Living up to its name, the act of muddling cocktails can get you into a right… well… muddle.
If it’s not fresh citrus spurting in your face, then it’s delicate herbal leaves that look like they lost a fight with a washing machine.
The purpose of muddling is to extract fresh juices and oils from citrus, stone-fruits and berries or to bring out delicate flavours of leafy herbs. While it’s not a complicated procedure, it does have some pitfalls which can be avoided by applying the right methodology and using the right bar tool!
Muddling 101
Muddle wisely – remember that your muddler is used on a variety of different ingredients and all have a different consistency and need treating differently. It’s important to apply the right pressure to each ingredient, especially delicate leaves like basil and mint which turn bitter if overly crushed.
“In the case of herbs, you are releasing the essential oils. For fruit, the goal is extracting the juice,” says Colleen Graham, Cocktail Consultant at The Spruce.
Work out which order to muddle your ingredients and try to avoid the splash back you get from fruit – or as we call it, “fruit reflux” - which is caused by the vacuum some muddlers create in the mixing glass.
Muddling is not a quick process and muddled cocktails have a reputation for being a bit time consuming to make – in particular the Caipiroska and it’s cousins, who at the height of their popularity meant bars had to put on extra bartenders, just to keep up with the demand!
Muddling Tips
- Never use a wooden muddler as these can harbor bacteria in the cracks and crevices in the wood.
- Always use a sturdy, tempered mixing glass or shaker tin when using a muddling stick.
- Muddle citrus wedges, stone fruit, berries or ingredients before adding any delicate or fragile ingredients to the mixing glass.
- When muddling, hold the top of the mixing glass with one hand and press straight down and applying a gentle twisting action before lifting the muddler to repeat the process.
- After muddling is completed, then add the liquid ingredients and ice to the mixing glass.
- Shake and pour into the serving glass.
Choosing the Best Muddler
But indeed, when muddling you should take your time. Your muddler (if it’s a good one) will do an efficient job. There are certain features that mean you can be effective without being too heavy handed with your muddler. Therefore, saving yourself some muscle power and allowing better cocktail production!
The Überbartools™ range of muddlers have ergonomic grips and the hard silicone textured head is designed with indentations on the sides to stop any vacuum effect. Which means that not only will you not get covered in fruit pulp, but you could save yourself from getting a repetitive strain injury, because if you’ve just made 20 Caipirinhas your hands are going to be feeling it!
The patented thumb-grip of the ProCrush has been ergonomically designed with those poor hands in mind, giving optimum hold and applying pressure without excessive energy consumption.
Best Cocktail Muddlers
The most unique thing about Überbartools™ muddlers is their modularity. Wondering what we mean by modularity? Well, it's the next big thing for businesses and the environment, but basically it means you can remove and replace the muddler head, if and when the hygienic silicone is past its best through wear and tear, without replacing the whole muddler.
In a world where we are looking to avoid being such a throwaway society, this is a great bonus – it means your bar tools have longevity and durability, and are therefore better on your pocket.
So, avoid those muddled muddles and pick up a muddler that is designed with bartending in mind. The ones that are ergonomically designed to reduce strain, increase efficiency; more durable and economic, and of course, create top class, delicious cocktails every time.
Check out our range of muddlers today.
