How to Choose Cocktail Shaker
The art of making cocktails has been numbered for many millennia. Archaeologists have found the remains of pumpkin over seven thousand years old which were used not only for food but also as a container for mixing drinks. More than three thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians knew many recipes for mixing various liquids, which resulted in completely new tasty drinks. In such circumstances, the shaker like Margaritaville Bahamas frozen concoction maker was created; this is a device for mixing cocktails of any ingredients.
What a Shaker Is
The shaker is usually made of metal, although there are glass and plastic options. Most often, a three-quarters steel glass of a shaker is filled with ice; liquids are poured into the other half, closed, and being shaken actively for several seconds. There are two types of shakers: the classic one, which is named cobbler, and the Boston shaker.
If the cobbler consists of three parts – a vase, a lid, and a filter, the Boston shaker is a device of two components: a metal base and a glass cup for mixing drinks. This type of shaker was known back in the 1820-1830s, however, today, this slightly modernized kitchen tool takes its place on the professional bar counters.
How to Choose the Right Shaker
A plastic shaker should not even be considered as kitchenware: a device made of such a material is not suitable for making real cocktails. The best shaker is made from metal glass with a lid that is not wound but inserted into it. This design helps not to spill valuable liquid when shaking and mixing cocktails.
The best option is a Boston shaker, where there is no built-in strainer for ice crumbs, like in a cobbler. In order to pour the mixed cocktail into a glass without ice, you need to purchase an additional hawthorn strainer, which is applied directly to the glass before the drink is poured there. A measuring glass with two “tails” (Jigger) is additional glassware for using a shaker; you can accurately measure the dose of each ingredient added to the cocktail according to the recipe with its help.
What Rules Must Be Followed
No matter how good the shaker selected with the jons guide is, each modification is suitable for the intensive mixing of ingredients using the shaking method and cooling the drink. There is a number of important working rules that you must follow regardless of which tool is selected:
- You can’t shake carbonated drinks, as they greatly increase in volume.
- Which shaker is better if you need to reduce the foam of the finished drink? It can be any of them, the main is the technique: use the rolling method, that is, pour the mixture with ice from one mixer glass into another for a couple of times. Glasses should be located very close to each other.
- The smaller pieces of ice are put, the colder the liquid will be.
- Greasy and dense consistency ingredients (cream, egg yolk) are mixed using the “dry shake” method – initially, they are beaten in an ice-free shaker, then they are cooled again adding some ice. An auxiliary tool will be an installed spring from the hawthorn strainer.
In order to solve the dilemma of which shaker is better to buy, everyone needs to think of their needs: what drinks will be made, how much, have you ever used any shaker, etc.