools:
- Be Proud of your Bar Tools.
- Try to wash them by hand.
- Clean after each usage.
- Clean and dry after each shift.
Those simple rules will help you to extend the life of your favourite Bar tolls and save you a few bucks.
WHAT DO THINK ABOUT SHAKER’S VARIANTS AS A BARTENDER?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHAKER TO USE?
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