Cocktail shaker
A cocktail shaker or just shaker (from English shake = to shake), in the past also often translated into German as shaking cups, is a mixing cup for preparing cocktails . It is mainly used to mix the liquid ingredients by shaking them vigorously and to cool them with ice cubes , pieces of ice ( cracked ice ) or crushed ice (also known as cobbler ice ). Shaking is usually between 10 and 20 seconds, longer in the case of ingredients that are difficult to mix such as cream , egg yolk or egg white or for foam formation.
Shaking in a cocktail shaker is probably the best-known way of preparing cocktails and is always necessary when the ingredients include citrus juices, cream, eggs , cream of coconut or thick syrups or liqueurs that would not combine homogeneously with just stirring. A certain amount of foam formation is usually desirable. Drinks made from clear liquids, for example martini , are, on the other hand, preferably stirred in a mixing glass so that they do not become cloudy as a result of trapped air bubbles and do not have small ice splinters, as is the case with shaking.
history
Shaking cocktails did not become common until the second half of the 19th century. Until then, the usual technique was to stir the ingredients in one beaker or to let them flow from one beaker or glass to another, known as rolling . Bartenders like Jerry Thomas developed a special skill in the 19th century at throwing liquids from one cup to the other, even over a great distance through the air . It was only with the widespread use of ice and its use in cocktails that shaking established itself in two nested metal cups or a metal cup and a glass (Boston Shaker). In 1872 the first three-part shaker was patented. The lower and upper parts fit together perfectly, and a sieve is already integrated in the lid under a cap to hold back the ice.
Boston shaker
The Boston shaker consists of a large metal beaker (mostly stainless steel ) and a slightly smaller mixing glass. Using the Boston Shaker requires a little practice, but it allows you to work faster and is easier to clean than three-part shakers. It is therefore preferred in bars and by professional bartenders and is very common , especially in the United States . For the production of shaken drinks, ice and ingredients are poured into the glass and the metal cup is slipped over it at a slight angle and fixed with a light tap so that one side of the mixing glass is almost flush with the metal cup. You shake the metal cup with both hands, always facing the guest, put the shaker down with the metal part facing down and loosen the stuck glass with a light side blow with the palm of your hand, exactly between the two points where the edge of the metal cup is at nearest and farthest from the mixing glass. An additional strainer (strainer) is used to strain the drink from the metal cup. Occasionally, a bar strainer is dispensed with and the liquid is strained through a gap between the glass and metal parts. You hold the shaker crosswise in one hand. If there is no special mixing glass, stirred cocktails can also be prepared in the mixing glass of the Boston shaker. Ingredients and ice are mixed with a bar spoon , a bar strainer is used for straining.
A special form of the Boston shaker are shakers in which both cups are made of metal, also known as tin-tin . Two-part metal cocktail shakers, in which the cups fit exactly into one another, are also known as Parisian or French shakers .
Three-part cocktail shaker
The three-part shaker (also called Cobbler Shaker ) consists of a metal cup, an attachment with an integrated sieve that fits flush into the metal cup, and a cap, all of which are often made of stainless steel . The cap of most shakers often holds around 3 cl or 1 oz. (1 shot or pony , so the measure of the smaller part of the US American jiggers ) and can therefore serve as a bar measure if a measuring cup is not available. Due to their ease of use, three-part shakers are widespread in private use. The integrated sieve also makes it easier to make frothy cocktails. Especially in Japan , where Boston shakers are hardly widespread, the so-called hard shake has developed into an art form, mostly smaller Cobbler shakers that can be held in one hand are used.
Two-part cocktail shaker
Two-part metal shakers are also called French Shakers or Parisian Shakers (or Parisienne Shakers in French ) and, as the name suggests, are mainly used in Europe and the United States. They are more similar in shape to a three-part shaker, but have no sealing cap, so a bar strainer is required for straining like the Boston Shaker .
Speed shaker
A speedshaker is just a stainless steel cup that can be placed directly over the guest glass, in which the finished drink is also served after shaking. It can only be used for drinks that do not have to be filtered out after shaking and that, like fruity long drinks, can tolerate a certain amount of watering down, as the ice used for shaking is exceptionally served with. Speed shakers require sturdy, thick-walled cocktail glasses that do not break when the metal shell is put on and removed or when shaken vigorously with ice cubes. They are mainly used in discos, clubs and at events where speed is of the essence.
Web links
- Jörg Wiesner: Shaken, not stirred. The history of the cocktail shaker. In: Cigar Clan 2/2006. February 16, 2006, archived from the original on January 1, 2017 .