The Best Channel Knives for Cocktails

For the most elegant martinis and Champagne cocktails, you need a perfect ribbon of citrus to use as a garnish. While you could just use a vegetable peeler to remove large swaths of peel and then cut each swath into strips, a channel knife can make this process neater and more efficient. This tool has a small blade that juts out of a sturdy main metal frame. To use it, you simply insert the blade into the peel of a lemon, lime, or orange and push the knife as you rotate the fruit, as you might do when peeling an apple with a paring knife. As you work your way around the citrus, the knife cuts thin “channels,” or ribbons, of citrus peel. Many channel knives also have a series of tiny metal loops that allow you to zest citrus in tiny threads as well, though we generally find this function less useful.

There is one big problem with all of the channel knives we’ve tested: none are great for lefties. That’s because the blades are positioned on the right side of the tool and will only cut if you push the knife from right to left—a motion that is not natural for lefties. We will continue to monitor the market for ambidextrous options.

• Sharp, Discrete Blades: The blades on channel knives came in two different styles. Most had blades that were simply stamped out of the metal frame of the head. But a few had discrete blades that were welded or glued to the frame itself. We preferred models with this type of blade. Made from thinner, harder metal, these blades were much sharper than the stamped blades. As a result, they cut especially cleanly and easily, which made it possible to produce neat-looking swaths of peel in long, continuous ribbons.

• Blades Set Far from Handle: Blades that were positioned at least three-quarters of an inch away from the handle provided us with enough leverage to dig into the citrus skin and maintain good pressure on the peel as we cut, resulting in long, continuous ribbons.

• Ribbons of Medium Thickness: The width and thickness of the ribbons produced by the channel knives mattered to us. We preferred models that made ribbons measuring about a quarter-inch wide; ribbons that were narrower looked a little like string in our cocktails. And we preferred models that made ribbons that were about 0.07 inch to 0.12 inch thick. While ribbons toward the thicker end of the spectrum had more white pith left on the peel, we appreciated that these thick ribbons made more substantial, good-looking twists. Moreover, we didn’t notice any adverse effects on cocktails garnished with thick twists. As our science editor explained, any bitterness from the pith is unlikely to be soluble in a cold cocktail, so no harm will come to your drink. (If you are hoping to use these thicker citrus ribbons for candied orange peel, however, you might want to shave down the pith slightly with a vegetable peeler or paring knife.)

• Moderately Long, Grippy Handle: We preferred handles measuring at least 4 inches long, as these were comfortable for hands of all sizes to hold. And we preferred handles made of rubbery or textured material, which allowed us to maintain our grip even when our hands were covered in expressed citrus oil.

• Dull Blades: These cut irregular or ragged ribbons of citrus peel—when they cut at all. Some especially dull blades just skidded over the surface of the citrus, failing to properly dig in and cut consistently in the first place.
• Blades Set Too Close to the Handle: Channel knives with blades set less than 0.75 inch away from the handle didn’t allow us to summon enough leverage to bite into the citrus peel and put consistent pressure on the peel as we cut. We found these knives more awkward to use and the results were often uneven swaths of peel that broke off prematurely instead of forming long, continuous ribbons.
• Short, Slick, or Flat Handles: These were all harder for hands of all sizes to grip.