Why this cocktail strainer earns its place
A shaken drink carries more than liquid. Chipped ice, bruised mint, citrus pulp, seeds off soft fruit and pith from a squeezed wedge all come off the tin with the pour, and a coarse strain only catches the large pieces. It is the fines that spoil the glass — they cloud a drink that should be clear, they float where they are visible, and they collect in the last mouthful. Holding a fine mesh over the glass takes the lot out on the way through. It costs a second or two per drink and changes nothing else about how the bar works: one hand holds the mesh over the rim, the other pours the tin through it.
Stainless steel is the right material for a tool that meets citrus and sugar every service. It does not absorb oil or take up colour from fruit, and the mesh rinses clear under a hot tap. That rinse is not optional — pulp left in a mesh dries within minutes and then has to be picked out strand by strand, so the tool goes back under the tap the moment the drink is away. Silver steel also looks correct in the hand on a station the customer is watching, which for a tool used at the point of service is worth something.
