One Stop Shopping For Bar Ware?

[isadorasmama]

I'm in need of a new shaker (thinking Boston, although I've never used one) and perhaps some bitters. At first I was thinking Amazon.com but then thought Kegworks. Are those the most reputable with the best all around choices or are there other sites I should know about?

Also, I was thinking of getting a 3-piece Boston shaker with the tempered glass, metal container, and strainer. Is the quality any worse when you buy them all together like that?

[big o]

My preference is for all-metal, weighted Boston shakers. I keep six full sets that I picked up from barsupplies.com (18oz. and 28oz.), as well as two sets of Naranjas from Cocktail Kingdom. The Japanese shakers have a nicer "feel" to them, but the drinks are ultimately no better off, and the Naranjas do cost nearly three times as much per set.

If you plan to make drinks for a crowd, you'll want to stock up on the cheaper shakers and strainers (it's a real pain to have to clean your equipment on a per-drink basis -- even if you just have 2 or 3 friends over). Otherwise, pick up some of the nicer stuff at Cocktail Kingdom. They'll also cover you for bitters -- Angostura, Angostura Orange, and Peychaud's should be your initial stock.

[isadorasmama]

This is exactly what I was looking for. I was just debating on the merits of weighted vs. not. Is 18 oz standard or 28?
I already have regular Angostura on hand and am going to try my hand making orgeat. Along with the Angostura Orange and Peychaud's would you recommend grapefruit bitters or are they not really versatile?

[yarm]

I made my own grapefruit bitters and have found very little use for them other than adding them instead of orange bitters to a Martini or an Old Fashioned. Not sure of any classic recipes that use them, and can only think of a few modern recipes I have had that have used them (Fee's or the Bittermens). If you like to make your own recipes or make variations, they can take drinks in a new direction.

Also, for orange bitters, Regan's are rather good. There are times that a drink is better served with them and others that Angostura Orange is a better call.

[will47]

I agree - grapefruit (and lemon for that matter) bitters aren't that useful. Also, if you have a drink you think could benefit from some grapefruit flavor, try using a little bit of standard aromatic bitters, and then expressing the oil from a swath of grapefruit zest over the drink.

I would suggest getting something like the Bitter Truth aromatic bitters, just to compare with Angostura, or even the Boker's Bitters reproduction, before getting grapefruit bitters.

As far as weighted or not; I have mostly weighted tins, but I've always read that this is mostly a matter of personal preference and / or what you're used to (since you don't already have a Boston shaker, this second part is irrelevant). I'd try out a set of the Naranja weighted ones (28 oz and 17 oz) first, and see how you like it. To me, the metal seems to be a little better quality on these -- not only are they slightly heavier gauge metal than a lot of tins, but you don't get as much of a weird smell after shaking drinks that contain citrus.

[big o]

You can use either the 16oz or 18oz tin to cap a 28oz shaker. I prefer 18 -- there's a little more room for an ice hunk to jump around, which I like to believe lessens the chance that it will shatter. Weighted vs. Not is more personal preference than anything else. I like the weight, I think it adds a more solid feel to the shake.

I have both the grapefruit and chocolate bitters from Bittermens/Bitter Truth. You won't find quite as many recipes calling for them, but they're both very nice and a lot of fun to play around with.

[johncb]

I would be remiss not to say that I have both the Bitter Truth and the Fee's Grapefruit Bitters, and I would consider them worth having if for nothing more than making a tequila old-fashioned, which is one of my favorites. But I like the old-fashioned variations with different varieties of bitters (and different varieties of liquor too).

[JMF]

Go with weighted tins. The balance is better. Cocktail Kingdom is great, but I do have to say that I am very good friends with the owner, Greg Boehm of Mudpuddle publishing. He is a fanatic about quality. He is the one who is republishing antique cocktail books with the exact same binding as print as the originals.

[EvergreenDan]

I haven't used a weighted Boston shaker, but I was under the impression that the weight was to reduce the chance of tipping it over if you bump in while in a rush. As such, for home use, I'd think unweighted might be better. Less thermal mass, less repetitive strain :) .

The idea of having a 4-6 shakers is appealing, except for taking up the whole dishwasher top.

While I don't use lemon or grapefruit bitters too much, they are both delicious in seltzer water for a non-alcoholic interesting drink (as are all the other bitters, including Angostura). I use the lemon and grapefruit bitters when a drink has enough acid, but not enough complexity. Alas, ingredients are so sweet that usually the acid is welcome.

[JMF]

Dan, the weighted double tins are really good. The balance is better, so they actually shake with ease. This becomes really noticeable when shaking a lot of cocktails. I have worked events using boston shakers, and unweighted tins, vs. weighted tins, and with the weighted tins I have much less wrist, arm, and shoulder soreness after 5-6 hours of serious shaking.

[yarm]

A lot of Amazon is through Kegworks so you can skip the middleman and deal directly through them.

A local store that does mail order is The Boston Shaker which has a wide variety of shakers and bitters:
http://www.thebostonshaker.com/

Also Cocktail Kingdom is great for bitters and high end shakers (they specialize in Japanese and German shakers, I believe):
http://cocktailkingdom.com/

The quality of a Boston Shaker isn't any worse when you buy them together. If the seller checks that the glass and metal parts match (seal well, yet come apart easily), then this is the optimal way.

If you were asking Boston vs. Cobler (or even Parisian), that's preference. I have some of each and I use each type (well no Parisian) through out the week. The good part about Boston Shakers is that the parts are interchangeable. Coblers are convenient but if a part gets damaged, worn or lost, your cobler is done.

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/

[isadorasmama]

Right...but if I can probably get a less cost of shipping if I go via Amazon vs. Kegworks since the former has the $25/free super shipping deal. That was my only reason for choosing a mega-store versus an independent one.

I did come across the Boston Shaker site and it seemed wonky and bare bones so I didn't know if it was legit. I'll check over there again. It seemed like their prices were very reasonable.

I have a cobbler (scored it at my local Goodwill, actually, for dirt cheap) and it's nifty looking but leaks. I've heard such bad things about them leaking or not being able to separate that I was nervous to get another. I LOVE oxo brand kitchen tools and I was thinking of that one but I dunno...
So the Boston Shaker idea came about because it's what professionals use and since my cobbler is still usable (even if it leaks it still works) I thought I'd give that a go...

Off to check out Cocktail Kingdom.
(Love your blog, btw.)

[EvergreenDan]

I can assure you that The Boston Shaker is legit. Adam has a fabulous new store in David Square, Somerville, MA. He is dedicated to cocktail making and has been running a series of local seminars in the store. He has a good selection of bitters, cocktail-making eqiupment, and books. His selection of barware is (in my opinion) a bit weak, but then there are many places to buy glasses. He has a good selection of shakers and is knowledgeable about them and how to use them.

Should you visit him in person, be sure to check out the fabulous "Dave's Pasta" a few doors down. In addition to all sorts of exotic stuff (and sandwiches), there is a great wine store that stocks things like Carpano Antica, Cocchi Americano, Bonal, and the like. I inquired and out came a glass (not plastic) tasting glass and a nice little pour.

In addition, David Sq has Downtown Liquors, which has a huge beer selection and a small but interesting booze selection.

If you are new to the Boston Shaker, the key to separating the two is to assemble them so that one side of each part is parallel to each other. This cants the glass to one side. Looking from above, if you call the point where the sides are parallel 12 o'clock and you hit the top of the tin with the heel of your palm at about the 2 o'clock position, the impact will jar the two pieces apart. Easier to do than explain. I found that my tin took some time to "break in" so that it sealed and separated more easily.

[davis_sq_pro]

Have never heard of Bonal before; just Googled and it looks great. What else should I check out at Dave's next time I'm in the area, aside from a sandwich? (I so very much miss living right down the street from that place.)

[EvergreenDan]

I've been enjoying the Bonal. The strong quinine flavor that you get sipping it neat is fairly muted in cocktails. It is still pretty sweet, although not nearly as sweet as the Cochi Americano.

I bought the above two and splurged on a bottle of "Americano" by Louis/Dressner. I tasted it in the store and liked it, but I've decided to finish up some other vermouth-like bottles before uncorking this one.

It was an awesome experience. We also bought some delicious cheese that was hideously expensive, but we stretched it into a meal with a baguette and some other things.

Perhaps the liquor swap needs to happen again so I can share some of these aromatized wines. :) dan 8 9 9 a t g m ail d ot c o m if anyone's interested

[will47]

They don't carry drinking glasses and such, but Cocktail Kingdom is my recommendation. Their shakers, barspoons, mixing glasses, etc. are all top notch. The prices are high (in some cases, a couple times what they'd cost in Japan), but the quality is also very good, and they've chosen their selection very well. I know cobbler shakers aren't that popular in the US, but the Japanese cobbler shakers are also excellent. The silver-plated Hawthorne strainer they sell is really nice and solid, and the Japanese barspoons are far and away the best, and most comfortable barspoons I've ever used.

The Naranja shaker tins they have (short weighted tin, weighted mixing tin) are interesting -- the small one is *sort of* like a cheater tin, only it's one oz bigger (17 instead of 16), and unlike many cheater tins, you can lock the two parts together with a pretty good seal, rather than having to hold a finger across the top of the smaller tin while shaking. So you can get a Boston shaker type deal, but with metal tins on both sides. I've seen this sort of thing at a lot of cocktail bars recently, but don't know of anywhere else that sells this kind of tin (maybe you can do this with the 18 oz cheater tins that a lot of places carry?).

If you make stirred drinks at all, I would also strongly suggest investing in one of the heavy mixing glasses they sell.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm shilling for them, but seriously... their stuff is excellent quality. Naranja (which is where at least some of their stuff seems to come from) will also sell stuff directly to foreign customers, but I think the shipping and hassle means it's probably not worth it for small orders.

Places like The Boston Shaker and Bar Keeper (www.barkeepersilverlake.com - a local shop here in LA, which I believe also sells online) are also good, but at lot of their stuff seems to be similar (in cases, *exactly* the same) to the stuff you'd get at barproducts.com for 1/4 of the price. So if you want stuff that's decent but not the best, I would just order from barproducts.com (despite their hideous site and annoying "bookmark" reminder), because it's cheaper.