The Hawthorne Strainer
Whether you are a professional bartender or a home mixologist, the Hawthorne strainer is one of the most useful tools in your cocktail-making arsenal. Typically a Hawthorne strainer is used for straining citrus drinks made in a shaker and has been a staple of bars worldwide for well over a century.
While design details vary, the distinctive innovation and essential element of the Hawthorne strainer is the coil used to strain fine shards of ice, fruit pulp, and any other particles from other ingredients out of the cocktail.
The History
In the 1800’s the Julep strainer - essentially a large spoon with holes - was the standard tool for straining cocktails. The Hawthorne strainer added a coil to the perimeter of a flattened spoon shape which created a tighter fit with the sides of the mixing vessel and subsequently a better strain. These early Hawthorne strainers sat inside the mixing vessel like a Julep strainer.
In later Hawthorne designs, the strainer was made larger, or tabs were added so that it sat on top of the vessel. This change led to the ability to “gate” the strain. Gating is where you push the strainer to the front edge of the vessel, compressing the coil - to create an even finer strain. Most bartenders use a gated strain unless the coil gets clogged with pulp. If that happens, un-gating could allow you to pour the rest of the cocktail without having to wait as it slowly drains.
The tool takes its name from the “Hawthorne Gentleman’s Café & Restaurant” in Boston which no longer exists. Although the concept had been around earlier in the 19th century, it was first patented in 1892 by Denny P. Sullivan - owner of the Hawthorne Cafe.
Current Products on the Market
Most Hawthorne strainers on the market are very similar with basically only cosmetic differences. This seems to be a result of historical inertia, the target customer being a professional bartender, and possibly a lack of imagination.
Almost all Hawthorne strainers are now manufactured in China. The fabrication method is almost always the same as well - the main tool body is stamped out of thin stainless steel sheet metal, a few bends are added, and then a coil is installed. This makes for an extremely inexpensive and fairly functional product but there are some drawbacks.
The obvious one is that these products tend to look and feel disposable. Also, the product doesn’t relate visually to the other tools in a typical bar tool collection.
Most importantly since the tool is punched and bent from a single piece of metal there is a compromise in the straining ability since the bracket holding the coil has to be the exact shape and placement as the slot it was created from.
Re-Imagining The Hawthorne Strainer
In designing the Seaworthy Artisan Collection we started with a different set of priorities. Our tools are intended for the home mixologist. If cost was not such a limiting factor what could be done? Also, each tool would be designed with the other tools in mind.
Better function, better appearance, if hand-washing instead of dishwasher-safe, storage, etc.
Design Concepts
While it seems very simple there a complex interplay between the openings in the plate, the shape and placement of the coil bracket, and the density and rigidity of the coil that makes for an effective in-gated and gated strain.
For the design of the Seaworthy Hawthorne strainer, I wanted a coil bracket that was a separate element from the main body. This allowed making the slot whatever it needed to be without affecting the bracket/coil shape and placement. After many prototypes, I found a coil/bracket/slot configuration that makes for a truly effective gated / non-gated performance.
I wanted the tab to be more sophisticated than a punched and bent “tab”.
The four metal parts are “rosette” welded together for a durable and permanent connection.
A Better Split-Pour Strainer
Another feature that some pro bartenders like is the ability of a Hawthorne strainer to do a split-pour. This is where the slots on the strainer divide the pour into two separate streams which can mean filling two glasses set side-by-side on the bar. In actuality, it requires that the shaker be held perfectly level
To elevate your cocktail game, consider double straining: For extra-smooth cocktails, use a fine mesh strainer in conjunction with your Hawthorne strainer.