A muddler is an important tool for any home bar; it’s primarily used to crush fruit and herbs so they express their essential oils and/or juices for use in cocktails. We wanted to know which muddler was best for home bartenders, so we ordered seven widely available options, priced from about $4 to about $18, and used them to muddle lime wedges, mint, and sugar cubes in a variety of vessels and to make mojitos.
All the muddlers were capable of making decent drinks, but a few factors made certain models more durable, easier to use, and better performers overall.