The Hawthorne strainer is a flat, perforated disc with a coiled spring around its edge that fits over the open end of a shaker tin. The spring creates a seal against the inside of the tin; the perforations let liquid through while blocking ice. It's the primary strainer for shaken cocktails. For a double strain, you hold the Hawthorne over the tin and a fine-mesh strainer over the glass simultaneously, so ice and pulp are caught at both stages.
Why It Matters
Without a strainer, you'd pour the ice into the serving glass along with the drink. The Hawthorne is quick, reliable, and allows you to control the flow with your thumb on the back of the strainer.
Where You'll Use It
Every shaken cocktail.
Worth Knowing
Julep Strainer
A julep strainer is a perforated spoon-shaped strainer, used to hold back ice when straining from a mixing glass. Where the Hawthorne clips around the rim of a tin, the Julep strainer rests inside the mixing glass at an angle, held with one finger as you pour. It's the traditional strainer for stirred cocktails.
Fine Mesh Strainer
A small fine-mesh strainer (a tea strainer works) is the second strainer in a double strain — it catches ice chips, citrus pulp, herb fragments, and any particles that make it through the Hawthorne. Essential for any drink served up without ice.