Choosing the Right Bar Spoon

Shaken or stirred, that is the question. The subject matter is simply begging for a James Bond pun, yet it goes without saying that 007 and his cavalier attitude toward ultra cold ice particulates floating in his cocktail glass is one of the very reasons behind the near death of the greatest of classic cocktails. We all know the rule of thumb when it comes to mixing a drink; liquor only stir, juice shake. Yet, I guess they failed to cover this in 00 training; apparently, they were to busy covering important subject matter such as how to make a witty yet inappropriate comment to a woman named after an anatomical reference to cover the fine yet simple art of mixing a proper cocktail. For those of us not spending time in the high stakes room at the Casino Royal, the way in which we perform these two basic mixing techniques is just as important as which one we use. James Bond always goes for the rough shaken approach, but stirring is a far more classic method which require a classic tool. No guns here, just the barspoon, which I guess if you tried, could be used as some sort of weapon.

This most basic tool for stirring a drink today has generally not changed for over 100 years. The barspoon in simply a long handled spoon used for mixing, retrieval, and measurement. Yet, as is the case with most things, there are many variations on this basic concept. There are 3 parts to a barspoon: the spoon bowl, the handle shaft, and the handle end; the variations on each part has resulted in many different spoons.

You can spend upwards of $100 on a silver plated barspoon, but all you really need is a good stainless steel spoon that has the three basic parts. The basic spoon should have a spoon bowl, which should be deep enough to scoop up any cherry or olive you might need. Generally, the standard size is sufficient and can be used to measure the common portion of “a barspoon” found in many old cocktail manuals and books. This generally means that the spoon bowl should be about ¼ oz. The handle shaft can be twisted or solid, depending on your technique. You can get spoons that have a simple, plastic end, but what you really want is a nice heavy rounded end cap.

Among the options available, I’ve rounded up three spoons for our comparison here, each a little different, but very much dedicated to a common origin. The first barspoon I have in my collection is the basic red end cap spoon that you can find almost anywhere. It is one solid piece with a twisted shaft and a red plastic cap covering the end of the shaft. The second spoon I have is a European variation of the first basic spoon. Instead of a red cap this spoon has a small metal disc about the size of a quarter welded to the end. The last spoon I have is somewhat different. The spoon bowl is welded to a strait thick round shaft which is capped by a nice solid heavy end piece.

To begin, let’s talk technique. There are two schools of thought when it comes to stirring; spoon side and end side. The twisted shaft spoons are meant to be plunged spoon side first into a drink and then stirred by rubbing your thumb and fore finger over the twisted part of the shaft. This method works but is not the best, sure I will use it when I have to stir two drinks at once because it allows me to use one hand at a time but I find the end side method is much more effective. To perform this method, grasp the bottom of the mixing glass with your left hand. Holding the spoon in your right hand, plunge the end into the drink. Stir the drink clockwise (I’m kind of a forward-thinking person). This method allows the most movement of the ice in the shortest possible time while adding the right amount of water without introducing any excess air.

I’ve used each of these spoons for some time, but and each leaves something to be desired. The red ended spoon gets high marks because it is available almost everywhere and can be used in both the spoon side or end side method. The twisted shaft is nice to have if you find that you need it. But, it looses points due to the fact that the red plastic thing likes to fall off in a drink, and once missing, the spoon is far less effective in the end side stirring method.

The disc ended spoon is very useful in the spoon side method, the twisted shaft is nice, but I don’t find the disc as user friendly as it might appear. You can’t just plunge the disc in to a drink without sending the ice and half the drink across the bar. The disc end is, however, very use full in layering a pousse café, yet it seems somewhat redundant when you have the back of the spoon bowl for layering.

Lastly, we have the strait shafted spoon, this is my favorite. The large heavy end is great for the end side method. You can us the other end to layer of retrieve olives and cherries. The perfect spoon would be the strait shafted spoon with a twist. Don’t be fooled when advertisements claim that you can stir and muddle with these spoons. I tried to muddle with the disk spoon one day just to see if it would work, let’s just say that it was a good thing that no one was sitting in front of me.

So, yes I just wrote a whole post on different barspoons. A little absurd you might say? I think not. In fact, a great cocktail is the culmination of a craftsman who considers every aspect of the drink, even the spoon. So, while 007 nearly dealt a death blow to stirred cocktails everywhere, me and my 11 inches of stainless steel stirring perfection are fighting back in order to Drink Another Day.