(n.) a cocktail-making tool used to shake ingredients for a cocktail. This tool to shake ingredients for a cocktail comes in two main styles: the traditional, or cobbler shaker, and the Boston shaker. Both work equally well for personal use. The traditional is comprised of three pieces: a mixing tin, a strainer and a lid that can also be used as a jigger. This style is prized for its simplicity—simply pour the ingredients in, add ice, cover, shake and strain—but it is considered impractical for high-usage, as it’s more challenging to clean.
The Boston Shaker, preferred by most bartenders, is just two pieces: a pint-sized mixing metal or glass and a shaker tin, usually 28 ounces. To use the Boston Shaker, pour the ingredients directly into the mixing glass, then add ice to the glass. Top the mixing glass with the shaker tin at a slight angle where it can form a seal. Holding the sealed shaker with one end in each hand and the open end of the mixing tin toward you, raise the shaker to ear level and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds (the time depends on the quality of the ice—professional ice requires longer, low-quality ice, shorter—and the ingredients), or until a frost has covered the mixing tin. To dislodge the tin from the glass, hit the tin lightly where the glass and the tin begin to separate. Strain<LINK> the cocktail into the glass.