All Entries Tagged With: "Boston Shaker"

Martini Shakers Put The Cool In Cocktails

Having a working knowledge of everything martini is like a rite of passage. Have you ever witnessed someone in a restaurant act extremely cool when they order a martini then stumble when asked how they take it or what brand of Vodka would they prefer? If you have, then you understand what I’m talking about.

If you dabble in the art of mixology then you will need a good martini shaker to add to your bar supplies. The good news is that martini shakers are not only functional they are fun too and can add the right amount of style to your bar.

There seems to be a style for everyone, from the traditional 3-piece shaker to an expensive designer shaker, with colored shakers, Ed Hardy Shakers, and retro and bullet shakers thrown into the mix. Some even prefer to go traditional bar tender style and use a Boston Shaker.

If you are looking to add some color to your bar then this Wild Eye Cobalt Etched Martini Shaker may be the choice for you. No matter which shaker you choose there should be one to match your style.

The traditional 3 piece shaker is what a lot of folks purchase first. These are functional and can create many great cocktails. Although there can be some disadvantages, one of them being the lid can get stuck. When you put your ice in the shaker and shake it chills your drink and your shaker. The cold can make the shaker contract just enough for the lid to get stuck.

So remove the lid promptly after straining so that you will always look on control when making your cocktails. The Boston Shaker is a two piece shaker with a metal cylinder and a glass. When you place the cylinder over the glass and give it a tap a seal forms. Now you can shake your drink just like a professional bartender in the movies.

Then when it is time to pour your drink give the edges another tap and a twist and the glass should lift of of the cylinder and you can pour your drinks. You will also need a separate strainer when you pour so that you don’t get ice in your chilled cocktail. Even though these look hard to use they are actually easier to get apart then the traditional 3 piece martini shaker with lid and strainer. They also look very cool.

Now that you have your equipment down, you can focus on ingredients. The traditional martini was made with gin and ice and garnished with an olive. As time passed many began to prefer the vodka martini. No matter which liquor you choose it needs to be of high quality. Many people would call these two choices the only true martinis. Some only think the gin martini is the only true martini.

These days any thing goes though so you can experiment and make the perfect martini cocktail to suit you and your guests. You can try different garnishes or add some olive brine and make a dirty martini. A cosmopolitan is actually a martini made with vodka, triple sec, and cranberry juice. You can also add lime juice and experiment with garnishes such as lemon twists or cherries. A lemon drop is also a martini variation made with lemon juice, chilled vodka, and sugar.

You can experiment and try many different martini recipes everything from appletinis to chocolate martinis are popular these days. I have even heard of different forms of bacon and bloody Mary martinis, although these seem to be more of a novelty, as opposed to a meal in a glass.

The most important things to remember when stocking your bar is utility and expressing your unique style. The most important thing about drinking is to drink responsibly and have a great time.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Types Of Martini Shakers

The perfect Martini can make the perfect evening. Whether you’re entertaining guests or having a quiet evening at home. In order to make the perfect Martini we need the perfect tools and nothing is more essential then the Martini Shaker.

The standard Cocktail or Martini Shaker is a stainless steel container. Besides mixing the ingredients, shaking the ingredients with ice will cool the drink without having to actually have ice in your drink. Martinis aren’t served on the rocks. The longer you shake the drink the colder it will get.

The standard cocktail shaker most of us envision, is the Cobbler shaker. A three-piece stainless steel shaker with a strainer built into it. It consists of the shaker tumbler, a lid with a strainer, and the cap. This is also the easiest shaker to begin with, although sometimes it is difficult to get the cap off if a vacuum seal is formed.

A more advanced but often times preferred Martini Shaker is the Boston Shaker. This shaker has a stainless steel tumbler and a slightly smaller mixing glass. You put the ingredients into the glass and then fill it up with ice. Place the stainless steel tumbler on top of the glass. The tumbler is upside down and you can form a seal between the glass and tumbler by giving the tumbler a whack.

Carefully shake until your drink is properly mixed and chilled. Then find the spot where the glass and tumbler meet and give it another whack to break the seal. To avoid getting ice in your newly mixed martini, you will need a strainer. The preferred strainer is the Hawthorne strainer which has a spring around the bottom so that it will fit any glass or tumbler.

James Bond may have preferred his Martini shaken and as cold as possible, but some people may prefer theirs stirred. The reason some preferred stirred is because they don’t want to bruise the gin or vodka which would mean getting little chunks of ice mixed with the alcohol.

If you will be making a stirred martini then a mixing spoon is essential. This is an elongated spoon with the head about the size of a teaspoon, and the handle is swirled. The swirled handle makes it easy to quickly stir your drink and the length makes it easy to reach the bottom of the tumbler.

Popularity: 88% [?]

How To Use A Boston Shaker

In my previous post I explained the difference between a Cobbler Shaker and a Boston Shaker. That is all well and good, but if you have never used a Boston Shaker you will probably not know how exactly it works.

So I found this great video showing us exactly how to use a Boston Martini Shaker.

How To Use A Boston Shaker

Popularity: 25% [?]