The 21cm muddler in two lines
The 21cm muddler is the ribbed polypropylene cocktail muddler in the most common length: the one that reaches the bottom of a tumbler and of a medium highball while staying easy to handle. It is the tool muddled drinks are made with.
Who it is for
For anyone with a mojito on the list, which means almost everyone. It is also the right muddler for a home bar: it costs little, it does not break and it asks for nothing special at the wash, so it is the piece you start from before working out whether you need more.
Twenty one centimetres, and how the length is chosen
A muddler has to reach the bottom of the glass leaving the hand clear of the rim. Twenty one centimetres cover tumblers, old fashioned glasses and medium height highballs, which are the vessels muddled drinks are actually made in; in a very tall glass the 21cm muddler only just reaches, and anyone working often on those takes a 30 or 35 centimetre model. It is the only criterion that counts, along with the type of head.
Specifications
- Material: polypropylene
- Head: ribbed
- Length: 21cm
- Use: muddled cocktails, from the mojito to the caipirinha
- Dishwasher safe: yes, with no precautions
The ribbed head, and what to use it on
The teeth bite the lime peel and break up the sugar, so they create friction and release the essential oils from the skin. On mint they tear instead, and a torn leaf releases chlorophyll, that is bitterness and a dull colour. The right order is lime and sugar first, mint afterwards and barely pressed. It is not a competition refinement: it is the difference between a fresh mojito and a dark green one that tastes of grass.
Why polypropylene works
Because it is light, cheap and indifferent to everything: acids, sugars, hot wash cycles. On a tool used a hundred times on a summer night and dropped on the floor now and then, toughness counts for more than the nobility of the material. In exchange it is light, so the arm has to supply the pressure: anyone muddling a lot and looking for less effort moves to a steel muddler, where the mass does the work.
Press and turn
Press down towards the bottom and turn a quarter turn, two or three times, without striking. Anyone hammering shatters the lime and releases the bitterness of the white pith, which then stays in the drink to the last sip. It is the movement that decides the mojito, far more than the brand of rum.
Why a muddled drink is built in the serving glass
Because what muddling releases stays where it is: the oils from the peel, the pulp and the sugar do not decant well, and moving from one vessel to another leaves half the work in the bottom of the first. That is why muddled drinks are the one family of cocktails that never sees a shaker, and why the length of the 21cm muddler wants comparing with the glass it is served in and not the one it is made in.
How many to keep
In a summer bar, at least two. The muddler is dirty from the first drink and stays sticky with sugar until it is washed: with only one you end up using it dirty, and the residue from the last mojito goes into the next. A 21cm muddler costs so little that keeping two or three is not an expense, and it is the only way not to stop at the sink at peak.
FAQ
How long is the 21cm muddler? Twenty one centimetres, the most common length for muddled drinks.
What is it made from? Polypropylene, which takes acids, sugars and hot washes.
Does it go in the dishwasher? Yes, with no precautions.
Does it suit mint? The teeth are meant for lime and sugar: mint is barely pressed.
Is it enough for a tall glass? It only just reaches: taller highballs want a 30 or 35cm muddler.
How do you know it wants replacing? When the teeth are worn and the head no longer grips the peel: from then on it only crushes.
The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.
Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.
The muddlers are compared in the muddler guide.
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