The best cocktail shakers to make delicious drinks at home

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The Insider Pick:

• The best cocktail shakers are comfortable in your hands, do not make a mess, and are easy to clean. The Top Shelf Bar Supply Stainless Steel Boston Shaker Set has all of these properties in addition to an impressive money-back guarantee.

When you want a delicious cold mixed drink during the holidays, after work, or when entertaining, an indispensable part of a good home bar is a top-quality cocktail shaker.

There are two popular styles of cocktail shakers: the Boston shaker and the cobbler shaker. The Boston shaker consists of two mixing tins or glasses of different sizes (usually 28 ounces and 18 ounces.) The liquids you are mixing naturally create a seal between the two containers to avoid dripping. When using a Boston shaker, you need a separate Julep or Hawthorne strainer depending on the drink you are making.

The cobbler shaker has three parts: a tapered top with a built-in strainer, bottom shaking tin, and a cap that can also work for measuring liquids. The biggest complaint about the cobbler is that the top either leaks or is difficult to remove once the ice chills the shaker.

Three of the five shakers in our buying guide are Boston shakers. These are preferred by professional bartenders because of their simplicity, the amount of control they afford, and their fast performance. The other models we include are new takes on the classic cobbler. They are excellent for beginners who are just getting the hang of making mixed drinks.

Our picks for the best cocktail shakers are based on hours of research into reviews from first-time cocktail makers, amateur home mixologists, professional bartenders, and people of all levels in between. We picked our best cocktail shakers based on their ease of use, durability, security (do they leak?), and comfort.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Top Shelf Bar Supply Stainless Steel Boston Shaker Set is our top pick and why you might also like the Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Weighted Shaking Tin Set, the OXO SteeL Press & Pour Insulated Cocktail Shaker, the Metrokane Bullet Cocktail Shaker, and the WMF Loft Boston Shaker.

The best cocktail shaker overall

Top Shelf Bar Supply

Why you'll love it: If you are looking for a basic cocktail shaker for mixing your favorite drinks without making a mess, the Top Shelf Bar Supply Stainless Steel Boston Shaker Set is an excellent option.

Top Shelf’s Boston Shaker Set comes with two shaker tins: a 28-ounce weighted tin and an 18-ounce unweighted tin. Both are made of food-grade 304 stainless steel and are safe for both commercial and home dishwashers.

Top Shelf promises that you'll get “a perfect watertight seal every time,” and our research backs the claim up. But, if you do find that this cocktail shaker is not up to snuff, Top Shelf has a fairly generous money-back guarantee. 

Not many of the expert review sites have taken a close look at the Top Shelf Boston Shaker, but those that have rated it highly. Wiki.ezvid.com calls it the best cocktail shaker you can buy and says it provides a clean pour with no drips, comes with a money-back guarantee, and won’t warp over time. WarmReviews included this shaker in its top ten list, too, because of how well it tested with professional bartenders. The reviewer also praised its durability.

The Top Shelf Boston Shaker Set has more than 275 five-star reviews on Amazon. Many of the buyers favorably compare it to a cobbler shaker, and most of the reviewers suggest the Boston style shaker is much easier to use.

Specifically, removing the top tin is effortless compared to taking the lid off the cobbler. You simply break the seal of the tins by squeezing close to where they meet. Buyers also liked the look and design of this cocktail shaker set.

Pros: Money-back guarantee, durable, offers water-tight seal

Cons: A bit of a learning curve for those used to cobbler shakers, doesn’t come with accessories

Buy the Top Shelf Bar Supply Stainless Steel Boston Shaker Set on Amazon for $19.99 (Only available from third-party sellers)

The best cocktail shaker on a budget

Cocktail Kingdom

Why you'll love it: When you are using a Hawthorne strainer to remove ice, pulp, and other elements from your mixed drinks, you can count on a snug fit at an affordable price when you choose the Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Weighted Shaking Tin Set.

The Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Weighted Shaking Tin Set comes with two weighted shaking tins made of 18/8 stainless steel in the standard Boston shaker 28-ounce and 18-ounce sizes. The shakers are designed to be a good fit for easy shaking and separation and to fit strainers. Each shaker is dishwasher safe. The set does not come with any additional accessories, and we were unable to find any warranty information.

Wirecutter rated the Koriko Weighted Shaking Tins as the best shaker on the market. The reviewers like the balance and weight of the shaker tins. This shaker also received high marks because the tins snugly fit a Hawthorne strainer, and it is simple to break the seal. Plus, in their tests, they found the smaller shaker sits higher in the larger tin, which made for more comfortable shaking.

Booze Nerds compared the Koriko cocktail shaker to the OXO model featured on our next slide. The reviewers were impressed with how this model held its seal under all conditions.

There are only eight buyer reviews of the Koriko cocktail shaker on Amazon, but none of them are lower than four stars. The only reason that this model seemed to lose a star in some reviewers’ eyes was that they just had not used it enough to determine whether it deserved a perfect five.

One professional bartender referred to this set at the “industry gold standard.” Others noted that the tins held a tight seal with no dripping and that separation was effortless.

Pros: Durable design, well-balanced, drip-free, easy to break seal

Cons: Doesn’t come with any accessories

Buy the Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Weighted Shaking Tin Set on Amazon for $16.98

Buy the OXO SteeL Hawthorne Cocktail Strainer on Amazon for $6.99

The best cocktail shaker for beginners

OXO

Why you'll love it: The OXO SteeL Press & Pour Insulated Cocktail Shaker is ideal for novice cocktail makers because it's easy to use and has a built-in strainer.

The OXO SteeL Press & Pour Insulated Cocktail Shaker has a brushed stainless steel exterior with a second interior wall that keeps beverages cool, your hands warm, and keeps condensation from forming on the outside and making the shaker slippery. The container holds 18 ounces. The lid screws on and feature three silicone seals to prevent spills.

You can pour your drink through the self-straining top by pressing a button. When you press the button again, the lid closes. The lid can be disassembled and washed in the dishwasher, but the main tin must be hand-washed.

Lifehacker liked that the Press & Pour shaker is self-straining, insulated, and that you can use it with one hand. The reviewer also said it's a step up from the Boston shaker, which can cause a mess for beginners. Wiki.ezvid.com gave this model high ratings because it has three strong silicone seals and can be used with both cold and hot drinks. However, the reviewer found that the built-in strainer clogs easily.

Top Ten Select also loved this shaker because the insulation keeps your hands from getting too cold, but they do not recommend it for advanced bartenders.

Around 71% of the reviews on Amazon are for five stars. Buyers commented on how well-built and heavy duty this cocktail shaker is. They liked that you did not have to rely on suction for the top and bottom to seal since the top screws into the bottom.

There were a few complaints about pulpy juices, herbs, fruit, and even small slivers of ice getting stuck in the strainer and making it hard to pour. Also, make sure that the top is depressed before you start shaking, or you will end up with a mess.

Pros: Built-in strainer, insulated, great for beginners

Cons: Expensive, strainer clogs easily

Buy the OXO SteeL Press & Pour Insulated Cocktail Shaker on Amazon for $29.95

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