6 best cocktail shakers to bring out your inner mixologist

Adding a certain level of sophistication, as you'd expect from Fortnum & Mason, the department store's shaker is one you'd proudly display on your kitchen shelves or bar trolley. 

Made entirely from stainless steel, it's quite simple in design, and doesn't stray too far from a traditional shape, but it's the little touches that make it stand out. The ridge effect around the top, lid and body of the shaker really elevates it. We also liked that ‘Fortnum & Mason' is engraved into the bottom of the shaker. 

We found it easy to shake and to pour from, and it seemed to keep our drinks nice and cold. It's light and well-weighted, and would make an excellent gift for the cocktail fan in your life.

Looking like it’s straight out of the Art Deco era, this is the only glass-body cobbler shaker on our list, which also makes it the heaviest we tested. Featuring a chunky diamond pattern all over its cut-glass body, the shaker creates a great drink and is easy to pour. The rubber-sealed stainless steel lid means the top won’t shoot off if you get particularly vigorous with your shaking, either. Plus, it’s easy to clean, and the glass bottom could be used as a small vase when it’s not being used for making drinks.

This year, high street interiors brand Habitat is celebrating its 60th birthday, and this golden cocktail shaker certainly got the party memo. It’s part of Habitat’s wider ‘gold edit’, which has been designed to add a touch of luxury to your home, from crockery and candles to a candelabra and a drinks trolley.

This shaker has been designed by Tord Boontje, who is known for designing Habitat’s signature ‘garland’ lampshade in 2002, and for his ability to bring light into everyday objects. For the price, it’s great value, as it also comes with ice tongs, a mixing spoon, a strainer and a ‘jigger’ (a spirits measuring cup), making shaken and poured drinks a total breeze.

This is the only Boston shaker on our list but it’s often the most preferred style of shaker for professional bartenders. Though some might opt for two stainless steel cups instead of glass, due to the latter’s delicate nature, we didn’t have any problems while using this shaker. In fact, we like the glass element, as you can see the contents, providing a fun visual element when preparing drinks in front of guests.

This shaker also comes with a Hawthorne strainer and a classic long and twisted cocktail spoon for mixing and muddling, making it a great beginner’s set for aspiring mixologists.

Another full set, this professional-looking shaker comes with six other elements, including a muddler, strainer, fine sieve, bottle pourer, bar spoon and double jigger (with a 15ml and 30ml end). It’s also the only set to come with a proper muddler, which is useful for making cocktails with whole fruits that need crushing in the bottom of the vessel, before being strained.

It quite literally has everything you might need for a home bar. We especially love the pourer, which we added to our triple sec bottle while making margaritas and really felt like a proper mixologist.

The design is super simple and we like its brushed stainless steel look, which helps guard against water marks. It would make a great gift for any budding home cocktail maker who has all the ideas but not of the gear.

Can’t bear to be without a shaken drink while on the road? Yeti understands such a predicament and has given the humble shaker a tough and durable treatment. It is double-wall vacuumed, meaning it is insulated, which is usually a positive for drinks bottles, but here it’s not really a necessity. That is, unless you’re shaking in a very hot destination, then perhaps it would be helpful.

The shaker is nice and easy to use, and we like how the middle section is slightly grippy, compared with the stainless steel elements. Though, as it’s double-walled, it does make it heavier than most other shakers we tested. It’s also the biggest shaker we’ve tested, and it comes with a hefty price tag to match.

It’s available in 10 colourways, ranging from orange to sky blue, as well as plain stainless steel.