Recommend a cocktail shaker

I'm a novice who'd like to learn to mix a drink or two.
Do people recommend the classic Boston Shaker, which I believe is the one with the metal half and the glass half?
What about the kind where the strainer is built into the top half?

Feel free to throw in any other advice about what a newbie needs in a cocktail kit.

Jonah

I'm not sure what your budget is, but I've been eyeing this set:

http://www.uberbartools.com/ProductProBostonRoll.aspx

everything you need and portable.

Strongly recommend a Boston shaker. If you have both parts metal, you get a great seal -- too great, even, and it's really hard to separate the two halves of the tin. If you get a Boston shaker, get one in which the mixing glass is at least a pint (I think mine is 20 oz but I could be wrong). The strainers in the tops of most shakers that have them are total b.s. and you'll get ice chunks as well as other detritus in your drink.... I personally use a little 4" diameter sieve which works perfectly, but it is also worth learning how to properly use a Hawthorn strainer.

HTH.

jsagoff wrote:Strongly recommend a Boston shaker. If you have both parts metal, you get a great seal -- too great, even, and it's really hard to separate the two halves of the tin. If you get a Boston shaker, get one in which the mixing glass is at least a pint (I think mine is 20 oz but I could be wrong). The strainers in the tops of most shakers that have them are total b.s. and you'll get ice chunks as well as other detritus in your drink.... I personally use a little 4" diameter sieve which works perfectly, but it is also worth learning how to properly use a Hawthorn strainer.

HTH.

I agree with this. I've amassed way too many cocktail shakers over the years (many the result of gifts). The main one I use is a simple Boston shaker. It may take a little practice to pour a drink from it, but jsagoff is correct that the built-in strainers tend to let in too much ice. Having said that, you may want to buy a cheap strainer (a Hawthorne or julep variety) just to have for occasional use. They are cheap.

Here is a julep strainer: http://www.amazon.com/Winco-Multi-Purpo ... pd_sim_k_3. I think these are slightly more useful because little pieces of mint, cherries, etc. that are in the drink won't get stuck in the strainer (as they might in a Hawthorne).

There isn't anything fancy about the boston shaker. You may be able to improvise one at home.

Also, many drinks are meant to be stirred, rather than shaken. For these, you'll need a long cocktail spoon (or any long spoon you have at home). Many people like stirring spoons that are twisted - like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Spoon-Red-Kno ... pd_sbs_k_4

Note also that when you stir a drink, you only need a large glass, not a full shaker. You can just use the taller half of a boston shaker.

You'll also want a measuring cup. I love the Oxo mini measuring cups for cocktails. See http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Li ... 448&sr=1-3 (but you should be able to find a set of three of these for not much more than $4). I don't like jiggers because they tend not to have enough indicators for various measurements. The Oxo cups indicate 1/4 oz, and 1/2 oz thereafter.

Finally, consider buying a muddler. You use this to crush together certain ingredients, such as sugar and limes in a mojito or cherries, orange, and sugar in an Old Fashioned. Here are various kinds: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... er&x=0&y=0

The main thing is that you want it to be long enough to reach to the bottom of the shaker (though sometimes you muddle directly into a glass), feel comfortable, and provide good resistance at the bottom. My favorite muddler is a wooden one that I bought at Tommy Bahama.

Maybe this discussion should just focus around cocktail gear more generally. Here's what I believe to be more or less necessities.

1 Boston shaker (16 oz or greater mixing glass)
1 long-handled bar spoon
1 hawthorn strainer
1 hand-held sieve, 3.5-6.5" in diameter (really so useful but kinda unprofessional)
1 bottle opener
1 muddler
1 set of tablespoon/teaspoon measures (I use tablespoon for .5 oz, and half a tablespoon as .25 oz)
1 blender or ice crusher (I am in love with my Waring Pro IC70)
3 perfect cube ice trays (Search the Sur La Table site for "perfect cube")
at least 1 spherical ice tray from MoMA (http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/Pr ... 0001_57253) These have been a revolution for me.

2 small vermouth decanters (to prevent oxidation -- I need to get these)
2 jiggers (2/1 oz, 1.5/0.75 oz)
1 channel knife
1 y-peeler (makes GREAT twists)

glassware

6 champagne coupes, 4.5-6.5 oz
6 collins glasses, 10-12 oz
6 old-fashioned glasses, 10-14 oz

also useful

1 small ice pick
assorted empty 16 oz bottles for syrups and infusions

I’ll update this list as things come to mind, but this is a pretty good start.

I'll be the voice of dissent and advocate for a metal-on-metal shaker. I prefer the hard seal and I like the way I can gauge how much shaking is needed based on how the tins form a layer of frost. Personally, I also find it more aesthetically pleasing than a Boston shaker. I'm not the most coordinated individual either, so the less glass I fling around at high velocity, the better. My preferred shaker "set" is the bottom halves from two different sized cobbler shakers I acquired as parts of many well-meaning "martini set" gifts...together they're pretty close to what's used at the Violet Hour, though my cheater tin is a bit smaller.

Thanks to all for the advice. All these years I've ignored the cocktail as a legitimate culinary medium. We'll see if that changes.

Jonah