Shaken or Stirred? How to Choose the Best Martini Shaker

Start with the awkward truth: the classic gin martini is usually stirred, not shaken. The International Bartenders Association’s recipe for the Dry Martini says to pour the gin and vermouth into a mixing glass with ice and “stir well”, and Difford’s Guide notes that current bartending convention is for martinis to be stirred. Shaking makes the drink colder and more diluted, Difford’s explains, with a softer texture, but the air it whips in also leaves the martini looking cloudy.

Plenty of martini-style drinks are shaken, though, and some people simply like a shaken martini. The IBA’s own recipes for the Vesper and the Espresso Martini both call for a shaker, and the Mexican martini that Texas bars made famous is shaken with lime and orange liqueur. So this guide covers the shakers that suit martinis best, cobblers and Parisian shakers that pour a fine, clean stream, tins for two drinks at once, and two mixing glasses for anyone who wants to stir the classic properly.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a working kitchen and bar look for in bar tools, the makers’ own specifications and published reviews and buyer reports, which we cite.

Quick verdict: which martini shaker to buy

The rest of this page explains when to shake and when to stir, which shaker style pours best into a martini glass, and who each pick suits. For shakers in general, including the full range of styles, see our main guide to the best cocktail shaker.

Five martini shakers and glasses compared

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of martini drinker, with the specifications each maker or listing states. All nine are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacities and materials are as stated by each maker, listing or named retailer; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best martini shaker

Seven of these nine are shakers: three cobblers, a large etched cobbler, a Parisian shaker, a set of tins and a glass bottle shaker. The last two are mixing glasses, because for a classic gin martini the honest recommendation is to stir. Each pick explains who it suits and gives one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a shaker for martinis

Five questions decide what to buy. The first is the one most guides skip.

1. Will you shake or stir?

Decide which martinis you actually make. The classic gin or vodka martini, made only of spirit and vermouth, is stirred in the IBA recipe and by current bar convention, according to Difford’s Guide, which also points out that a shaken martini was historically ordered by another name, the Bradford. Drinks with juice, coffee, cream or egg are shaken, because they need the force of shaking to mix and aerate. That puts the Espresso Martini, the Vesper (shaken in the IBA recipe) and the Mexican martini on the shaker side. If you make both kinds, a cobbler and a mixing glass together cover everything.

2. Cobbler, Parisian or tins

• Cobbler shakers have a built-in strainer and pour a fine, controlled stream straight into a martini glass. They are the classic martini shaker, usually sized for one drink, and the lid can stick when cold.
• Parisian shakers have the cobbler’s shape in two pieces and need a separate strainer. Nothing to clog, and you choose how finely to strain.
• Boston tins hold the most and shake two drinks at once. They need a strainer and a little practice, as our guide to shakers for margaritas explains in more detail.

3. A fine pour and fine straining

A martini is served “up”, without ice, so any chips of ice that escape the shaker float on top and melt into the drink. Difford’s Guide’s recipe for a very dry martini calls for fine-straining into the chilled glass, even though that drink is stirred. With a cobbler, the built-in strainer catches the cubes; hold a small fine-mesh strainer under the spout if you want the drink perfectly clear. With tins or a Parisian shaker, use a Hawthorne strainer with a fine-mesh strainer below it, a technique called double straining.

4. Capacity

The IBA Dry Martini is 60 ml of gin and 10 ml of dry vermouth, only 70 ml (under 2.5 ounces) of liquid. Even an espresso martini, with vodka, coffee liqueur, sugar syrup and a shot of espresso, is a small drink. A 500 ml cobbler is plenty for one, with room for the ice to move. For two drinks at once, choose a 24-ounce shaker or a set of tins, and for stirring two martinis, a mixing glass of 600 ml or more.

5. Material and finish

Stainless steel chills fastest and lasts. Where makers state the grade it is 18/8 (also written 18-8 or SUS304), about 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel. Thicker steel, like the Usagi’s or Viski’s 1.35 mm walls, helps a cobbler keep its shape so the lid keeps sealing. Glass looks lovely and lets you watch the drink, but chills more slowly and can break. For a mixing glass, glass is the norm because you are stirring, not shaking.

How we chose these martini tools

We began with the drinks. The IBA’s published recipes told us which martinis are stirred and which are shaken, and Difford’s Guide’s history of the martini explained why bartenders prefer to stir the classic. From there we looked for shakers suited to martini-style drinks: cobblers and Parisian shakers that pour cleanly into a stemmed glass, a larger cobbler and a set of tins for two drinks, and mixing glasses for the stirred classic. We considered only identifiable makers sold on Amazon in the United States, including Cocktail Kingdom, Nagao, Viski, Barfly and Godinger, and confirmed each one’s material, capacity and care on its Amazon listing, noting where a detail came from a distributor, a retailer or a buying guide instead. Every pick was in stock when we checked; several Japanese cobblers, including most Yukiwa listings, and OXO’s steel shaker were out of stock or nearly so and were left out. We have not used these products ourselves; where we describe how one performs, we say whose description it is.

How to make a shaken or a stirred martini

1. Chill the glass. Put a martini glass or coupe in the freezer, or fill it with ice and water while you mix.
2. Measure. Use a jigger. For a classic martini, the IBA uses 60 ml of gin and 10 ml of dry vermouth; adjust the vermouth to taste.
3. Stir or shake. To stir, fill a mixing glass with ice, add the gin and vermouth and stir steadily with a bar spoon for about 30 seconds. To shake, fill the shaker two-thirds with ice, seal it and shake hard for about 10 to 15 seconds.
4. Strain. Empty the ice water from the glass. Strain the drink in, through a fine-mesh strainer if you shook it.
5. Garnish. The IBA’s garnish is oil squeezed from a lemon peel, or green olives if requested.

The Mexican martini, a Texas favorite, follows the shaken route. Punch traces it to Austin’s Cedar Door bar in the 1980s, though the local Tex-Mex chain Trudy’s also claims it: tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and a splash of olive brine, shaken and served up with olives, with the shaker on the side so guests can top up their glass. That is where a good-looking cobbler earns its place on the table. Our guide to tequila types explains which tequila suits it.

Martini shaker questions, answered

Should a martini be shaken or stirred?

A classic martini of gin or vodka and vermouth is traditionally stirred: the IBA’s Dry Martini recipe says to stir in a mixing glass, and Difford’s Guide says current bartending convention is to stir. Shaking makes it colder, more diluted and cloudy. Martini-style drinks with coffee or citrus, such as the espresso martini and the Mexican martini, are shaken. Either way, it is your drink; make it how you like it.

What kind of shaker is best for martinis?

A heavyweight cobbler, such as the Cocktail Kingdom Usagi or the Nagao, for shaken martinis one at a time: it pours a fine stream through its own strainer. For two drinks at once, a set of tins with a Hawthorne strainer. For the stirred classic, a mixing glass.

What does Wirecutter recommend for a martini shaker?

Wirecutter, the New York Times product-review site, publishes and updates a guide to cocktail shakers. We are not affiliated with it, and we could not confirm its current picks when we wrote this, so we have not repeated them here; read its guide directly for its latest recommendations. Our picks are based on the makers’ specifications and the sources cited on this page.

How long should you shake or stir a martini?

Shake hard for about 10 to 15 seconds, until the outside of a metal shaker frosts. Stir for about 30 seconds in a mixing glass full of ice. Both chill the drink and add a little water from the melting ice, which is part of how a martini should taste.

Do I need a strainer for a martini?

With a cobbler, the strainer is built in. With tins, a Parisian shaker or a mixing glass, use a Hawthorne or Julep strainer. Because a martini is served without ice, many bartenders also pour through a small fine-mesh strainer to catch ice chips.

How strong is a martini?

The IBA Dry Martini uses 60 ml of gin, about 2 fluid ounces, and the vermouth adds more alcohol. That is more than one U.S. standard drink, which the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines as 1.5 fluid ounces of 40% spirit. Measure with a jigger, drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.

Our martini shaker pick, in short

Buy the Cocktail Kingdom Usagi cobbler if you shake martini-style drinks one at a time, the Nagao if you want a cobbler made in Japan, and the Koriko tins if you shake for two. If the martini you love is the classic gin and vermouth, add a Yarai mixing glass and stir it. For every shaker style, not just those suited to martinis, see the best cocktail shaker; for complete kits, our guide to the best cocktail shaker set; and for the strainer that finishes the pour, the best cocktail shaker strainer.

And if you would rather someone else made the drinks tonight, see our drinks and the menu, or call to order.