Contour Cocktail Shaker

The Contour cocktail shaker is a piece of bar equipment, not a drink. Its job is to chill, dilute and aerate a cocktail in one step. The listing doesn't give capacity, material or construction, so check the product photos for those. Shakers in this category usually come as either a two-piece Boston style or a three-piece cobbler with a built-in strainer and cap. Which one you have decides how you use it. Shaking suits any drink built with citrus, egg white, cream, syrups or fruit juice, because the hard shake blends those ingredients and adds a little air. A daiquiri, whiskey sour, margarita, cosmopolitan or white lady all belong in a shaker. Fill it about two-thirds with fresh, hard ice, since small or wet ice melts too fast and waters the drink down. Shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, until the outside is frosted and too cold to hold comfortably. If the recipe contains egg white, shake once without ice first, then again with ice, for a fuller foam. Spirit-only drinks such as a martini, Manhattan or Negroni are normally stirred. Shaking them clouds the liquid and adds more dilution than the style calls for. If your shaker comes with a mixing-glass-sized base or a bar spoon, use that for those drinks. Strain into a pre-chilled glass. Coupes and Nick & Nora glasses suit drinks served up, while a rocks glass with fresh ice suits a sour served over the rocks. Where the recipe includes fruit pulp or muddled herbs, pour through a fine mesh strainer as well, to keep the texture clean. Rinse the shaker with warm water straight after use. Sugar and citrus left to dry in the seams make lids stick and can leave a sour smell. Dry it fully before putting it away, and wash by hand rather than in a dishwasher unless the manufacturer says it is dishwasher-safe.