Hawthorne strainer

Tool

A Hawthorne strainer is a metal disc with a coiled spring around its edge that fits inside the rim of a shaker tin.

Also called: cocktail strainer

What Hawthorne strainer means

A recipe that says to strain from a shaker tin usually needs one of these. The coiled spring sits inside the tin's rim and holds back ice and pulp while the drink pours through. It catches more ice and pulp than a julep strainer.

The strainer also controls how much gets through. Slide it forward to close the gap at the rim when you want less ice and pulp in the glass. Leave the gap open and more of both gets through. Sliding it is the quickest way to change the result during the pour.

One popular idea is that a man named Hawthorne invented the strainer. William Wright filed the patent in 1892, and the name comes from the Hawthorne Cafe in Boston. Its owner, Denny P. Sullivan, held the rights to that patent.

How to use a Hawthorne strainer

Fit the strainer to the tin before you pour, so the spring holds back the ice.

1.Set the strainer on the tin with its spring inside the rim.
2.Hold it in place with your index finger while you pour.
3.For drinks with muddled fruit or herbs, also pour through a fine-mesh strainer.

No hawthorne strainer? Without a Hawthorne, pour through a fine-mesh strainer held over the glass. It catches ice chips and fruit bits, but it does not sit in the tin.

Hawthorne strainer compared

Julep strainerA julep strainer is a perforated bowl for mixing glasses. The Hawthorne spring fits a shaker tin instead.
Double strainDouble straining puts a fine mesh under the Hawthorne, which catches the ice chips and fruit bits it lets through.
Cobbler shakerA three-piece shaker is a cobbler shaker, with a strainer built into its top. It needs no Hawthorne.

Related terms

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.