A sterling silver and ebony wood cocktail strainer. This is a very rare essential piece of barware. A cocktail strainer exists for one reason: control. Once ice became a standard ingredient in American bars in the 19th century, bartenders needed a way to separate a chilled, diluted drink from its working parts, ice, mint, citrus, spice. Early solutions were borrowed from the kitchen, but the bar quickly developed its own dedicated tools as cocktail culture sharpened.

The earliest purpose-built design is the julep strainer, a perforated, spoon-like form made to sit neatly over the mouth of a mixing glass. It is closely tied to the Mint Julep and the wider era of crushed ice service, where a clean pour mattered as much as the theatre of preparation. Simple, durable, and still genuinely useful, it remains the classic choice for stirred drinks.

By the late 19th century, the Hawthorne strainer arrived and became the modern standard. Its defining feature, a coiled spring around the edge, lets it seal against different tins and glasses while catching finer fragments that a julep strainer might miss. Today, many bartenders finish with a second pass through a fine-mesh strainer, a small refinement that produces a cleaner texture and a more precise final presentation.

This type of strainer is known as the “Chinese hat” strainer, and is bar shorthand for the chinois, a conical sieve that comes out of the professional kitchen rather than the cocktail station. The name is French, meaning “Chinese”, and it was chosen for the tool’s resemblance to an Asian conical hat, not because the utensil is Chinese in origin. 

In its classic form, a chinois is fine mesh, built for refinement: stocks, sauces, purées, custards, anything where texture matters. It is often confused with the “china cap”, which is similar in shape but typically has larger perforations and delivers a coarser strain. 

Behind the bar, the chinois shows up when precision is the goal. It is the cleanest way to finish fresh juices, syrups and infusions, and it excels as the second pass in a double strain, removing ice shards, pulp, and tiny fragments that slip through a standard Hawthorne

This unusual piece was undertaken by one of the finest names in American silversmithing; Gorham. Gorham was established in 1831 by Jabez Gorham, a master craftsman, in partnership with Henry L. Webster. The fledgling American silver manufacturing market was boosted in 1842 when Congress enacted a tariff which effectively blocked the importation of silverware from outside the United States. However, the company stuck to mainly making spoons and assorted silverware until Jabez's son, John, took over the company in 1847.

Under his direction the company improved production methods, expanded the range and quality of pieces, and brought in skilled craftsman from throughout Europe. A notable edition was the English silversmith and designer, George Wilkinson. He became the workshop manager.

The company went on the make a silver service for many administrations in the White House. Mary Todd Lincoln's set is now on display in the National Museum of American History. Many other trophies, such as the Indianapolis 500 trophy were produced by Gorham, along with famous statues throughout America, such as the monument of George Washington in the Capitol's Rotunda.

This wonderful and rare piece is marked with the custom marks of a special order piece from Gorham. The strainer is fully marked for Gorham with its maker's marks, along with the unique product code of H158. 

To find these in sterling silver is incredibly rare, and especially from this period from one of America's finest silversmiths. Its condition is superb, and it is ready to be used by the coctkail fanatic for years to come.

Made in America, circa 1920's.