A muddler is like a pestle for the bar, used to mash (or “muddle”) ingredients at the bottom of a glass or tin, extracting maximum aromatics, vibrant flavors, and oils. It’s the key for making drinks like caipirinhas (in Brazil, the muddler is called a pilão), mojitos, mint juleps, blackberry brambles, and even hot toddies (muddlers were called “toddy sticks” in the Colonial era). Re-creating muddled cocktails at home without a proper muddler is nearly impossible. Using the back of a spoon or a stone pestle to smash ingredients inside a pint glass is ineffective, messy, and sometimes dangerous.
I spoke with bartenders from around the country about the muddlers they prefer and what to look for in choosing one. Material matters here, and each has its pros and cons. Wood is traditional and can withstand a healthy amount of force without breaking your mixing glass. However, it is also porous, so winter fruits and spices tend to stick to the bottom, and the muddler will need to be treated with mineral-safe oil after every few uses. Stainless-steel muddlers break down ingredients without damaging them but can scratch or even break glass. And food-grade plastic muddlers are less-expensive, heavy-duty options that are easy to sanitize. But whatever the material, you should hand-wash and towel-dry regularly. Look for a muddler with a longer handle or wider base to help prevent knuckles from bumping against a mixing glass.
Here are nine muddlers used by mixologists behind the bar and at home. If you’re looking for other essential barware, you can check out our guides to cocktail strainers, shakers, and jiggers. To use a cocktail muddler quickly and efficiently, the experts I spoke to recommended that you apply light pressure for fresh produce, medium pressure on water-based fruits and vegetables, and heavy pressure on stone fruits and spices.
Best wood muddlers
Randall Greenleaf, a bartender at Southwark in Philadelphia, loves this bamboo muddler’s smooth surface. “I go with one that can cover a good amount of surface area and that’s simple and not too short,” he says.
My Loup bar manager Jillian Moore tends to use smaller cocktail tins and muddlers with long handles. “I use this Big-Shot wood muddler for my home bar (My Loup’s cocktail program doesn’t call for many muddled drinks) since the thickness of the muddler and its ergonomic handle allow me to grip it well while imparting the most force to ingredients,” says Moore.
“I have a custom muddler made for me by Brothers Muddlers that is a showpiece on my bar cart and has been kept in pristine condition,” says Kraig Rovensky, owner of the bar Life on Mars. The company has thoughtfully designed its muddlers to be extra-tall for extra-knuckle clearance and to fit comfortably in your hand. Rovensky thinks these wood muddlers look the best and likes how the hand-carved hardwood feels.
This sleek wood muddler feels good because of its size and shape, says Daniel King, restaurant and bar manager at Evelyn’s at Hutton Hotel in Nashville. “The best muddlers have a large surface area on the flat side that goes into the shaker tin or glass for more even pressing,” he says. “If you are muddling something like lemon or lime wedges, a narrower muddler can be beneficial so that you can focus your energy on one piece at a time.”
Besides being used to mash drink ingredients, muddlers can be used to crush ice bags, says Rollin Colmenares, head bartender at RT60 Rooftop Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel New York. He likes A Bar Above’s extra-long version, which he uses to make brambles. “The 12-inch wood muddler has a thick round top and a flat bottom, which is ideal for muddling and ensures that your fingers and knuckles never hit the container,” he says.
Best stainless-steel muddlers
“While experimenting through the years, I have replaced many plastic and wood muddlers from wear and tear or chipping. But not stainless-steel ones — they’re hard-core,” says Adrienne Gomez-Saddler, who has opened numerous high-profile bars and restaurants in the last 20 years. Her favorite is this TripleLife stainless-steel muddler, which is eight inches long with a serrated end, and which she uses when bartending at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia and frequently at home.
OXO has a reputation for making high-quality ergonomic tools that are widely available and affordable. Jordan Deis, bar manager at the wine bar Saint-Germain in New Orleans, finds this true of the company’s stainless-steel muddler, which doesn’t scratch up glasses when rubbed against them. “It’s an affordable yet durable option with a comfortable grip handle, and its textured surface provides efficient muddling without damaging delicate ingredients.”
At New York’s Bar Bastion, creative bar director Maxwell Britten, who has nearly 20 years of bartending experience, uses a muddler to create off-menu variations of classic cocktails like the hot toddy with muddled ginger, mulled wine with muddled spices, and whiskey smash. “I like this muddler for its ergonomic design, durable stainless-steel construction, and non-slip grip,” says Britten.
Best plastic and nylon muddlers
Cocktail Kingdom’s Bad Ass muddler was mentioned by many of the bartenders I spoke to. “It’s a honkin’ big piece of black plastic,” says Dean Hakim, bar manager at Heirloom @ The St. Laurent. “It doesn’t wear out like wood and doesn’t rust like metal. No bumping knuckles with this bad boy.” Schulson Collective beverage director Michael McCaulley also attested to how hardy the Bad Ass is. “It’s strong, durable, dishwasher-safe, and looks sleek behind the bar,” he says. Tyler Chauvin, assistant general manager of food and beverage at Swingers NoMad, finds the shape of this muddler especially effective: “The flat base allows for the expression of essential oils without completely grinding the herbs,” she says.
Steven Escobar, general manager of Patchwork in Philadelphia, also recommends it and says that its wider mouth allows you to muddle ingredients uniformly. Its flat bottom, designed without ridges, never gets food particles stuck on it.
Another pro tip is to look for a coating that doesn’t transfer color or flavor to drinks, even after multiple uses, like the Barfly nylon muddler, which Moore uses at My Loup. “Its slimmer design makes for easy storage, which is perfect for professional use,” Moore says.
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