Straining

Cheesecloth & Superbag

Cheesecloth is loose cotton gauze, and a Superbag is a fine nylon mesh bag sold by its opening size in microns, from about 50 to 800 in the bags we use. Both catch solids too fine for a metal strainer, so a liquid runs clear. In a bar they strain homemade infusions, juices and syrups, and clarify milk punch, where curdled milk is filtered out to leave a clear drink.

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The tool

About the Cheesecloth & Superbag

Cloth Catches What a Sieve Lets Through

A fine mesh strainer stops ice chips and pulp. Finer solids, such as spice dust, fruit fibre or milk curds, pass straight through it and cloud the liquid.

Cheesecloth is loose cotton gauze, cheap and uneven in its weave, so fold it two or three times for finer work. A nylon bag is woven to a stated opening size, measured in microns, which makes the result repeatable.

Straining media compared

Fine mesh strainer

How fine: Catches ice chips and pulp
Speed: Fast
Suits: Double straining a shaken drink

Cheesecloth, folded

How fine: Uneven; finer with each fold
Speed: Fairly fast
Suits: Infusions, spiced syrups, fruit pulp

Nylon bag, about 100 microns

How fine: Even and fine
Speed: Slow
Suits: Clarifying milk punch and juices

Paper coffee filter

How fine: Finest of the four
Speed: Very slow
Suits: A last polish for a small batch

Medium	How fine	Speed	Suits
Fine mesh strainer	Catches ice chips and pulp	Fast	Double straining a shaken drink
Cheesecloth, folded	Uneven; finer with each fold	Fairly fast	Infusions, spiced syrups, fruit pulp
Nylon bag, about 100 microns	Even and fine	Slow	Clarifying milk punch and juices
Paper coffee filter	Finest of the four	Very slow	A last polish for a small batch

Milk Punch Clears Through Its Own Curds

Clarified milk punch brings an acidic punch together with milk. The milk curdles, and as the curds gather they catch much of the colour and haze.

Pour it through a fine bag, then pour the first cloudy runnings back through once the curds line the mesh. Let it drip; squeezing undoes the work.

It is not dairy-free. Some milk protein passes through the mesh, so label it as containing milk.

Food Safety Comes Before Clarity

Use pasteurised milk and a freshly washed bag. Strain somewhere cool rather than leaving dairy to drip overnight in a warm kitchen, then bottle it and keep it in the fridge.

Infusions in full-strength spirit are more forgiving, because the alcohol keeps them stable. Syrups and juices are not; strain them into clean bottles and refrigerate them. A butter fat-wash is chilled until the fat sets, then strained through cloth.

Rinse Cold, Then Wash Hot

Milk protein sets in hot water, so rinse a bag that held dairy under the cold tap first. Then wash it in hot water with a little unscented detergent and rinse until nothing remains on the mesh.

Hang it inside out until completely dry. A bag folded away damp grows mould in the weave, and then it is finished. Cheesecloth used for dairy costs less to replace than to clean.

Using it

Using the Cheesecloth & Superbag

Usage

Straining homemade infusions, syrups and juices, lifting out solids after fat-washing, and clarifying milk punch. Cheesecloth folded double handles pulp and spices; a nylon bag of around 100 microns gives a clearer result.

Pro Tip

Pour the first cloudy runnings back through the bag. By then the curds line the mesh and act as a finer filter, and the second pass runs clearer.

Professional Tips

Wet the cloth or bag and wring it out before you pour.
Pour through a sieve first, then the fine mesh, so the mesh does not clog.
Let it drip. Squeezing pushes fine solids through.
Clip or hold the bag over a bowl wide enough to catch every drip.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

A nylon nut milk bag does much the same job as a rated bag. Cheesecloth folded double handles pulp and spices, and a paper coffee filter gives a final, slower polish.

Premium Option

Rated mesh bags in two openings, such as 250 and 100 microns. Straining through the coarser one first keeps the finer one from clogging.

Specifications

Material
Cheesecloth: woven cotton gauze. Superbag: food-grade nylon mesh
Capacity
Mesh bags are rated by opening size, about 50 to 800 microns in the bags we use; bag sizes vary
Details
Cheesecloth comes by the metre or in folded packs; bags have sewn seams and a wide mouth to stretch over a bowl

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More to explore

Common Questions

Cheesecloth or Superbag: which do I need?

Cheesecloth, folded double, for pulp, herbs and spices, where cheap and replaceable suits the job. A nylon bag with a stated micron rating for clarifying, because its even mesh lets through the same size of particle every time. Many home bars manage with cheesecloth and a coffee filter.

What is clarified milk punch?

A punch of spirit, citrus, sugar and spice combined with milk. The acid curdles the milk, and the curds trap much of the colour and haze as they gather. Strained slowly through a fine bag, the liquid runs clear and smooth.

Is clarified milk punch dairy-free?

No. Straining removes the curds, but some milk protein stays in the liquid, so anyone allergic to milk should not drink it. Tell guests it contains milk, and refrigerate it once it is strained and bottled.

How do you keep milk punch safe while it strains?

Use pasteurised milk and a freshly washed bag. Strain somewhere cool rather than leaving dairy dripping overnight in a warm room, then bottle it and refrigerate it. Pour away any batch that smells sour or off.

Can a coffee filter replace a Superbag?

For small amounts, yes. A paper filter strains finer than most mesh bags but clogs quickly, so a litre can take hours and several filters, and the paper soaks up some of the liquid. Use one for a final polish after cloth, not for the first pass.

Do strained infusions need refrigerating?

A full-strength spirit infused with fruit or spice keeps well at room temperature once the solids are strained out. Syrups, juices and anything with milk or little alcohol belong in the fridge, in a clean, sealed bottle.

How do you wash a mesh bag?

If it held milk, rinse it under the cold tap first, then wash it in hot water with a little unscented detergent and rinse thoroughly. Turn it inside out and hang it until it is completely dry, or mould grows in the weave.

Sources.

Correct as of 20 October 2026.

The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Jack Robertiello), “Milk Punch” (secondary source: first recorded in 1688 (Sacheverell); the earliest written recipe 1711; Franklin’s 1763 recipe of brandy and lemon in hot milk; the clarified bottled punch).

Make something

Made with the Cheesecloth & Superbag

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Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 20 October 2026

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