The Boston Shaker

It is a small little store packed with cocktail stuffs: Books, glass, shakers, bitters, etc etc… If you need something special to make a cocktail, they’ll probably have it. In addition to that, the people who work there are very nice and helpful. I also did a cocktail class with them and it was really worth it.

Great selection of bitters and the all the glassware you could need. Really friendly staff as well.

This place is awesome! Helpful staff, lots of accessories to spur the creative juices and reasonable prices

I came in here looking to buy some gifts for my bf, and I had no idea where to start. The gentleman who was working was very kind and helpful! I described the kind of drinks my bf likes, and he gave me the run down of various syrups and bitters that fit. I felt like I was getting a lot of helpful information without a lot of pressure (I could tell the guy was trying to help me, rather than just trying to sell me the most expensive things). Anyway, I’m not an expert in mixology, but there seemed to be a great variety of ingredients! I highly recommend this place!

I love that the Somerville area can sustain a store selling just bitters and cocktail tools.
They have one mission, and they do it well. I was recently looking for dandelion and burdock bitters, which I thought I would have to order online. When I searched for them, the first place that popped up was the Boston Shaker. I was stoked to learn I could visit the actual brick and mortar store!
Their sample area is really nice, particularly if you’re trying to choose the best type of bitters for a certain flavor. Go sample the difference between various orange bitters and you’ll see what I mean.
My only wish is for the Boston Shaker to expand with a liquor license so they can carry hard to find spirits!

If you need bar supplies, this is the place to go. They have an incredible selection of bitters (that you can taste) the best selection of books and so many tools I didn’t even know existed.
I made a special trip out there (not being a native) and it was well worth it. Plus I got to walk by Car Talk Plaza.

For all the drinking accessories you never knew you needed.
The tiki glasses. The long-​handled spoons. The locally-​made bitters and small-​batch sodas. The etched cocktail glasses and ice cube shapes that you never thought possible (a sphere? a giant block? a bag and mallet so you can crush ice like Thor??). The testing zone and cocktail recipe books.
The Boston Shaker is part of my weekend stroll through Davis and I always leave satisfied with the service and value. If my drinking has increased since I moved to Davis, it’s entirely because this place makes alcohol more fun than you ever thought possible!

If there’s someone on your gift list who needs a wooden mallet and lint-​free cloth bag to make crushed ice in the turn-​of-​the-​century manner, well, this is the store for you.
Once you go in, though, you’ll realize there’s a hidden wannabe bartender within you as well. And this store has what you need to bring that bartender out! Everything that is, except the alcohol:
Books about cocktails and bartending to inspire you.
Gadgets for measuring, muddling, stirring, slicing, shaking
Mixers and a substantial variety of bitters to enhance your concoctions
Barware for presenting your drinks beautifully.
Plus all kinds of fun stuff like that mallet I mentioned, absinthe spoons, sodastream supplies, ice cube trays and much more. The store is tiny and yet you can spend a lot of time browsing, and the staff are friendly and helpful. They have classes too, apparently. Obviously they love what they do.

The staff here is amazing! We walked in with a general idea of a cocktail base (scotch drink) and asked for recommendations. We browsed through books with someone and she looked up a few things online to provide us with what she thought would be best. She didn’t try and sell us only what was available in the store. We could have walked out with only her recipe in hand, but instead of course bought some bitters to make another drink, as well as some drink making tools.
Great recommendations, helpful, and I love the taste-​testing station!

Adam is the man. The Biff got me a gift certificate which I used on a ‘Cocktail Basics’ class. With the class you receive a basic Boston Shaker and accouterments. The crew turns you onto techniques, science and a bunch of local spirits and new drinks. This class is intimate, fun, gets you a touch tipsy and is a great gift for cocktail enthusiasts. Well done Biff.
They have a lot of great products (their bitters and array of glassware come to mind) and the best part is that all these quality products are all in one place. Sure, you can find some of the products for much cheaper elsewhere, but the experience is really what counts. Adam and his staff are not only experienced, but also intellectually curious and downright cool to boot.
Take a cocktail making lesson, and indulge. It’s time and money well spent.

This review is based mostly on my experience with the class at the Boston Shaker. All in all, I learned a lot from Adam (owner and teacher of the basic cocktail class). However, I had a couple issues with how the class was run.
First, there is a lot of listening to what different tools are, how to hold the shaker correctly, how to stir but very little hands on, actually making cocktails. We spent about a half hour listening to Adam explain everything, and after practicing our shaking and stiring skills with water, each person was only given the tools and materials to make one cocktail (split into two glasses for two people). We were given two recipes (one stirred, one shaken), but were told that each person would only make one of the two. I thought this was a little weird, considering the class is two hours and you only get to make and drink the equivalent of one cocktail.
Also, our class ended 15 minutes early and instead of maybe doing something fun like the instructor make a new recipe for all of us to taste, talk to us about good bars to check out or do some other technique we basically were given time to browse the shop and then leave. I would have really appreciated some background info on the history of cocktails and bitters, tips and tricks or maybe just copies of a few different recipes (other than the two we tried in class). This class has a lot of potential and Adam obviously loves what he does (and is great at it), but I think if you’re going to charge $ 70 for a two hour class, even if that does include a basic shaker and strainers, you need to have people experience something more than two drink recipes.

As someone who is not only a shameless drunk, but one with high standards, it can sometimes be a chore to find a tool needed to replicate a drink at home that you’ve had out somewhere. A quick visit to The Boston Shaker, however, will shut the trap of even the most hungover of those out there.
They have what has to be at least 50 different kinds of bitters on display on a shelf and, if you never plan on kissing anyone that week, you can try every single damn one of them. That’s right, you too can make the «bitter beer face» like this guy:
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While some of their items may be a bit overpriced, they have a ridiculous selection of things online that may make more sense to you. But personally, I’ve got to say that this is the most well-​curated shop for boozehounds and aficionados I’ve ever seen in my life. I literally said in my head «So THAT’S where they get (insert name of obscure bar-​tool here) from!» no less than 4 seperate times while in here. Absolute recommend.

Arguably the only bar tool for which one could name a spirited shop*, The Boston Shaker respects the potency of potables, and delivers the utmost in quaffable quality. But don’t misunderstand — with the exception of the Bitters Army they’ve amassed, there ain’t no booze here. Just the will, the way and the why behind the makings of your craftiest cocktails.
The owner (Adam) and the staff I’ve met bring passion on the daily. It’s not just a product store, hocking Tiki steins, Luxardo cherries ($ 20, standard), the aforementioned bitters that run the gamut from celery to Xocolatl Mole, and of course, every shaker, strainer and stirrer imaginable; the store is a heartbeat — one that started as a display at Grand in Union Square and grew to be a destination address in Davis Square.
As with any independent specialty vendor, you’ll pay a premium — Maine Root sodas are $ 10/​4pk, while big chain supermarkets carry them for $ 4 – 6. Their library is available on Amazon, as with any book ever, and for mass orders, maybe your wallet will make you hesitate on that second SodaStream (for the bathroom? Totally normal — or another silicon King Cube tray.
But for a shop that leaves you hungering to be thirsty just by browsing, The Shaker earns top marks.
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* Seriously, who could take The Swizzle or Jiggers seriously? A rose by any other name…