Barware Styles Cobbler Cocktail Shaker Review and Best Martini Recipe

Even on the worst of days, I will still use a wine glass versus sticking a straw straight into the bottle, but I’ve finally conceded to the fact that in order to make a decent cocktail, you have to have the proper tools. Proper glassware aside, a good place to start is with a good cocktail shaker. Barware Styles puts out a decent shaker that is a classic and elegant style. Made of Stainless Steel, the three-piece set won’t rust, comes with a money back guarantee and is currently on sale for $18 versus $40. So if you’re planning upon doing a little entertaining this summer, now’s the time to pick this one up.

There’s actually a “right” and a “wrong” way to use a shaker and it makes a difference in the way your cocktails will turn out. Here are a few pointers to make the best cocktails in town:

1. Chill serving glass beforehand in the freezer or by filling it with lots of ice and water and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Always fill the shaker half full of fresh cubed ice, too much and you’ll water your cocktails down, not enough and you’re alcohol won’t blend properly and won’t cool down quickly.
3. Pour cocktail ingredients into the tin.
4. Place the strainer & lid on the base and close the cap firmly.
5. Hold with your right hand if right handed, vice versa if left, and shake, shake, shake, over your shoulder. (Be sure to keep one hand on the cap at all times while shaking and point away from guests).
6. When condensed water appears on the outside of the shaker, and it gets really cold, you know the cocktail is ready and properly chilled.
7. Remove the smaller lid, pour the drink through the strainer into your chilled glass, and enjoy!
8. Always rinse the shaker immediately after use to ensure that it doesn’t get sticky from the liquor. This is one of the main reasons the lid sticks, and is easily avoidable

Now for the Best Martini Recipe!

Ingredients:

• Ice (If you opt not to chill the glass in the freezer)
• Martini glasses (Large and stemmed, chilled in the freezer for one hour if you can, if not chill by letting sit full of ice and water until very cold. This goes for all recipes below)
• Dry vermouth (Refrigerated to stay cool and fresh, this is a perishable item)
• Olives (with the pits) or lemon peel for garnish
• Good quality gin (not fruit flavored - use a classic gin)

Method:

1. Chill the martini glass. Having the glass ice cold is very important, as the taste of the dry martini is very dependent on the temperature.
2. Put ice cubes into the cocktail shaker, add a dash of vermouth, stir to coat the ice with vermouth and then pour out the excess liquid.
3. Add 3 oz. - or two shots - put the lid on, and gently shake.
4. Sit the shaker down; put your vermouth and ice bucket back in the freezer. This allows a little time for some dilution.
5. Go back and shake it a little more, add your garnish. If using lemon peel don’t forget to squeeze a little of the lemon oil on top of the drink. If using olives, put them at the bottom of the spear. Do not use stuffed olives-use the kind with the seed still inside. Stuffed olives taste terrible!