Key points
- A Hawthorne strainer, the flat disc with a coiled spring, sits on a shaker tin and handles shaken drinks. Buy this one first.
- A julep strainer, the perforated bowl, sits in a mixing glass for stirred drinks. It is the second purchase.
- A fine mesh strainer held under the Hawthorne catches ice shards and herb fragments. Any small kitchen tea strainer does the job.
- On a Hawthorne, the spring is the quality signal: tightly coiled, removable for cleaning, and sitting snugly on the tin.
A strainer keeps the ice in the shaker and lets the drink into the glass, and the three common designs each do that in a different situation. People buy the wrong one, find it awkward, and go back to holding a lid against the tin with their fingers. Here is what each strainer is for and which to buy first.
If you want the short answer: a Hawthorne strainer with a tight, removable spring. A small fine mesh strainer from the kitchen drawer makes it a double-straining set. Buy a julep only when you start stirring more than you shake.
The Hawthorne strainer
A flat metal disc with a handle and a tightly coiled spring around the edge. It sits on top of a shaker tin, the spring compresses against the inside wall to hold it in place, and the drink pours through the gap while the spring holds back the ice. Two small prongs or tabs on the disc rest on the tin rim to keep it level.
It is the all-purpose strainer. It fits shaker tins of different sizes because the spring flexes, and it works on a mixing glass in a pinch. The spring also catches some pulp and small ice.
Quality lives in the spring. A tightly coiled spring strains finer and grips better; a loose spring lets shards through and slides. The spring should pull off for cleaning, because citrus pulp gets into the coils and stays. The disc should be thick enough not to flex, and the handle long enough to hold with the tin in the other hand.
Some Hawthornes have a gate, a sliding tab that closes part of the gap for finer straining. It is a convenience, not essential.
The julep strainer
A shallow perforated bowl with a short handle, originally used to hold crushed ice back from the face when drinking a julep. In a bar it sits inside a mixing glass, bowl down, and the drink pours through the holes while the ice stays behind.
It fits the curve of a mixing glass better than a Hawthorne does and gives a stirred drink a clean, controlled pour. It does not fit a shaker tin. If you stir more than you shake, it is worth owning; if you shake more than you stir, a Hawthorne covers both jobs adequately.
Look for a bowl that sits neatly in your mixing glass, holes small enough to stop ice chips, and a handle angled so the strainer can be held in place with a finger while pouring.
The fine mesh strainer
A small conical or round sieve, 3 to 4 inches across, with a fine wire mesh. Held under the Hawthorne as you pour, it catches the ice shards, pulp and herb fragments that get through the spring. This is double straining, and it is what gives a shaken drink served up a smooth, clear texture.
Any small kitchen tea strainer works. Bar-specific versions have a longer handle and a flat rim that rests on a glass. The mesh should be fine but not so fine that it clogs with egg white or citrus; a conical shape drains faster than a flat one.
When each matters
Shaken drink over fresh ice: Hawthorne alone is fine, because new ice goes in anyway.
Shaken drink served up, with no ice: Hawthorne plus fine mesh, because shards melt into the drink and dilute it, and pulp looks untidy in a coupe.
Stirred drink served up: julep, or a Hawthorne if that is what you have.
Drinks with muddled fruit or herbs: double strain, always, unless the recipe wants the bits.
Material and care
Stainless steel throughout. Plated finishes wear on the spring and the disc edges fast. Hand wash the Hawthorne with the spring removed, and dry the spring fully before refitting, because a damp spring left inside a drawer rusts at the coil ends on cheaper strainers.
Who should not buy a set
Anyone whose shaker is a cobbler, with the strainer built into the lid, can skip the Hawthorne entirely and add only a fine mesh strainer for drinks served up. Anyone who makes only built drinks, poured straight into the glass over ice, needs none of these. Our guide to the bar tools worth owning explains where strainers sit in the kit.
How we choose strainers
When we recommend strainers in our decanters and tools section, each pick lists the type, whether the spring is removable, the gauge of the disc, the material and finish, and what owners report after a year about rust and grip. Our full process is on the how we choose page.
Final verdict
Hawthorne first, with a tight spring that comes off for washing. A kitchen tea strainer under it for drinks served up. A julep when stirring becomes a habit. All in plain stainless steel.
Questions people ask
Why do bartenders use two strainers at once?
Double straining: a Hawthorne holds back the ice and a fine mesh strainer below it catches the small shards and pulp the Hawthorne lets through. It gives a clear drink with a clean texture, and it matters most for drinks served without ice.
Can a Hawthorne strainer be used on a mixing glass?
Yes, and many people never buy a julep. The julep strainer fits the curve of a mixing glass and pours a stirred drink a little more cleanly, which is a refinement rather than a necessity.
How do I clean a Hawthorne spring?
Pull the spring off the frame, wash both separately, dry, and refit. Springs trap citrus pulp and go sticky if left in place. A strainer whose spring does not come off is harder to keep clean.
