The Boston Shaker is perhaps the most famous and flashy of all bartending tools. Consisting of a simple pint glass and a bar tin, the Boston Shaker is not only great for mixing cocktails, but it’s perfect for adding some panache and showmanship to your bartending. The sound alone of a Boston Cocktail Shaker being used at a party is more than enough to get guests in the mood and set their mouths to watering.
Is it difficult to learn how to use a Boston Shaker? Watching a professional might seem intimidating, but it’s very easy to use. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll jump at the chance to spend time showing off behind the bar at your next soirée. Follow these smart suggestions and simple step-by-step instructions, and you’ll be ready to retire your blender and take things into your own hands.
Always remember: build your cocktail by adding ingredients like juices, sweeteners & modifiers into your mixing glass first, and then adding the spirits. That way, if you make a mistake, you can start over without wasting your spirits.
- Fill the mixing tin, not the glass, halfway with hard, dry ice cubes.
- Mix the ingredients in the glass, separate from the tin of ice.
- Let’s get ready to shake. Pour the mixture from the glass into the tin.
- Hold the tin on a hard surface. Place the glass in tin and hit the bottom until they ‘lock’ together (one whack with the heel of your hand will do it).
- Turn it over with the glass half pointed behind you and shake it hard. 7 to 10 seconds is a good count.
- To break the seal, hold the shaker with the tin down and hit the tin above where the glass and tin meet. (Never bang the Boston Cocktail shaker on the edge of the bar).
- Place a Hawthorne Strainer over the top of the tin, and pour the drink into an appropriate cocktail glass. Always remember to garnish.
- Enjoy yourself or serve to a guest to enjoy.
