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Best cocktail shakers for mixing up classy drinks at home
No drinks cabinet is complete without a quality cocktail shaker. Check out our pick of the best sets to channel your inner mixologist. Here’s to many happy hours at home!
By Alice Cruickshank | Last updated Apr 17, 2024
Most of us dabbled in making our own cocktails during lockdown, and a professional-style cocktail shaker is a must for any budding mixologist. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to create bar-standard drinks once you have the right kit (and a willing taste tester of course!).
Whether you choose a cobbler, a Boston, or a Parisian-style model, purchasing a shaker can improve the look, texture, and taste of your cocktails. A stylish cocktail shaker also makes an excellent gift for the person who has everything.
Whether you're an experienced mixer or you’re dipping your toes into the world of homemade cocktails, we have the perfect mix of options for you.
Here are the best cocktail shakers to buy in 2021.
1. Best overall cocktail shaker: Twice Element Cocktail Gift Set
Price: £30 | Buy now from Amazon
Whether you’re a total newbie or a gifted mixologist, this affordable and stylish set provides everything you need for mixing up almost any cocktail you could think of. The design of the Twice Element Cocktail Set is based around a Boston-style shaker, with extras including a jigger, a muddler, a strainer, and a spoon. You’ll even get a recipe booklet to get your creative cocktail juices flowing, and the gift box and storage pouch make this a great present. Reviewers state this cocktail shaker is easy to use, easy to clean and doesn’t leak.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Boston
Material: Stainless steel
2. Best budget cocktail shaker: Nuvantee Cocktail Shaker Set
Price: £13 | Buy now from Amazon
If you’re after a simple cocktail shaker to test the cocktail making waters, then this bargain Nuvantee cocktail shaker is high quality and easy to use. With a built-in strainer and a jigger included in the kit, you’ll be set for making classic cocktails like martinis and margaritas. This cocktail shaker is also dishwasher-safe, so it’s easy to clean and use again and again.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Cobbler
Material: Stainless steel
3. Best professional cocktail shaker: Nick Munro Trombone Cocktail Shaker
Price: £70 | Buy now from Wolf & Badger
Nick Munro has a long history of supplying the world's best hotels, bars, and restaurants with quality barware, and you can recreate that fancy cocktail bar feel at home with this luxury cocktail shaker. The Trombone Cocktail Shaker features a built-in filter, a cap for easy pouring and a rubber seal for a snug, leak-proof fit. With a classic 1930s feel, this is a stylish addition to any home bar.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Cobbler
Material: Stainless steel
4. Best glass cocktail shaker: Nude Hepburn Cocktail Shaker
Price: £61 | Buy now from John Lewis & Partners
Glass shakers add some extra theatre to your cocktail making, and the Nude Hepburn Cocktail Shaker from John Lewis is an excellent choice. As well as its striking design, this shaker offers quick cooling thanks to its metal top. While a simpler shaker might be a better option if you’ve never made cocktails before, this is a stunning choice to really wow at parties.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Boston
Material: Crystalline glass and metal top
5. Most stylish cocktail shaker: Oliver Bonas Fiesta Gold Metal & Glass Cocktail Shaker
Price: £23 | Buy now from Oliver Bonas
If you’re looking for an affordable and stylish cocktail shaker then this option from Oliver Bonas ticks all the boxes. This sturdy shaker has a classic Cobbler shape for simple cocktail making and a built-in strainer for easy pouring. You’ll need to purchase other cocktail accessories separately, and this shaker is handwash only, but we think the classy vintage design makes up for any shortcomings.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Cobbler
Material: Soda lime glass and stainless steel
6. Best cobbler cocktail shaker: Sanlan Cocktail Shaker
Price: £14 | Buy now from Amazon
The classic cobbler-style shaker is considered a good choice for novice cocktail makers and this affordable version by Sanlan is a brilliant option to get you started. The innovative design features cocktail recipes and measures around the body of the shaker, so you’ll be shaking up delicious drinks in no time. There are three sizes available too, so there are options for both quiet cocktail nights for two or serving up a storm at parties.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Cobbler
Material: Glass and stainless steel
7. Best Boston cocktail shaker: Rusty Barrel Belgravia Boston Shaker Cocktail Making Set
Price: £45 | Buy now from Amazon
Boston-style shakers are a favourite with bartenders, and this Rusty Barrel Cocktail Making Set will make you feel like a pro. The copper colour is unusual and will add a stylish flare to any home bar, but this isn’t a case of style over substance. The stainless steel tins are light to shake and won’t leak. The included strainer, spoon, pourer and jigger mean you’ll have all you need to get started making cocktails. This cocktail making set also makes a great gift, with its recipe book, storage pouch, and presentation box.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Boston
Material: Copper-coloured stainless steel
8. Best Parisian cocktail shaker: Homeasy Cocktail Making Set
Price: £24 | Buy now from Amazon
This affordable cocktail making set by Homeasy includes a sleek Parisian-style shaker, as well as all the other tools you’ll need to throw a cocktail party. Alongside the Parisian shaker you’ll find a mixing spoon, a muddler, ice tongs, an ice strainer, a jigger and bottle pourers. The set comes with an acrylic stand to display your kit on. There’s a bit of a knack to using this style of shaker, so you might want to practice opening and closing it before you get shaking.
Key specs
Type of cocktail shaker: Parisian
Material: Stainless steel
How to choose the best cocktail shaker
When choosing a cocktail shaker, you should definitely consider its size to ensure it suits your needs. Will you be mixing classic cocktails for two or whipping up fancy blends for drinks gatherings? It’s also worth looking at the material (see below) and also how easy it is to use to suit your skill level. Make sure your shaker has a strong seal to prevent leakage, but that it’s also easy to pull apart to serve up. Most cocktail shakers are dishwasher safe, which is another useful aspect to consider.
What’s the difference between types of cocktail shakers?
The most common styles of cocktail shakers are cobbler, Boston, and Parisian. A cobbler shaker features a built-in strainer, while Boston and Parisian shakers require an external strainer. Beginners will probably find a cobbler shaker the easiest to use, although they can take longer to clean.
Boston shakers are the most common in bars and will make professional-style cocktails, although you might need a bit of practice to master the mixing process.
A Parisian shaker is the least common of the three. Style-wise it looks like a combination of a cobbler and a Boston shaker. This type is slightly easier to hold and shake than a Boston, though it can take some practice to open up a Parisian shaker.
What’s the best material for a cocktail shaker?
Cocktail shakers should help to ensure that your drinks are served nice and chilled. For that reason, look for materials like stainless steel, glass and copper.
Are cocktail shakers worth it?
If you want to make bar-style cocktails at home then a cocktail shaker is essential. Flavours can be perfectly mixed together and chilled compared to just pouring the ingredients into a glass. And using a shaker can add texture to drinks. Shaking also creates a frothy top for a bar-quality finish.
What’s the best cocktail shaker to buy?
We weighed up cost, ease of use, size, and added extras when choosing the best cocktail shaker, and we rate the Twice Element Cocktail Set based on these factors. This kit features everything you need for making all types of cocktails and comes with a handy storage pouch too.
How we chose our recommendations
Because we know that there’s nothing like a real recommendation from a real parent, we first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out which cocktail shakers discerning Mumsnet users had bought. We compiled a list of cocktail shakers they recommended, noting how effective they found them, and whether they were particularly good for any certain needs.
We then did some research across the wider web, looking at which cocktail shakers had won accolades or been featured in ‘best buy’ lists across websites and print media, and what customers’ reviews said about them.
Having collated all that information, we picked the cocktail shakers we thought would make the best buys in several interest categories.
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