Straining

Hawthorne Strainer

A Hawthorne strainer is a flat, perforated metal disc, about 8 to 10cm across on the ones we use, with a coiled spring round its edge and a handle. It sits on a shaker tin and holds the ice back as you pour, and the spring lets one strainer fit tins and mixing glasses of different sizes. It strains every shaken drink, from the Sidecar to the Whiskey Sour, and with a fine mesh strainer underneath it double strains them.

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A stainless steel Hawthorne strainer: a perforated disc ringed by a coiled spring, with a flat handle and two small lugs, on a white background.

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Essential Equipment

Recommended for every home bar

The tool

About the Hawthorne Strainer

The Spring Is a Filter

Liquid runs between the coils; ice, mint and fruit stay behind. Because the coil flexes, the same strainer sits snugly on a large tin, a small tin or a mixing glass.

It is not a seal. Press the spring firmly against the rim and the gaps close up; let the strainer lift and ice comes out with the drink.

Our Recipes Double Strain Shaken Drinks

Nearly every shaken drink in our library that is served without ice is double strained: the Hawthorne on the tin, a fine mesh strainer held underneath. The Paper Plane and the Sidecar go into a chilled coupe that way, and the Penicillin goes over one large cube.

The mesh traps the ice chips a hard shake produces, along with citrus pulp, ginger fibres and mint. In a drink served up, those chips float on the surface and keep melting into it.

Stirred drinks are different. A stir does not break the ice, so a Martini from a mixing glass needs one strainer only.

Hawthorne, julep and fine strainer

Hawthorne

Fits: Shaker tin or mixing glass
Holds back: Ice and large pieces
Our use: Every shaken drink

Julep

Fits: Inside a mixing glass
Holds back: Ice
Our use: Stirred drinks such as the Manhattan

Fine mesh

Fits: Held under the Hawthorne
Holds back: Ice chips, pulp, seeds
Our use: Double straining shaken drinks

Strainer	Fits	Holds back	Our use
Hawthorne	Shaker tin or mixing glass	Ice and large pieces	Every shaken drink
Julep	Inside a mixing glass	Ice	Stirred drinks such as the Manhattan
Fine mesh	Held under the Hawthorne	Ice chips, pulp, seeds	Double straining shaken drinks

One Finger Holds It Down

Grip the tin and press the top of the strainer with your forefinger. That finger keeps the spring against the rim and, on strainers that have a gate, slides it forward for a finer strain.

Pour into the fine strainer in one steady movement. Stopping and starting lets the ice shift, and shards follow.

Using it

Using the Hawthorne Strainer

Usage

Straining shaken drinks out of a tin, and stirred ones out of a mixing glass when there is no julep strainer. Our recipes double strain nearly every shaken drink served without ice, and many that go over fresh ice: the Hawthorne holds back the ice, and a fine mesh strainer held underneath catches chips, pulp and seeds.

Pro Tip

Strain with the tin tilted towards you so you can see the stream. If shards start to show, push the spring forward with your finger rather than slowing the pour.

Professional Tips

Press the top of the strainer with a forefinger while you pour.
Push the spring tight to the rim for a finer strain.
Hold a fine mesh strainer under the stream when the recipe says double strain.
Pour in one steady movement; a stop-start pour lets shards through.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

A plain stainless Hawthorne with a tightly wound spring. Check the spring before buying; a loose one is the usual fault on cheap strainers.

Premium Option

A heavier strainer with a dense spring and a sliding gate. It sits steadier on the tin and strains no differently.

Specifications

Material
Stainless steel
Capacity
Not applicable; the heads on the ones we use are about 8 to 10cm across, and Urban Bar’s own hawthorne strainer is 20cm long overall
Details
Perforated disc ringed by a coiled spring, with a handle and two or more lugs that rest on the rim; some have a sliding tab, called a gate

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is the spring on a Hawthorne strainer for?

It is a flexible filter. Liquid runs between the coils while ice, mint and fruit stay behind, and because the coil gives, the same strainer fits a large tin, a small tin or a mixing glass. Pressed firmly against the rim, the gaps close up and less gets through.

What is double straining?

Pouring through the Hawthorne and a fine mesh strainer held underneath it at the same time. The mesh catches the ice chips a hard shake makes, plus pulp, ginger and herbs. Our recipes double strain nearly every shaken drink served without ice, and many poured over fresh ice.

Hawthorne or julep strainer?

A Hawthorne for shaken drinks in a tin, because the spring holds back broken ice. A julep strainer sits inside a mixing glass and suits a stirred Manhattan. A Hawthorne strains a stirred drink well, so one strainer is enough to start with.

What does the gate on a strainer do?

The gate is a tab on some Hawthornes that slides the spring forward or back. Forward, the coil sits tight against the rim and the strain is finer and slower. Back, the gaps open and the drink pours faster. Many strainers have no gate; a forefinger on top does much the same.

Will a Hawthorne strainer fit my shaker?

It fits a Boston tin, a Parisian shaker's base and most mixing glasses, because the spring adapts to the rim. A cobbler shaker has its own strainer built into the cap, though a Hawthorne still helps when you need a finer pour.

Why are there ice chips in my drink?

Either the strainer lifted as you poured or you did not double strain. Keep a forefinger pressed on top so the spring stays against the rim, and pour through a fine mesh strainer as well. A spring that has sagged away from the rim lets chips through too.

How do you clean a Hawthorne strainer?

Rinse it straight after use, running water through the coils, and brush between them if there is pulp or egg white. Plain stainless strainers usually cope with a dishwasher. Do not pull the spring to clean it, because a stretched spring no longer sits tight.

Sources.

Checked between 18 October and 19 October 2026.

The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (David Wondrich), “The cocktail strainer” (secondary source: julep strainer by name from 1860, “cocktail strainer” 1856; Lindley’s spring, 1889; Wright and Sullivan’s Hawthorne Café, 1892; prongs, two patents of 1907).
Urban Bar, “Hawthorn Stainless Steel Cocktail Strainer 20cm”.

Master the Technique

Strain twice for a drink served up How to strain a shaken or stirred drink

Make something

Made with the Hawthorne Strainer

Used In These Cocktails

Paper Plane Penicillin Amaretto Sour Aviation Sidecar Whiskey Sour

Related Equipment

Updated 19 October 2026

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