Key points
- A two-piece Boston shaker, tin on tin with a weighted large tin, is the one to buy first. It holds enough for two drinks, seals reliably and opens with a tap of the palm.
- Cobbler shakers are the three-piece kind with a built-in strainer. They look tidy and work for one drink at a time, but the cap sticks after a cold shake and the strainer holes let ice chips through.
- Parisian shakers are two pieces with no strainer, the same opening habits as a cobbler, and a cleaner look. A good second choice if you already own a Hawthorne strainer.
- Gauge matters more than finish. A weighted 28 ounce tin in 18/8 stainless with no plating outlasts a copper or black-coated set, which wears at the rim.
A friend’s three-piece shaker came out of its box looking like something from a hotel bar, and within a week it was the tool she dreaded. The cap stuck after every shake, the strainer holes let slivers of ice through, and the tin was full before the ice went in. She now shakes in a pair of plain stainless tins, and they have never stuck once.
That pair is a Boston shaker, and for most people it is the one to buy first. Two tins, the larger one weighted, 18/8 stainless with no plating, plus a Hawthorne strainer sold separately. The cobbler and the Parisian are the other two shapes. Both are better than their reputation, and each asks something of you that the Boston does not.
Three shapes that do the same job
A shaker has one task: hold spirit, mixer and ice together while you shake hard enough to chill, dilute and blend them. All three designs do that. They differ in how they seal, how they open and whether they strain on their own.
The Boston is two pieces, a large tin and a smaller tin or a mixing glass. You push the small one into the large one at an angle, give it a knock, and the seal forms. The cobbler is three pieces: a tin, a lid with a strainer built in, and a cap. The Parisian, also called a French shaker, looks like a cobbler without the cap, a tin and a domed lid that fits over the rim.
Boston: the one working bartenders use
Walk past any bar with the lights on and you will see tins. The Boston won because it is fast. It seals with a tap, opens with a tap, holds enough for two drinks, and the strainer is a separate tool you can also use on a mixing glass.
The cost is that you have to learn the seal. Push the small tin in at a slight angle, hit the base with the heel of your hand, and shake with the join facing away from you. To open, hit the large tin at the point where the two meet. People get it on the third or fourth attempt and never think about it again. Until then, a shaker that pops open mid-shake is a real possibility, and a kitchen wall that smells of lime juice is the usual result.
Tin on tin or glass on tin is the other choice. The glass version lets you see the drink and doubles as a mixing glass for stirred drinks. Owners report two problems: the glass cracks if it goes through a dishwasher or takes a hard knock on the counter, and the seal depends on the glass rim being round, which cheap ones are not. Tin on tin is lighter, quieter to open and what most bars moved to years ago.
Cobbler: tidy, self-contained and prone to sticking
The three-piece cobbler is what most gift sets contain, and it is what people picture when they hear the word shaker. The built-in strainer is the appeal. Shake, take the cap off, pour. No extra tool.
Two things go wrong. The first is the cap. Metal contracts in the cold, and after a hard shake the cap and lid grip each other tightly enough that a lot of people end up running the join under the hot tap. The second is the strainer. The holes are large, so ice chips and bits of mint end up in the glass, and anyone who cares about a clear drink double strains through a fine mesh anyway, which removes the one advantage the cobbler had.
Capacity is the third problem, and it is quieter. Most cobblers hold 18 to 24 ounces, which sounds like plenty until you add ice. One drink is fine. Two is cramped, and the shake is weaker because the ice has no room to move.
There is a case for one. If you make one drink at a time, the look matters to you, and you are happy to warm the cap when it sticks, a cobbler in heavy-gauge steel is a decent tool. The thin ones dent at the lid and never seal properly again.
Parisian: the cobbler without the cap
The Parisian is the quietest of the three. Two pieces, a tin and a lid that fits down over it, with a smooth outline and no strainer. It seals more easily than a cobbler because there is only one join, and it holds a little more.
Opening is the same story as the cobbler. The lid seats tightly in the cold, and you break it with a twist or a tap at the join. Because the lid is tall there is more to grip, so it sticks less dramatically. You do need a Hawthorne strainer, and our guide to Hawthorne, julep and fine mesh strainers covers which one fits which shaker.
I would put the Parisian second, after the Boston. It is the better looking tool, and if you already own a strainer there is no practical reason to avoid it. It is harder to find in a good gauge, and the copper-finished ones tend to be thin.
Weight, gauge and finish
Whatever shape you choose, the material decides how long it lasts. Look for 18/8 or 304 stainless steel, stated in the listing, not just “stainless”. The large tin of a Boston should be weighted, meaning a thicker base, because the extra weight keeps the shaker steady on the counter when you seal it and helps it stay sealed when you shake. Unweighted tins are lighter, and they are the ones that pop open.
The usual pairing is a 28 ounce large tin and an 18 ounce small tin, which makes two drinks with room for the ice to travel.
Finish is where money goes to waste. Copper plating, gold plating and black coatings all wear at the rim where the tins meet, and owners of plated sets describe flaking within a year. Plain polished or brushed steel looks the same after a decade.
How a shaker fits with the rest of the kit
A Boston shaker needs a strainer, and the small tin is the only part that is not also useful on its own. If you make stirred drinks too, a separate mixing glass is a better tool for that job than the glass half of a Boston, because it has a pouring lip and a heavier base.
What to skip
Any shaker where the listing does not state the steel grade. Plated finishes, unless you are prepared to treat them as decoration. Cobblers under about 24 ounces, which are too small for two drinks. Boston sets where the large tin flexes when you press the side. And shakers with a measuring cap built in, which are never accurate.
How we choose shakers
When we list specific shakers in our tools section, each one gives the steel grade as the maker states it, the capacity of each piece, the weight, whether it is plated, and what owners report after a year about sticking, denting and the seal. We cover the tools only, never what goes in them. The full method is on our how we choose page.
Final verdict
Buy a weighted tin-on-tin Boston shaker in 18/8 steel, 28 and 18 ounces, and a Hawthorne strainer to go with it. Spend one evening learning the seal. Buy a Parisian instead if you want the cleaner look and already own a strainer. Buy a cobbler only in heavy steel, only for one drink at a time, and know that the cap will stick.
Questions people ask
Why does my cobbler shaker get stuck?
The metal contracts in the cold after a shake, and the cap and lid lock onto each other. Run the join under warm water for a few seconds, or wrap a cloth around it and twist. Shake with your hand over the cap and lid together, because a loose cap seats harder.
Do I need a strainer with a Boston shaker?
Yes. The tins have no built-in strainer, so you pour through a Hawthorne strainer that sits on the rim. Most two-piece sets are sold without one, so check the listing before you order.
Is a glass and tin Boston set worse than tin on tin?
It is heavier, the glass cracks in a dishwasher or with a hard knock, and the seal depends on the glass rim being perfectly round. Tin on tin is lighter, quieter to open and what most bartenders have moved to. The glass version is easier for beginners because you can see the drink.
