Muddle

What is muddling?

Muddling means working ingredients with a muddler at the bottom of the glass so they release what a drink needs: oil, juice and aroma. Mint gets a gentle press, lime wedges get properly crushed with sugar, a piece of citrus peel gets softly squeezed. The muddler is the bar's version of a mortar and pestle, only faster and more direct.

The principle behind it is simple: aromas and juices live in tiny cells inside leaves, fruit flesh and peels. Pressure breaks the cell walls and sets them free. The entire art lies in the dosage alone.

The technique: press, do not shred

The most common muddling mistake is overzealousness. Mint that gets torn releases bitter chlorophyll notes, limes crushed down to the peel taste harsh. So:

• Mint and herbs: press gently, one or two soft twists, done. The goal is the essential oils on the leaf surface, not the juice from shredded leaves
• Citrus fruit: press harder, in a caipirinha you really crush, but with care, too much peel turns bitter
• Sugar: works like sandpaper during muddling and helps pull oil and juice out of the fruit, which is why it joins under the muddler in a mojito and a caipirinha

Remember: the muddler is a tool, not a hammer.

Classics that live on the muddler

• Mint julep: mint muddled with sugar, bourbon on top, crushed ice to finish. One of the oldest documented American drinks, mentioned as early as the 18th century
• Mojito: mint, sugar and lime muddled, topped with soda, Cuban zest in a glass
• Caipirinha: lime wedges crushed with sugar cubes, cachaça poured over, Brazil's classic
• Old Fashioned: the old school of the whiskey cocktail, where sugar is muddled with bitters and a piece of citrus peel right in the glass

A short history: from mortar to muddler

It is no coincidence that the muddler resembles the apothecary's pestle: both drive the potent parts out of plants, the pharmacy called it medicine, the bar calls it aroma. In the early American bar guides of the 19th century, muddlers and mortars belonged to the basic kit, and the mint julep made the technique famous long before the first mojito was stirred in Havana.

Distinction: muddle, express and oleo saccharum

All three pull oils and aromas out of plants and fruit, but in different ways:

• Muddle: mechanical pressure here and now, at the bottom of the glass, with a muddler
• Express: the citrus peel is bent over the drink, the oils spray across it as a fine fragrant mist
• Oleo saccharum: sugar and time draw the peel oils out entirely without pressure

Remember: the express bends, the muddle presses, the oleo saccharum waits.

At our lounge

If a drink of ours smells freshly of mint or lime and a few small bits rest at the bottom, a muddler was most likely involved. Feel free to ask our team, muddling is handcraft, and you can taste the difference.