Cocktail shaker.

How To Shake Cocktails Like A Pro

Shaking cocktails is a skill you need to master, so we’ve put together some top tips and dos and don’ts to become an expert shaker.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Great shaking matters. You might be used to shaking cocktails, but do you know your dry shake from your hard shake? Or when to shake and when not to shake?

Here are some helpful tips and tricks to help you get the best out of this essential bartending technique, along with some useful info on the different types of cocktail shakers you can use.

COCKTAIL SHAKING: DOS AND DON’TS

To help you avoid some common mistakes and to master the technique, follow these basic rules of shaking cocktails.

DO:

  • Shake over your shoulder with the top facing away from guests. Nobody wants to be covered in an ice-cold cocktail if the lid accidentally comes loose
  • Grip the shaker firmly
  • Strain and pour your cocktail as soon as you’ve finished shaking

DON’T:

  • Overfill the shaker
  • Shake any cocktail containing egg white with ice, this requires a ‘dry shake’
  • Shake with crushed ice as this will result in high levels of dilution in your cocktail
  • Bang the shaker on the bar to open as this won’t look great to your guests (simply push the smaller tin gently with your thumb until it opens)

PUT YOUR SKILLS KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST

Shaking cocktails is one of many techniques that bartenders need to be all over to grow in their career. But how well do you know your different bar skills and which tools to use?

Why not find out with our range of skills and tools quizzes and test your knowledge with some quick questions?

MASTER YOUR COCKTAIL SHAKE

There are different ways to shake a cocktail. Below we've provided some step-by-step help for mastering:

  1. Simple Japanese Shaking.
  2. Hard Shake Movements.

Try both of these techniques and choose one that feels comfortable for you.

SIMPLE JAPANESE MOVEMENTS

  • Ice in straight shaker hits the bottom of the shaker hard, cracking the ice.
  • Ice in angled shaker hits a glancing strike against the side of the shaker and curls around.
Simple japanese shaking movements.

HARD SHAKE MOVEMENTS

  • Four tier shake.
Hard shake movements.

TYPES OF COCKTAIL SHAKERS

There are a few different cocktail shakers every bar should have in their toolkit, each with its own design and key features. Here are some that you’re most likely to use behind your bar.

BOSTON SHAKER

Key Features:

  • Two-piece set with a large metal tin and a mixing glass.
  • Glass section can double as a mixing glass.
  • A firm favourite with bartenders worldwide.

TIN-ON-TIN

Key Features:

  • Two-piece set metal variation of the Boston.
  • Less prone to breaking.
  • Quicker to chill the liquid.
  • Forms a more secure seal ideal for one-handed shaking.

COBBLER SHAKER

Key Features:

  • Classic three-piece set most commonly associate with shakers.
  • User-friendly design with a built-in strainer and lid.
  • Dates back to the late 19th century.

PARISIAN SHAKER

Key Features:

  • Two-piece shaker consisting of a tin base and metal top.
  • Strainer not included.
  • Two hands needed to shake.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Shaking cocktails is an essential bartending skill that has a range of techniques to master.
  • There are many types of cocktail shaker, each adding different benefits to your serve.
  • Practising shaking using step-by-step guides will help you become a pro shaker.

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