Cocktail strainers

[Will]

Will put in a quick plug for the gear that Cocktail Kingdom sells... especially the Japanese mixing glasses and barspoons (for stirred drinks), but also the basic Japanese (Naranja brand) shaker tins. You can get some of the stuff directly from Naranja, but I think if you factor in shipping and hassle, easier to just buy it from Cocktail Kingdom.

[mcohen]

I don't want to pay the $5 for Imbibe's back issue just to find out who they picked as their favorite strainer. Does anybody know who they picked?

[eje]

I had a WMF strainer that I really liked, the only problem I discovered is that they weld the spring retainer onto the backing.

If too much outward pressure is applied to the spring, the spring retainer will snap off the backing. Unless you have a spot welder, this is not fixable.

Moral of the story: Do not store these style cocktail strainers by hooking them over stainless bar partitions between the spring and backing.

However, my favorite part about the strainer was the tightly wound, large diameter spring, so I just moved it off of and onto another strainer.

[Hassouni]

Disinterment alert!

 

What does everyone use for fine strainers? I'm eyeing this one from CK http://www.cocktailkingdom.com/product-p/str_ckcocoxxxx_0000_stl.htm

 

They claim it holds "a full cocktail in the cone" and "drains quickly" - if anyone has used it, how quickly are we talking? I find the average tea strainer pretty useless because it's just so damned slow.

[lesliec]

Hi Hassouni.  Nice resurrection job!

 

I have one of those.  I don't use it often - I'm more a stirry kinda guy than a shaker - but it's good when I do.  Most recently was the night before last, in fact, on the Spanky Panky Martini FrogPrincesse posted about in the Fernet topic.

 

I think the question of whether it holds an entire cocktail is a little academic.  Nobody's just going to dump the whole thing in there (are they?).  A reasonably fast pour is just fine.  I also have gone off tea strainers.  This one is a much better shape and clears faster.  Go for it.  CK's service has been pretty good too, but then I'm using their Aussie branch.

[Moto]

I use one of the oxo double rod strainersa three incher I believe.  good capacity and the mesh seem sturdy.  Much better than any tea strainer and I think I got it for under $10.00.

[Hassouni]

Hi Hassouni.  Nice resurrection job!

 

I have one of those.  I don't use it often - I'm more a stirry kinda guy than a shaker - but it's good when I do.  Most recently was the night before last, in fact, on the Spanky Panky Martini FrogPrincesse posted about in the Fernet topic.

 

I think the question of whether it holds an entire cocktail is a little academic.  Nobody's just going to dump the whole thing in there (are they?).  A reasonably fast pour is just fine.  I also have gone off tea strainers.  This one is a much better shape and clears faster.  Go for it.  CK's service has been pretty good too, but then I'm using their Aussie branch.

 

Does it drain at near the rate of pouring out of the shaker? One problem I've had with nearly every tea strainer is that they limit my pour-out speed.

[lesliec]

Does it drain at near the rate of pouring out of the shaker? One problem I've had with nearly every tea strainer is that they limit my pour-out speed.

 

Pretty much - of course you'll adjust your pouring speed to what it will handle, but I don't think you'll find it slowing you down.

[Hassouni]

Well, that's endorsement enough!

[FrogPrincesse]

I currently use a 3-inch conical strainer that I bought through amazon - it looks pretty similar to the CK one (but it is called Endurance, rather than CoCo). I like the cone design better than the hemisphere because it's less messy and has a bigger capacity than the Oxo I used before.

Regarding speed, I found that it's highly dependent on the quality of the ice. If my ice is crappy I get a lot of small fragments that can slow down the straining process.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have been using the Yukiwa stainless steel hawthorne strainer from umamimart.  Well constructed and works perfectly.  Sadly now I see they just started carrying the copper plated version.  Alas, I cannot justify, even to myself, having more than one excellent hawthorne strainer.

 

The umamimart tea strainer I have works less well for me.  It is a very fine strainer.  I am not strong enough to pour with one hand on the mixing glass and hawthorne, with the other hand supporting the tea strainer.  The flow rate is ridiculously slow.  Fortunately the tea strainer fits my Baccarat Sully crystal perfectly and I can use two hands on the hawthorne and mixing glass.  Even so the flow rate through the tea strainer is just too slow.

[Adam George]

I use all Cocktail Kingdom gear.

 

Julep for my mixing glass,

 

Then I like the AG Hawthorne for a four prong design, Bonzer because it fits both ways and I like their antique style strainer too.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Adam George (log)

[Hassouni]

Just picked up the CK fine strainer - my immediate observation is that it is significantly LESS fine than any other tea strainer-type implement, which must be why it drains fast. Haven't tested it out, but it looks promising.