First, as others have said, cracking is a flair move. And like all flair moves, it looks great and impresses customers when DONE RIGHT, and in the RIGHT VENUE. When not done right, or in the wrong venue, it’s cheap and sloppy.

Second, I can crack way faster than straining and without a sliver of ice. But I practice it a lot. If you aren’t already great at it, practice at home before you even think about trying it at the bar.

And even if you’re a pro, cracking should be reserved for speed bars and popular drinks. High end clientele and classic drinks both call for the strainer. Always. When I see a bartender cracking a martini at a hotel (and I have), I just want to smack them.

I guess this proves I am not a “real pro.” Whatever. When did bartending attract so many pseudo-authorities?

I’ve never broken a glass in the shaker either..knock on wood.

please at least use a Hawthorne strainer!

“Gating” a hawthorne strainer involves controlling the amount of pressure you use to press down on the strainer as you pour the drink through it. The flexible spring allows this: The more pressure, the smaller the opening and the fewer ice chunks (not to mention pulp and fruit pieces)that are allowed into a drink. It’s all about control. I don’t think the cracking method is terrible, but I’ve never felt like I had all that much control over it. With a hawthorne, there’s no question.

Jeff, your website is awesome.

http://z.about.com/d/cocktails/1/0/y/9/-/-/quickstrain_tins.jpg

The concept combines the best of both worlds. I have worked in a plethora of environments, and a few years back i punched (drilled) a bunch of little holes in one of my weighted makos and it has served me amazingly well in both high speed speed slingin and clean professional straining.

I always have two at the bar, one with tiny holes(3/32″) and one with medium holes(1/8″)

Note: The ones in the picture i posted are some random company’s product, and personally the holes look too big, but it gets the idea across.

-Xain C

99% of the time I’ll always double strain. the only time you’ll ever see me crack pour is into a drink that contains crushed ice already and my bar back hasn’t kept up on supplying me with a clean hawthorne and tea strainer.

You never know when someone is waiting at the bar, watching your attention to detail and deciding that their next drink and tip are coming your way.

If someone’s looking for speed with a, dare I say it ‘cocktail’ such as a ‘woo woo’, you don’t even need to crack the boston tin, just use the dirty ice n wash the tin…. done…

Secondly, would hawthorne and fine strainers still be being sold worldwide to all the top end bars and bartenders if it wasn’t the most efficient and effective way to strain a drink? The answer is NO. So for ye average bartenders who serve average drinks, keep on crackin. Otherwise get with the times and show some pride in your drinks…..

Jeez…

I guess we know what that guy’s vote is.

http://www.starsofthebars.net/media/530/New_invention_-__Perfect_Pour_Quick_Strain_Tin/

anyone who uses a boston tin to open a bottle, needs to be cracked. It warps the tin and allows fluid to fly when shaking. Do yourself a favour and buy a bar blade ( 10 bottles in 8 sec’s) and do yourself another favour, if you are going to use a tin, DON’T use mine.

It doesn’t come down to whether it’s right or wrong but whether it’s appropriate or inappropriate.
You should ask yourself two questions to help decide.

Is it appropriate for the drink I’m making?

Is it appropriate for the venue I’m working in?

From past experience I found that you can’t go wrong with the hawthorn but cracking does add flair to the drink. If your working in a high market cocktail bar or making a quality drink (i.e martini)you should always use a hawthorn (I double strain mine with a tea strainer) because it’s all about the drink in most cases. Where as a bar that has more of a “fun” or a “party” attitude, cracking or even the waterfall technique (google or youtube that one) is rewarding because I feel it involves the patron a little bit more and even get a “wow” at times.

To sum it up…..

There’s a time and place for everything.

Cheers,

Sam.

I’m a liquor snob, beer advocate, and developing wine enthusiast at 25 years of age. I’ve been tending bar for 5-6 years and have been reading and exploring the trade for just as long. I think cracking is a flair move in that it involves risk. Althouth it’s never happened to me, I am still concerned that during a crack pour, between gravity and the holding angle and
condensation, the shaker could drop… on a martini glass, shot glass, etc. (Let me know if I’m alone on this) If you work at a flair bar or nightclub or your owner/mgr for whatever reason doesn’t care about breakage, then crack away. But if you work at an establishment where clientele expect professionalism, then strain. Broken glass on a bar top is not attractive. And ice just gets in the way of consuming your libation.

A good question to ask yourself when it comes to stylistic flourishes is, “Would I be doing this if I were working the service-bar?” In tight spaces, where no one of consequence is watching, it’s ALL about the drink. If the answer ends up being “No”, then chances are because it sacrifices speed, precision, or quality in the work. If the answer is “Yes”, then it’s your thing, do what you want to do.

Any bartender, with time, learns how to crack the glass without letting ice chips fall. But any bartender, with organization, should be fast and efficient with their tools. Making a case for one or the other is apples and oranges in the end. Personally, I strain – Hawthorne for tin, julep for glass.

On the matter of using the “reverse-the-glass” technique – I think it’s lame. Aside from the cleanliness questions posed above, also because of how proud bartenders who do it feel after they notice you watching. If you’re going to incorporate something into your style, flair or not, do it with dignity.