More often than not the Julep Strainer will have a short stubby handle rather than a long one like a real spoon. Although longer ones can be bought and used, many prefer the shorter handled versions for ease of use. Durability Test: Do some julep models dent or scratch more easily than others? To find out, we dropped them from waist height onto a hard surface 10 times over to see how well they stood up to a bit of harsh use.

A Bar Above Julep Strainer: Almost as wide as the Viski strainer above, this model also has trouble fitting inside small to medium-sized mixing glasses. The polished stainless steel finish is attractive but didn’t hold up as well as a stainless matte finish in our durability tests. Viski Summit Copper Julep Strainer: This strainer is the widest model we tested, and though it fits well into a standard bar glass, it was slightly too wide for a few of our mixing glasses. When placed into a yarai mixing glass, the strainer bowl needed to be angled into the glass through the pour spout—not ideal for performance. This copper-plated strainer has a beautiful glow when new, but it doesn’t hold up over time. If your heart is set on a copper strainer, be prepared for the dings and dullness that may come with regular use. Oval strainers create a much snugger fit with the standard pint glass than scalloped strainers. That being said, the edges of scalloped strainers provide small spaces for liquid to flow freely; especially when we’re concerned with the tail-end of a beverage. Choosing either is often down to personal preference. 3. Hole Size Usability Tests: Throughout testing, we evaluated how easy each strainer was to use. We counted and measured the diameter of the strainer holes to learn how either of these affected flow control. We recorded which strainers fit best in the mixing glass and noted any gaps through which solids or ice could escape. Throughout testing, we recorded which strainers were comfortable to hold, easy to grip, and remained stable and centered when placed inside an iced mixing glass.Just think that fewer, smaller holes have less chance of allowing any shards of ice to pass through. The Citrus Test: We put each of our winning brands to the test by straining a batch of 10 margaritas to see if the drink’s acidity would dull the finish or overall appearance of the stainer, and also to see how the strainers held up after multiple uses. This is pretty much uniform across the board. However, it is good to note that some Julep Strainers can have smaller holes whilst others can have larger and fewer holes.