The mortar and pestle in two lines
This is a stainless steel mortar shaped like a goblet, with its pestle: two pieces for working spices and herbs outside the glass, before they go into the drink. It is the vintage counterpart to the muddler, and it does a different job.
Who it is for
For anyone working with whole spices. A peppercorn, a cardamom pod, a cinnamon stick or a clove does not get broken inside a glass: they need a wide floor and a curved wall that gathers the pieces instead of letting them escape. A muddler in a tumbler cannot do that work, and anyone who tries ends up with whole seeds and a drink that tastes of nothing.
Why breaking spices outside the glass changes the drink
Because a spice releases its oils the moment it cracks, and that moment has to be chosen. In the mortar you can control how far to break it down, smell the aroma and decide whether it needs more, which is impossible when you are working directly on top of the other ingredients. It is also the way to prepare a small quantity in advance and use it across several drinks, which in service is the only workable approach.
Specifications
- Composition: mortar plus pestle
- Material: stainless steel
- Shape: goblet
- Use: spices, herbs and small batch preparations
- Dishwasher safe: yes, bare steel with no surface treatment
Steel, and what changes against stone
A marble or granite mortar is porous: it takes up essential oils and gives them back to the next preparation, which for pesto is a virtue and for a bar is a problem, because the afternoon’s cardamom would end up in the evening’s pepper. Stainless steel absorbs nothing, washes in a moment and holds no smells. In exchange it is more slippery than stone, so the spices tend to jump: you work with shorter movements and the pestle held at more of an angle.
It also belongs on the bar
The goblet shape is not incidental: this is an object meant to stay in sight, next to the bottles, rather than live in a drawer. In a venue that works on house preparations the mortar tells that story without anyone having to explain it, and it is one of the few tools that works as a signal before it works as an instrument.
Care
Stainless steel washes without precautions, dishwasher included, and drying it keeps limescale marks off. Rinse it between one spice and the next, because even though the metal absorbs nothing the residue stays, and pepper ground into traces of cinnamon is an aroma nobody ordered.
What actually goes in it
Peppercorns for a Bloody Mary built properly, cardamom for aromatised gin and tonics, fennel and coriander seed for infusions, sugar cubes to be taken down to powder, dried herbs for a twist. The mortar and pestle is for small quantities made to order: for larger volumes you move to a grinder, which is quicker but does not let you stop halfway and look at what you have.
FAQ
Does the mortar and pestle replace the muddler? No, it does another job: spices outside the glass, not lime and mint inside it.
What is it made from? Stainless steel, which does not take up oils the way marble and granite do.
What are its dimensions? The supplier does not declare them: ask us to confirm before you order.
Can it go in the dishwasher? Yes, it is bare steel with no surface treatment.
Can it be used for sugar? Yes, and it is one of the commonest uses: cubes go down to powder in seconds.
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.
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