If you’re looking to add a vibrant, fresh flavour dimension to your cocktail, muddling is the way to go. But before you pummel your ingredients into oblivion, here’s what you need to know.

What’s a muddler?

Anything that lightly bruises herbs or crushes fruit. While bartenders tend to opt for wooden or plastic muddlers, at-home mixologists can just use the handle of an unvarnished wooden spoon.

Why muddle?

Muddling releases the fragrant oils from herbs and the juices from fruit, helping them infuse with the alcohol.

How do I muddle?

Place ingredients at the bottom of a tall glass and use the end of your wooden spoon to crush them. Take a gentle approach when dealing with mint and other delicate herbs. Lightly press and twist until the leaves are torn and you can smell the fresh scent of the herb. Fruit and sugar cubes, on the other hand, require a bit more grunt work to be combined. If your drink requires both, start with the sugar and fruit first, adding the herbs at the end.

Handy tips:

Choose a sturdy glass to muddle in. If you opt for a thin-walled glass, you run the risk of it chipping or breaking.

Don’t add ice until the ingredients have been muddled. Ice muddling brings out the bitterness in citrus and damages herbs.