In the first installment of our “Basics for The Home Bar” series, we took a look at the jigger, an extremely important tool in measuring the ingredients that are used in cocktails. Next, we look at one of the tools used to mix those ingredients, the shaker.

There are two main types of cocktail shakers:

Boston shaker

This shaker combines a tempered-glass pint glass with a similarly shaped metal tin. These two elements interlock, creating a long chamber for the spirit and ice to mix in. When using a Boston Shaker, you add the ingredients you want to mix into the glass side of the shaker and then fill it up to the brim with ice.

Boston Shakers are designed to really give the ingredients inside a good shake, so when using a Boston Shaker, you’ll want to forcefully shake it for at least a good 10- to 20-second count to ensure everything is well mixed and chilled (the outside of a Boston Shaker gets very cold and frosty when things are properly shaken). Sometimes Boston Shakers can stick, so to open them, all you have to do is slap where the two pieces come together with your palm (thumb side up) and the seal will break between the two. NEVER use a counter or table to try to open a Boston Shaker. To strain a shaken drink from a Boston Shaker, use a Hawthorne Strainer (we’ll cover the different kind of strainers in a future installment of Basics for the Home Bar).

Cobbler shaker

This all-metal tin is often referred to as a martini shaker, which is a mistake, as martinis should never be shaken (they should be stirred).  The Cobbler Shaker is made up of three metal pieces: a main chamber, a strainer, and a cap. Cobbler Shakers are generally smaller than a Boston Shaker and use only one kind of strainer (the built-in one). Cobbler Shakers are popular in Japanese bartending where the drinks are agitated in a rolling motion rather than shaken hard. Cobbler Shakers are a little easier to manage but its straining ability is much less versatile, and it’s difficult to stir cocktails in a Cobbler Shaker.

The rule of thumb on shakers is to only use them to shake drinks that contain fresh citrus ingredients like lemon, orange, or lime juice. Shaking a cocktail that doesn’t have citrus or that is spirit heavy, like a Manhattan or Martini, strips those drinks of the silky elegance you get when you stir them.

If you are trying to make a cocktail that requires a shaker but don’t have one on hand, we’ve seen people use blender carafes to shake things up (the legendary Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco actually makes all their margaritas this way).

Next in this series: Bar Spoons and Stirring Cocktails