The Best Cocktail Shakers of 2023

There was a lot to like about the Tovolo Stainless Steel Cocktail Shaker Bar Tool.

For starters, this dishwasher safe shaker not only has a built-in strainer, but also a citrus juicer that snaps onto the top. This allows you to create freshly squeezed lemon, lime, or orange juice without any additional hardware. We found this attachment to be a little messy to use, though, as it was too small to juice citrus without it dripping down the sides of the shaker. The Tovolo’s cap also has measuring lines to double as a jigger, but it only measures in one and two-ounce increments, making it unhelpful for most cocktail recipes.

The lid screws into place with a simple twist, and the cap is pushed into place with the help of a gasket. Neither leaked while in use, but we did have a little trouble with the cap. While this cocktail shaker did a fine job at making Daiquiris, the lid allowed too much liquid into the cap as we shook. That meant that, when shaking the egg whites for gin fizz, the liquid came through the strainer and pooled into the cap, preventing the drink from getting as frothy as we’d like.

Although the Elevated Craft Hybrid Cocktail Shaker is well-rated on Amazon, it wasn’t our favorite cobbler cocktail shaker in the group. It was the heaviest cocktail shaker we tested, weighing just shy of two pounds when empty and tiring our hands when in use. The lid was difficult to get on: it screws into the base with several twists but contains a gasket to prevent leaking. While it did work—the unit did not leak—it was a pain to use and took time to undo, diluting the drink in the process.

We did, however, appreciate its insulation. The double-wall insulation kept the exterior of the unit warm while the cocktail chilled inside, so our hands didn’t get cold like they did with other shakers. There was a zero-degree difference between the pre-shaken unit and the shaken unit, something that didn’t happen for any of the other cocktail shakers. Of course, that insulated layer meant that this shaker had a smaller capacity, only holding nine ounces of ice compared to our Best Overall’s 10.8 ounces.

Although the WPUHAW 24oz Cocktail Shaker Bar Set was the lightest cocktail shaker we tested, it fell to the bottom of our list of cobbler shakers after running it through our tests.

The three-piece shaker doesn’t have any gaskets or screws, so you have to press the pieces firmly in place to prevent leaking. While that wasn’t difficult, it did create a challenge when we introduced a temperature change with the ice, as the cold caused the shaker’s pieces to stick together. They were extremely difficult to get apart, especially when your hands are half-frozen from shaking a cocktail!

We did appreciate that the WPUHAW is available at a budget price and came with a few extras, including a bar spoon and a two-sided jigger. The jigger doesn’t have any measurements, but their website lists the two sides as 1/2 ounce and one-ounce measurements.

If our top Boston cocktail shaker is out of stock, you won’t be disappointed by the Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Weighted Shaking Tin Set.

Like our top pick, this shaker features two lightweight tins, and you can choose from color finishes of silver, copper, or gold. It sealed together nicely with a firm whack, and it cooled down the Daiquiri we made with it during testing without adding too much excess water.

While the Koriko excelled at all our tests, it fell a little flat in design. This shaker has an extremely simple layout without any footers at the bottom of the cups. That sleek design may be appealing to some, but we found that it caused the two pieces to stick together when in storage. It also didn’t give us anywhere to shield our hands from the cold when shaking, so we felt the chill a little more than the Boston shakers we tested that come with footers.

The Crafthouse by Fortessa Boston Cocktail Shaker wasn’t our favorite of the Boston shakers we tested. It had the smallest capacity, holding only 11 ounces of ice (compared to other Boston shakers’ 12.8-ounce capacity). That makes it still larger than the cobbler shakers range of nine to 10.8 ounces, but not by much.

When it came to performance, this shaker diluted the Daquiri we made a little more than the other shakers in this guide, adding almost 1.25 ounces of water to the drink. We also found that the two tins didn’t fit together perfectly, causing the shaker to leak a little if we weren’t very careful when putting them together.

The feature we liked the least was the drastic foot on the bottom of the large tin. It had sharp edges that dug into our hands uncomfortably as we used it. We will say that footer did keep the two pieces from sticking together, so that was convenient for storage.

Compared to the other cocktail shakers in the test group, the Professional Boston Shaker didn’t score very well. This was the only Boston cocktail shaker we tested that didn’t come with two stainless steel cups. Instead, the large glass was made from thin stainless while the other cup was a standard pint glass. This is a very normal setup to see in a professional bar, but it’s not ideal for amateurs. The glass is much heavier than a stainless steel cup, making it more difficult to shake for extended periods of time. We also found it difficult to put together and take apart without fear of shattering the glass in the process. That lead to some leaking when shaking the cocktail.

We do appreciate that this cocktail shaker could be used with any pint glass, though, making it a good option if you want to make several drinks in a row. Storage was simple, too: The glass cup fit nicely inside the stainless cup, and there was plenty of space so we didn’t worry about it getting stuck.