What Makes a Good Cocktail Stirring Spoon?

[thirtyoneknots]

Those coin spoons are very cool indeed. I feel like I've seen them before but I can't remember where.

[Hassouni]

I've been using this spoon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F7JY00/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for a while now, and I like its low profile, feel, etc.  However, the bowl of the spoon is tiny and not useful for measuring small quantities of things like liqueurs or absinthe, etc.

 

I'm looking at both the Hoffman and Teardrop spoons from Cocktail Kingdom, and I was wondering if anybody has used both and can comment upon the differences.

 

ETA: Also, the Bonzer and Uber spoons look interesting...

Edited April 18, 2014 by Hassouni (log)

[Adam George]

I have both.

 

Not much in it.  Pick whichever you like the look of more.

[Hassouni]

Are the bowls of each spoon roughly the same size? (And about how much do they hold?)

[Hassouni]

So I ordered and received 2 of the CK Hoffman spoons (the 30ish cm ones) and used them for my pop up cocktail bar over the weekend. They performed quite well and were longer and more pleasant to use in many respects than what I was using.

 

However, I went up to NY Sunday and noticed that nearly EVERY cocktail bar is using the CK Teardrop spoons, and often in considerably longer length. I stopped by the CK office this afternoon, and I found that the 30ish cm Teardrop has a more pleasant balance than the Hoffman - the center of gravity is lower, whereas it's rather high in the Hoffman, at least to me.  However, the longer length spoons of any type didn't really seem balanced at all, and I'm wondering why so many of the bars use them, especially given how short (as I just discovered) a standard yarai mixing glass is. The only benefit I can think of is that it allows for the simultaneous stirring of two drinks in separate glasses, with two spoons, which I also saw a lot of.  Is there any other reason for the extra length?

[FrogPrincesse]

[..]

They performed quite well and were longer and more pleasant to use in many respects than what I was using.

[...]

The only benefit I can think of is that it allows for the simultaneous stirring of two drinks in in separate glasses, with two spoons, which I also saw a lot of. Is there any other reason for the extra length?

Hmmm... Phrasing? (Where is Rafa when you need him)

Personally I am perfectly content with 30 cm.

[Hassouni]

"Said Elise to the android bishop!"

 

Rafa's usually bullseye-precise "phrasings" actually skipped a beat yesterday 

 

Yeah, 30cm is perfectly fine, though I haven't tried the 2 glasses/2 spoons simultaneously thing yet. I'm really wondering if that's the only reason.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Hassouni (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Morgenthaler has spoken... He also seems to like the 30 cm CK teardrop stirring spoon. But he actually favors a multi-tasker that can also work as a muddler (he recommends this one).

[Hassouni]

Yeah, the teardrop is hella nice...