Before you can mix cocktails and other drinks at home, you need a few basic supplies. Most of these tools are available at any specialty kitchenware store. In later articles, I will focus on glassware, spirits, and other supplies and ingredients you need to make good cocktails, but for now, I am only discussing bar tools.
- Shakers. There are two types of shakers available for mixing drinks--the three-piece cocktail shaker and the two-piece Boston shaker.
- You are probably familiar with the three-piece cocktail shaker. Its base is a flat-bottomed metal or glass cone, onto which fits a metal strainer. The strainer is topped off with a metal cap. This type of shaker is useful and elegant, but it can be hard to clean. You might also find that the metal gets so cold after a good shake that the strainer top seizes onto the metal cone. Tapping it against a countertop will sometimes loosen the top, but often you need to wait for the metal to warm up so that it loosens enough for separation.
- For this reason, many people prefer the two-piece Boston shaker. This ordinarily consists of a flat-bottomed metal cone and a mixing glass, although some Boston shakers come with two metal cones. If you have the metal-and-glass variety, the metal cone fits over the top of the mixing glass. You whack the metal cone lightly with the heel of your hand to form a seal, before shaking the drink.
- Strainers. A disadvantage to the Boston shaker is that it doesn't include a built-in strainer, so if you buy a Boston, you'll need to also procure a strainer. Again, there are two types of strainer.
- You've probably seen the Hawthorne strainer hanging from the bar at your local watering hole. The Hawthorne is a flat, perforated metal tool with a wire spring around its perimeter. You generally would use the Hawthorne with the metal cone of the Boston shaker. The spring fits inside the cone, with a pair of metal tabs keeping the Hawthorne from falling into the shaker....
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Author: Michael Dietsch