How To Use a Boston Shaker

Today we're going to show you how to shake a cocktail using a Boston Shaker. Sure, you can use a standard 3-piece cobbler shaker, but the Boston Shaker is fast, friendly, and easy to reuse over and over no matter how cold your tin becomes. The main reason people don't use a Boston Shaker is fear, uncertainty, and intimidation. Let's remove that intimidation.

Using a Boston Shaker is simple work, and you can get the job done quick. Unlike a stainless steel 3-piece cocktail shaker, once you've made a couple of drinks you can continue opening, re-using and things go quickly.

What shaker is best for typical shaking needs?

The tin-on-tin setup — pairing an 18 oz shaker tin with a 28 oz weighted tin — is the professional's choice. Steel chills cocktails fast, and two tins won't break no matter how much force you use to seal and open them.

Once you get the motion down, the Boston Shaker becomes second nature. You build speed, you build confidence, and your drinks get better because you stop worrying about the equipment.

Tin or Glass?

You have two options: tin-on-tin or tin-on-glass. The tin-on-tin setup uses two stainless steel containers and is the faster-chilling, more durable choice. The tin-on-glass setup pairs a shaker tin with a tempered pint glass — it's more affordable and works perfectly well.

Tin is more durable since the tins won't break during use. Tempered glass is budget-friendly and perfectly sufficient if handled properly. As a rule: if you're breaking pint glasses making a cocktail, you're putting way too much force on the glass. Let the seal do the work.