Bar spoons

Choose the length to suit the glass you stir in, not the glass you drink from. For a mixing glass or a tall tin, 30 to 33 centimetres is the standard. If you work with a tall pitcher or a large carafe, take the Trident of 40 or 50 centimetres, so your hand stays above the rim. A spoon that is too short forces your hand into the glass, and that is exactly where your drink warms up.

The bowl at the other end decides what else the spoon does for you. A smooth teardrop shape is decorative and nicely balanced, the masher has a flat tamper to bruise mint and lime, and the Hoffman has a weighted knob that keeps the spoon turning calmly. Skull and pineapple are a matter of taste behind the bar. The swizzle stick is not a stirring spoon but a branched stick for crushed ice.

Fill the mixing glass generously with ice, lower the spoon along the inside wall and turn it between thumb, index and middle finger. The rounded back stays against the glass and the spoon follows the wall. Twenty to thirty turns is enough: the glass frosts over and the drink is at temperature without ice shards getting into it.

Anything made only of spirits and vermouth you stir, such as a dry martini or an old fashioned. You use that same spoon the other way round to layer: pour a liqueur slowly over the rounded back so it settles as a separate layer. And with the flat side you press mint down without tearing the leaves, because torn mint gives off a bitter taste.

Stainless steel can go in the dishwasher, although rinsing by hand is quicker and better for the shine. The spiral is where sugar syrup lingers. Rinse it under running water and turn it as you go, then the groove comes clean along its whole length.

Copper and gold are finishing layers. Dishwasher tablets attack them, so wash those spoons by hand and dry them immediately with a cloth, otherwise you get spots. Store bar spoons loose in a jar with the bowl facing up; lying in a drawer among other tools, the thin stems bend out of shape.

You rarely stir on its own. Measure with a jigger, strain the result with a cocktail strainer and pour into an old fashioned glass or another cocktail glass. If you would rather shake than stir, look at the cocktail shakers. The proportions for each classic are with the cocktail recipes, where every recipe says whether to stir or shake and which glass the drink belongs in. If you are still unsure which length you need, the frequently asked questions below give the sizes per glass.