Barillio Rust-Proof Cocktail Shaker Set, 24-Ounce

If you buy nothing else for making cocktails at home (besides liquor), you’re going to need a cocktail shaker.

Its purpose is fairly simple. It’s a container specifically made for combining cocktail ingredients in all the fun and showy ways they can be mixed: Stirring them, muddling them, and of course, shaking them. As such, it doesn’t need to be fancy. Some professional bartenders would argue that the less fancy it is, the better. But the design does matter and has a lot to do with what kind of drinks you’ll be making — and how often you’ll be making them.

There are three basic types of shakers, and the most common for home bartenders is the “cobbler” style. For cocktail newbies, this is the most failsafe and easy to use. It’s a tall tin (typically made of stainless steel), topped by a smaller lid that incorporates a strainer. Add the ingredients, pop on the lid and a well-made shaker should ensure that you don’t get any spillage out of the sides as you shake. And of course, the strainer makes it easy to filter out solids like mint leaves or fresh citrus.

If you want to make drinks like a professional (or at least look like one), most working bartenders use a Boston shaker. This type is deceptively simple, being just a tall, steel cup. Bartenders top it off and make a seal with another glass as they shake drinks, and pull them slightly apart if they need to strain ingredients. It’s trickier by far to learn, but faster once you get the hang of it. The fact that there’s one less lid to clean between drinks makes it ideal for high-volume drink slinging.

Less common is the French, or Parisian, style. This is essentially a two-piece version of the Boston shaker comprised of a steel tin and a smaller, tapered lid sans strainer. They work together the same way a Boston shaker does, though some users say the metal makes a tight seal that’s easier to open.

• It’s possible to find cocktail shakers made out of plastic or other materials, but most decent ones are made out of stainless steel. There’s a good reason for that. As the name implies, stainless steel is rustproof, and it’s easy to clean between drinks. It also won’t hold odors or flavors from the last cocktail you made with it.
• Just because it’s a shaker doesn’t mean you need to shake every drink in it! Yes, shaking up a concoction is fun, but it’s going to ruin simpler, boozier drinks like a Manhattan. If your drink involves juice, eggs or dairy, you’re typically safe to shake away. Otherwise, double-check the drink recipe.