Compare
Hawthorne vs Julep Strainer
The spring strainer and the perforated spoon: which goes with a shaker, which with a mixing glass.
Which should you use?
If you buy one, buy a Hawthorne. Its spring fits snugly over a shaker tin and holds back the chips a shake produces; it also works over a mixing glass. The julep strainer was made for the mixing glass: stirred drinks have no chips to catch, only cubes, and the julep sits steadily inside a wide glass. It is a convenience, not a necessity.
| Dimension | Hawthorne strainer | Julep strainer |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Shaker tins | Mixing glasses |
| What it holds back | Cubes and most chips; more when the spring is pushed tight | Cubes; lets chips and pulp through |
| How it sits | On the rim, held by its tabs and a finger | Inside the glass, on the ice, held by a finger |
| On a shaken drink | Right | Poor: chips through, awkward on a tin |
| On a stirred drink | Works | Steadier and quicker in a wide glass |
Using one in place of the other
A Hawthorne can strain a stirred drink with no difference in the glass. A julep strainer on a shaken drink lets ice shards through; follow it with a fine strainer if you must.
In the recipes on this site
Shaken recipes call for a Hawthorne; stirred ones work with either. Neither strainer changes how a stirred drink tastes.