Whisky & Ember tools
Shaker tins
Two metal tins that seal together, for drinks that need a hard shake.
What it does
A Boston shaker is two tins, one larger and one smaller, that fit together to make a seal. The recipes call it a Boston shaker; this page calls it shaker tins. It is the same tool.
Five of the six drinks here are shaken, and the water a hard shake adds is part of the recipe, not a side effect. Ice chills the drink and adds water at the same time, which is why each recipe gives a shake time or cue.
For a Whisky Sour with egg white, there is one extra step: a dry shake, which means shaking without ice first.
How to use it
Shake a drink
- Measure the ingredients into the small tin with a jigger.
- Add ice.
- Fit the two tins together at a slight angle and press firmly to seal.
- Hold both tins with both hands and shake hard for the time in the recipe.
- To open, hold the tins and strike the rim of the large tin with the heel of your hand where the two tins meet.
- Strain through a Hawthorne strainer, and a fine strainer when the recipe says double strain.
With egg white (Whisky Sour)
- Add the whisky, lemon, syrup and egg white with no ice.
- Seal and shake: this is the dry shake.
- Open, add ice, seal again and shake for 12 to 15 seconds.
What to look for
- A two-piece Boston set: one large and one small tin, roughly 830 ml and 530 ml (28 oz and 18 oz)
- A weighted small tin for a reliable seal
- Stainless steel throughout; plated finishes can pit and flake
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