Stirrer - Swizzle Stick
The swizzle stick or stirrer with a spear like end was invented in 1933 and patented in 1935 by Jay Sindler. A swizzle stick or stirrer is a small plastic or wooden stick used to stir the contents of a drink or cocktail. A swizzle stick can also be used to hold fruit, such as a pineapple cube in a Mai Tai cocktail or a cherry in a Shirley Temple. A swizzle stick or stirrer usually comes with an alcoholic drink so that the guests can stir the contents if the bartender did not do so.
Sometimes, the bartender will mix the drink so that all of the alcohol is at the bottom of the glass. The stirrer is used to mix the alcohol into the rest of the drink, so that you taste a mixed drink and not a shot. The flat ends of swizzle stick can be embossed with the name or logo of a specific company making them great branding additions to any event. They can also be found with different types of decoration or shapes on their flat end. The stirrers also come in different colors if you decide to use the plastic ones. Swizzle sticks and stirrers are generally pretty small in terms of length which means if bartenders decide to use tall glasses for cocktail drinks then guests would have to use their straws for stirring.
When stirring the actual beverage, the flat end should be used instead of the thin end because it allows the drink to be mixed more effectively. This can be confusing to guests especially when there is a logo on the flat end. A swizzle stick could be used to mix the contents of drinks such as:
- Cranberry and vodka cocktail
- Coffee
- Iced tea when guests add their own sugar
- Hot tea
- Any other alcoholic drink
- Hot chocolate
