After a vigorous shake, the cocktail contains small shards of ice, and sometimes fruit pulp or herbs. Double straining means holding them back by pouring through two strainers at once.
Why strain twice?
Ice shards keep melting in the glass and dilute the cocktail. Pulp and fragments of herbs cloud the texture. Straining twice gives a smoother, cleaner cocktail that stays balanced for longer.
The tools
- A Hawthorne strainer, placed on the shaker tin;
- A conical fine strainer, held above the glass.
The technique
- Shake the cocktail with ice.
- Place the Hawthorne strainer on the tin and hold it in place with your index finger.
- Hold the fine strainer above the serving glass with your other hand.
- Pour through both strainers, tapping the fine strainer lightly if needed.
When to use it?
For all shaken cocktails served without ice, in a coupe, and for those containing muddled fruit or herbs. One example: our Whisky Sour recipe.
