Strainers

If you’ve gone through all the work to make a great drink, straining is often the right way to finish it. Yes, you can put a chopstick, metal straw, or handle of a barspoon across the mixing vessel to hold the ice back as you pour the drink out, but often a cube will slip through and you’re left fishing it out. But what about pulp, ice shards, or muddled spices? A Martini with a few shards of ice floating on top will taste great, but it sure does look better without the shards. A Daiquiri without pulp definitely looks more refined. There are three types of strainers that will help you make better mixed drinks, which can be impacted visually and texturally by ice, pulp, and other ingredients.

Hawthorne strainers

This is the archetype of cocktail strainers. It's a flat lid that sits on top of a mixing vessel, with a spring that friends the staining seal. This spring allows for the Hawthorne strainer to adapt in size. More importantly, by pressing on the strainer you can compact the spring and filter out smaller chunks.

Julep strainers

This is a perforated, bowl-shaped strainer with a handle. To use it, you fit it inside the mixing vessel to hold back the solid contents while pouring the liquid into a glass to serve.

Cobbler strainers

It's hard to call these a separate category of strainers, but I will. These are built into Cobbler shakers can strain via perforated holes. Similar to julep strainers, the holes are large enough to let finer particulates pass through.

Fine mesh strainers

These are small bowls of metal mesh with a handle attached. The small spacing captures ice shards, pulp, and any other little bits that night be in liquid.

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What to look for in strainers

• Metal. Metal is easy to clean, by hand or in a dishwasher.
• Fit. This is more personal and applicable to Hawthorne and julep strainers - you’ll want a strainer that feels comfortable in your hands.
• Diameter: Your strainer will need to fit into mixing and serving vessels. Hawthorne and julep strainers are all similar in diameter, but for a mesh strainer, a ~3" diameter is great and will allow you to set it into most serving glasses and mugs.
• Removable metal spring: With Hawthorne strainers, you’ll want a removable metal spring. If you want to create a better foam when shaking a drink, you can remove the spring and place it within the shaker. The spring will also act like a whisk and the metal enhances foam creation.

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My recommendations

First, is the fine mesh strainer. If you only buy one strainer, buy this type. It can pull double duty in your kitchen too. This strainer is useful for small particulates (ground spices, for example), on up to ice cubes. The mesh is prone to clogging, but that can be resolved with a spoon or a rinse under the faucet. Until you buy a Hawthorne strainer, you can use a chopstick or metal straw to keep the ice cubes in the mixing vessel.

Second, is the Hawthorne strainer. This is best for big stuff, like ice and bulbous pulp. The spring allows you to pour through the strainer with multiple techniques (open pour vs gated finish). I really like my OXO Steel Cocktail Strainer.

And if you combine the two you have a great setup. Open pour with gated finish via the Hawthorne Strainer on one mixing tin, into the fine mesh strainer, for a double-strained drink. No floaties, no fuss.