A birthday exchange between two friends involved many beer accessories–they’re both 21–and one of these accessories was something strange from an antique store.
This antique–that’s what we’ll call it here, though I’m in no position to judge its worth–is a stainless steel paddle with grates carved through the middle of it. Around the edge of the circular part of the paddle is mounted a spring coil that can stretch around something if this something were placed in the middle of the paddle.
We pretty much figure it is some sort of device for the consumption of alcohol, but we have no clue what it is. Our only hit: At the antique store, the friend was going to pay and explained that she was going to Berlin for the Oktoberfest, to which the cashier replied, “Oh, so I guess this must be for you.”
It’s a cocktail strainer. You shake up a martini, then hold one over the MIXING glass to drain the chilly booze out into a martini glass without letting ice into it.
Question: what exactly is the spring for? Is it to secure the device to the mixing glass so you don’t have to hold them both while pouring the martini out? Or something else?
The spring doesn’t actually fit on the shaker. It fits just inside the top of the shaker “securing” it kinda like you said. It also serves to strain the ice.
The metal strainer usually has two small protrusions that extend past the edge of the shaker. Those and the handle keep the strainer from going down into the shaker. The bartender will hold the shaker in one hand and with his index finger push down or hold the strainer in place while pouring your drink into a glass that he may be holding in his/her other hand.
Applebees uses these when I have margaritas there so I’ve seen 'em used hundreds of times at least. Order a perfect margarita there and you’ll get a martini glass w/ the shaker that holds about three drinks.
One of those and a couple of tequila shots on the side works out pretty good. cheers
I case you (the OP) wondered, they’re neither rare nor generally valuable. A typical corner liquor store will sell cheap ones for a couple of dollars and yuo can find them at garage/tag/rummage sales for 50 cents.
Is the one you have truly antique, or merely second-hand?
