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I never owned a cocktail shaker before and my friend gave me a mini cocktail shaker set from crate and barrel. From what he told me, I have a 3 piece shaker, a jigger, and a Hawthorne strainer.
My question is why did the set come with a Hawthorne strainer if the 3 piece shaker has the strainer in the lid?
The Hawthorne strainer fits in the bottom biggest part of the 3 piece shaker so am I supposed to remove the top and use the Hawthorne?
Is the set more for display instead of use?
This is just my experience, but sometimes you can't get a decent pour through the built-in strainer in the top of a Cobbler Shaker, so taking off the top two parts (the little lid and the piece that has the strainer) and using the Hawthorne strainer is just easier. This is especially the case when you have things inside along with your ice and booze like muddled mint leaves, etc.
Personally if I shake a cocktail then I would pour out through the built-in strainer because taking the top off often leads to drips and just creates mess to be cleared up.
Sometimes you want to use the bottom part of the shaker to mix and stir a cocktail rather than shake it - depends on the drink as to what works best in terms of how cold, diluted and cloudy from ice chips you want it. Then I would use the Hawthorne rather than putting the lid on just for the built-in strainer.
Note you could also use the hawthorne with other mixing jugs / large glasses.
