Item: Waring Pro Electric Martini Maker

ITEM TYPE: Electric Martini Shaker/Stirred
MAKER: Waring
COST: $99.00

OVERVIEW: The Waring company was started by Fred Waring, a bandleader and choral director who led “his Pennsylvanians” to fame on radio and early TV.

The has to be one of the more interesting , if not to say bizarre, items we have tested in a while. Of course, these are the people who make the Waring Blender, that indispensable tool for those frozen and umbrella drinks, this is a new line extension for them – making a regular cocktail – shaken or stirred.

Appearance: Decently made, looks like some sort thermal cup coffee maker at first glance. Small foootprint – not a counter hog. Nicely made stainless steel shaker with handy measuring cap (1 oz) cleans up easy.

First Impression: Easy-to-read and understand directions (always important), stable, relatively quiet. Easy-to-set up.

Testing: We followed the simple directions, filled with ice and our martini ingredients. Someone has a sense of humor as when you push the on/off button to turn the machine on the green olive on the martini graphic (just above the switch) lights up.

You have a choice of shaken or stirred (two separate buttons-clearly marked). We tried a stirred gin martini. Machine quietly spun the shaker for 1 minute, then stopped. We hit the spring-loaded release removed the shaker and found the martini to be 20° fahrenhiet (about – 10 ° Celsius) and the shaker was nicely (but not overly) frosted – and this was not even with the shaker pre-chilled (Waring suggests pre-chilling; we didn’t find it strictly necessary).

In the second trial, we poured in the ingredients for a Black Pagoda (basically a Perfect Manhattan with a Cognac base) and hit the shaken button.

The machine then proceeded to enthusiastically pump the shaker up and down a couple of inches each way and did a nice job of shaking/chilling the martini.

Noise was minimal and easily ignored (on the other hand kind of amusing to listen and watch) Again cycle was about 1 minute and temperature was 20° fahrenhiet (about – 10 ° Celsius) and shaker nicely frosted. Yes, we heated up the thermometer in between trials.

Final Thoughts: We found it to be a wonderful and amusing device. Unlike some earlier incarnations and attempts at an automatic cocktail shaker this one actually works well. The ultimate toy for the lazy bartender! While we strongly suggest Gary Regan’s Cocktails in the Country to learn proper manual, old-fashioned (and fun ) bartending, this is a great machine for those who can’t or don’t want to shake or stir their cocktails themselves.

Web site: http://www.waringproducts.com or Buy it Here: