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Cocktail strainers are a key piece of equipment that no bar should be without. They are used to filter out solid ingredients like fruit seeds or ice from your drink and are usually used after a drink has been shaken or stirred to pour the liquid into the glass for serving.

Types of Cocktail Strainers

There are three types of cocktail strainers – Hawthorne strainers, julep strainers and fine mesh sieves. Each of these has their own set of advantages and can be used for different types of drinks. Hawthorne strainers are the most popular type of cocktail strainer, particularly in professional settings. They’re versatile, fit in most mixing glasses and they’re inexpensive.

Julep strainers are bowl-shaped and have small holes in them to allow liquid to strain through – they’re held over the glass and are durable and easy to clean. Finally, fine mesh sieves are perfect for finer ingredients like small shards of ice or tea leaves, and they can be held directly under another type of strainer for added filtration.

When To Use A Cocktail Strainer

If you’re shaking or stirring cocktails to chill them with ice before serving, you will require a strainer to filter the ice out of the drink so that the final beverage doesn’t end up watered down. Drinks which contain egg whites, like a pisco sour, also need a strainer to disperse the froth and filter out the ice chips. Likewise, drinks that have been shaken up with fruit pieces will require straining to get rid of any seeds.

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