Post #169189 by Humuhumu on Fri, Jul 1, 2005 11:46 AM

Shakers are beautiful, elegant, and can go a long ways toward setting the tone when mixing drinks for a party.

However, they are a total pain in the ass. They get cold and seize up, they get slippery... I've never been able to get through an evening without having to ask someone to get the sucker open for me, and it's not been unusual for me to see very strong people stuggle mightily with them. Sure, there are all sorts of tricks you can use to get them open without a struggle, but I've not been able to master them.

For years, I used a Boston shaker (half metal, half glass), but they can be hard to open, too (not quite as hard as a traditional shaker), and can be leaky.

Here's what I've started to use:

Rubbermaid Plastic Bottle

It's not fancy, but boy does it do the trick. It's plenty big, and the top opening is wide enough to get ice cubes in just fine. It seals up very well, and the white top cap pops open easily, but only when you want it to. The small spout opening together with the ice cubes act as a perfectly good strainer. Since the bottle is plastic, you can squeeze it and the drink comes out quickly. It has nice grips on the side, and they're super cheap -- I think it only cost me a couple bucks. Hanford & I have a several of them, we we also keep fresh squeezed fruit juice in them.

Anyone else use a non-shaker shaker?