What I Tested:
Metrokane Flip Top Cocktail Shaker (Available at Amazone for $30) with Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka ($29.49 – only available in PA for now)
This was unknown an fact to me when I started testing kitchen gadgets and it surprised me to find out that the company that makes the famous Rabbit, Metrokane wine opener also makes a number of other great kitchen products. The team at Metrokane recently sent along their Flip Top cocktail shaker for me to test and I was more than happy to imbibe a few martinis with friends to find out what this shaker was all about.
The shaker has a top that flips and flops from one side to another. So there is no need to take the top off after shaking. One side is closed and the other has slits that allow drinks to flow freely from the cup underneath. This is a pretty neat idea as far as shakers are concerned.
Around the same time that the shaker was sent my way my mother forwarded me an article about a new vodka that my good friend Prentiss was launching. Prentiss is from Pittsburgh PA and he and his friend decided a few years ago to begin researching how to produce and market potato vodka. The vodka, named Boyd and Blair, is made from locally grown Pennsylvania potatoes and although it is only available in the state where its tubers take root as well as Cleveland, Columbus and very soon Chicago, Prentiss and his partner are busy striking additional distribution deals with liquor control boards across the country.
What I Made:
We tested the Flip Top Cocktail Shaker a few times. One of my favorite restaurants/hangouts is at the top of the stairs at Eureka Restaurant in San Francisco. My friends and I frequent this eatery for its delicious pork chop and all around friendly atmosphere.
Stephen the bartender is loved by one and all and his martinis are out of this world. It only seemed appropriate that I bring him the Flip Top Cocktail Shaker for some thoughts on its usability.
Stephen makes a mean martini – my favorite is Grey Goose with a splash of Rose’s Lime Juice and a wedge of lime on the glass – and he was more than willing to use the Flip Top to make me one of my favorite cocktails.
We also made Boyd & Blair Martinis. My friend Timmy filled the shaker with ice, added a dash of dry vermouth and shook away. We spritzed the glass with a teeny tiny bit of vermouth, tossed in some olives (three green ones to be exact) and poured in the shaken martini.
The drinks were great.
How It Rated:
It is always so interesting to test a product along with an expert – like Stephen. He had some pretty interesting insights. Overall we both really liked the idea behind the shaker. It worked, but as a bartender Stephen had some thoughts. He felt that the size of the shaker was spot on, but he mentioned that the metal used to produce the Flip Top is a little thick, kind of like a thermos, so it was tough for him to gauge whether the vodka had been shaken to the level of chill he likes to feel on the shaker before pouring. He also felt that the slits on the top of the shaker were a little too thin, which caused the liquid to come out too slowly.
I am not an expert bartender, nor do I have five or six orders lined up and a bunch of whiny customers begging for their drinks. My thoughts on this product is that although it may not be right for a bartender in a busy restaurant it works really well at home and the shaker top helps to ensure that your bar area stays nice and clean. The one thing that I would change… The top is kind of hard to maneuver into the flip positions. Other than that I would definitely give this product a whirl.
The Boyd and Blair vodka was great. It is rather smooth and has very little bite, which I like. You can tell when you taste this product that it is thoughtfully produced.
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