Martini Gadgets 7 – The Electric Martini Shaker

In these days of Margaritaville Margarita Makers (now with salsa dispensers), Hot Dog Grills, Mini  Cupcake Ovens and Candyfloss Machines, there is a shining light amongst the kitchen countertop clutter…

The Professional Waring Martini Mixer.*

Automated Martini makers have been a round for a little while; the picture below is of the Cocktailmatic from 1961.

The Waring Professional Martini mixer has three buttons: on/off, stir and shake.The Mixer comes with a metal, three-part (or Manhattan) shaker, which fits into a little holder in the machine. This moves up and down when ‘shake’ is pressed and spins around when ‘stir’ is pressed. The on/off button activates/deactivates the device. The green LED activity light appears as an olive in a little martini glass logo, which is a nice touch.

How well does it shake; how well does it stir?

A Shaken Oliver Twist Martini

SHAKEN
The little platform that the shaker rests in pulsates up and down for abut 40 seconds; press the buttons again for an extra long shake. As a result, the Martini is given a lot of “mini shakes”; hard shakers eat your heart out.

Martini aficionados may notice from the picture that then drink is clear where as a shaken martini is usually cloudy. I can only think that the mix is not shaken with sufficient force to aerate or “bruise” the gin. Overall a very pleasant drink with an apparent lack of dilution, the gin really shines through, clean crisp and weighty.

A Stirred Oliver Twist Martini

STIRRED
As both drinks are made in the stirrers, the drink is merely rotated rather than stirred; there is no paddle inside to stir the liquid, the shaker just rotates.

Taste: Noticeably less cloudy than the shaken Martini (a good start for any stirred Martini),

The Score

Practicality
I found the mixer very useful for drinks that need to be shaken for a long period of time, such as the Ramos Gin Fizz (9 minutes), but, beyond that, I have found it easier to get out my usual shaker and use a bit of elbow grease.

Practicality Score: 2 out of 5

Showmanship
The machine has some flair: the little LED lamp and its quirky, robotic movements are two attractions, but, as for you, the organ grinder, you just have to stand there and wait.

Showmanship Score: Machine: 4 out of 5, You: 1 out of 5

Curio Quality
This is very curious and no-one has come into our kitchen without commenting on it and asking to see it demonstrated. As it runs on the mains and is easily stocked (with ice and spirit), I’m usually happy to oblige.

Curio Quality Score: 5 out of 5

*I’m so glad it’s a professional one.