The Best Cocktail Shaker Sets
Verified by
Hadleigh V. Lead Product Analyst
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Wirecutter's barware team named the Usagi the best cocktail shaker for a home bar, and the reasoning is practical. Most pros shake with two-piece Boston tins, but those need a separate strainer and a little more skill. The Usagi's tumbler, strainer lid and cap were snug and didn't leak in Wirecutter's testing, yet they weren't so tight that breaking them apart became a fight. A small indentation in the cap gives your index finger somewhere to rest while you shake.
Serious Eats put 12 cobbler shakers through a jigger check, a Ramos gin fizz for froth and straining, a dry shake, and hand and dishwasher cleaning. Kate Dingwall and Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm picked the Usagi and wrote that you can't beat its quality. They liked the low profile and polished finish. Single-wall steel also lets you feel when a drink is properly chilled, which insulated shakers hide.
America's Test Kitchen recommends it too. Miye Bromberg's testers saw no danger of leaks, found the wide body easy to load with ice and clean, and got quick, efficient straining through the large strainer holes. The 28-ounce tumbler makes two drinks per round, and ATK lists the whole shaker as dishwasher-safe. Cocktail Kingdom sells it for $48.99.
What It Won't Do
A tight cobbler turns stubborn when it gets very cold. ATK found the top and strainer cap fit too tightly after long shakes, once the thin steel chilled and contracted, and on one test copy the strainer cap went on and never came off. Serious Eats suggests tapping the side with the heel of your hand to loosen a stuck top. The single wall can dent if you drop it, and Serious Eats found it heavier than most cobblers. Availability is the other catch. Wirecutter notes it has been in and out of stock, and the Amazon listing had no offers when we checked, so for now you buy it from Cocktail Kingdom.
Nine of the 12 reviews we analyzed recommend the Koriko tins, more than any other shaker. Wirecutter calls them the best Boston-style shaker it tested: pleasant weight and balance, no leaks, and a seal that's easy to break. The small tin sits higher in the large one than on rival sets, and Wirecutter found that makes the pair feel steadier in your hands.
Working bartenders say the same thing. John deBary wrote in New York Magazine's Strategist that pretty much every expert he spoke with recommends these tins, and in his Food Network guide he calls the Koriko "the workhorse of craft cocktail bars everywhere." Gabriella Mlynarczyk told Liquor.com that Koriko has by far the tightest seal, the heaviest bases and the easiest tins to snap open.
The set is $26.98 from Cocktail Kingdom, a little over half the Usagi's price. Serious Eats weighed the pair at 447 grams in its 12-model Boston test and said it's hard to argue with the price and performance. Both tins go in the dishwasher, and ATK called them seemingly indestructible.
What It Won't Do
The tins are only half a setup. A Boston shaker has no built-in strainer, so budget about $12 for a Hawthorne strainer (Wirecutter's pick is the OXO SteeL) plus a jigger. Expect a learning curve too. Wirecutter says the style requires a bit more skill, ATK found sealing the Koriko took more practice than other Boston shakers, and bartender Amy Wong told Liquor.com the tins can be hard to seal the first few times. The weights are welded on, which Serious Eats flags as a long-term wear point, and deBary says they can pop off after heavy use. Amazon also sells the large tin by itself, so make sure your listing includes both.
Who Should Buy Which
Cocktail Kingdom Usagi Cobbler Shaker (28 oz)
A snug three-piece cobbler that shakes and strains in one tool, and Wirecutter's pick for home bars
- Home bartenders who want one tool that shakes and strains
- Anyone making two drinks per round
- Bar carts where the shaker stays on display
- Cooks who don't want to juggle a separate strainer
Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Weighted Shaking Tin Set
The two-tin Boston set most bartenders reach for, at about $27
- Aspiring bartenders ready to learn the Boston technique
- Hosts shaking round after round for a crowd
- Anyone who already owns a Hawthorne strainer and jigger
- Budgets under $30