Madler: what is this?

The bar world is home to an incredible array of specialized tools and gadgets, created over the centuries to create the tastiest, most colorful, and most unrivaled cocktails.

When you find yourself behind the bar for the first time, you can feel like you’re in a chemistry room or laboratory, because the amount of inventory, equipment and various devices is simply dizzying.

Professional bar equipment is technical and has a number of features not only in production, material and structure, but also in design. Most professional bartenders often have their personal equipment made to order. Through equipment, bartenders not only convey the aesthetics of the profession, but also create the most ergonomic workplace, which allows them to speed up the preparation of drinks many times over.

Muddle is a specialized bar equipment for mashing natural ingredients (fruits, berries, herbs and spices).

Visually, a muddler resembles a pestle or masher ; its size, diameter and the material from which it is made can vary greatly depending on the wishes of the bartender.

Why do you need a muddler?

Often natural ingredients are prescribed in the cocktail recipe. Berries and fruits give the drink taste and aroma, spices – piquancy, and herbs – freshness. In order to maximize the flavor and aroma profile of these components, it is necessary to exert a mechanical effect on them, in simple words - simply suppress, crush. This is done so that juice comes out of the fruits, the spices are crushed, and the herbs open the pores and can interact as much as possible with other components of the cocktail. For all this you need a muddler.

Types of muddlers

Material. Muddlers are made of three types of materials: wood, plastic and metal . Each of them has certain advantages and disadvantages. Wooden muddlers are not recommended for use with components that have a bright color pigment. Since wood has the ability to perfectly absorb color and aroma, after the bartender has thoroughly crushed the strawberries, it is unlikely that it will be possible to wash the red color off the wooden muddler. Also, if not properly cared for, the wood may dry out and fibrous segments may end up on food. Of course, a wooden muddler is a beautiful device, but you need to be as careful as possible with them. As for plastic and metal, they are more versatile. They do not absorb color or aromas and are much easier to care for.

Size. The smaller the muddler, the more movements they will need to make . The average size of a muddler is 15-25 cm, but we know bartenders who work with a half-meter muddler and achieve the required consistency of natural ingredients with one movement. The size is quite individual and you should focus only on the comfort and convenience of the bartender.

Diameter. As well as the size - it should be as comfortable as possible for the bartender’s hands and for the bar utensils . After all, if the diameter of the same highballs in a bar is small, then, naturally, the muddler will also be no more than a few centimeters. In a bar, equipment and utensils must always match each other.

Terms of use

Neatness, cleanliness, dryness. Here are three basic rules for caring for bar equipment. The muddler should always be in his place. Moreover, during the working process, the muddler is often stored in a container with water in order to quickly wash off the remaining components. This is normal and frequently used practice. After a work shift, you need to wash the muddler well, polish it and prepare it for the next shift (put it in its place).

If the muddler is made of wood, prolonged contact with water is not allowed, as the wood will swell and deteriorate.

Criterias of choice

When choosing a muddler, you should focus on convenience. So that it does not slip in your hands, it matches the size of your palm and the utensils in the bar. Nowadays, device manufacturers provide a fairly wide range of equipment, and you can easily choose the size, color, shape and material that will suit you.

Therefore, the easiest way is to go to the showroom of a specialized store and just hold the muddler in your hands to understand whether it will be convenient to work with it or not.

There is one very simple rule in a bar: if the equipment (equipment, glass) is comfortable to work with, it’s correct.

After all, a muddler is needed to help the bartender, to facilitate his work in some way and to convey as much as possibletaste, aroma, color of a number of ingredients for a unique cocktail.