Muddler 35cm Vintage Lumian, 18/10 Stainless Steel, 250g

For anyone muddling in deep vessels. A mojito is often built in a 400ml highball, and a muddler of 19 or 21 centimetres barely reaches: your fingers end up on the rim or in the glass, which is awkward and cannot be done in front of a guest.

That is the real argument for a steel muddler. With a light one the arm has to supply all the pressure, and after thirty mojitos the wrist notices; with the 35cm muddler most of the work is done by the mass, and the hand only has to guide and turn. It is the same logic as a weighted base on a shaker: mass put where it is needed makes the movement steadier and less tiring.

• Material: 18/10 stainless steel
• Length: 35cm
• Weight: 250g
• Shape: slim, with a shaped grip
• Dishwasher safe: yes, no plating

A warning nobody writes down

A heavy steel muddler, inside a thin glass, can chip it or break it. That is not a fault in the tool: it is physics, because 250 grams of metal coming down hard on a glass base a few millimetres thick is more than that base was drawn to take. The 35cm muddler should be used with the controlled pressure its weight makes possible, and on thin glassware a wooden or polymer muddler is the better choice anyway.

18/10 steel and hygiene

It is the alloy of professional cutlery: non porous, it absorbs nothing, holds no odours and takes citrus acidity without going dull. On a tool that crushes fresh fruit dozens of times a day that is the most concrete advantage over wood, which has to be dried with care and which over the years takes on the smell of what it has crushed.

Press and turn

Press towards the base and turn a quarter of a turn, two or three times, without striking. On lime and sugar you can insist; on mint you press once and gently, because a torn leaf releases chlorophyll and bitterness with it. That is the movement that separates a fresh mojito from a dark green, sharp one, and it depends not on the muddler but on who is holding it.

When metal is right and when it is not

Right on lime, sugar and firm fruit, where pressure is needed and the mass helps. Not right on mint, which wants gentle pressure and which a heavy muddler tends to crush too far, nor on thin glassware. On a busy bar the answer is to have two: the 35cm muddler for the heavy work and a wooden or polymer one for leaves and for delicate glasses. Together they cost less than a mid range bottle.

FAQ

How long is this muddler? Thirty five centimetres, the long size in the family.

What does it weigh? Two hundred and fifty grams, which does most of the work instead of the arm.

Could it break the glass? On thin glassware yes, if you strike: use it pressing and turning, not knocking.

Which steel is it? 18/10 stainless, non porous and resistant to citrus acids.

Is it dishwasher safe? Yes, it is steel with no plating: no precautions.

Is it any use for spices? No, whole spices are worked in a mortar: in a glass they escape past the edges.

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.

For the comparison between muddlers there is the muddler guide.