When I was a kid, my mother always asked for a "Southern Comfort, old fashioned, with water instead of soda, muddle the fruit." It became a mantra I expected to hear any time we went out, and a muddler became this mythic tool for smushed, fruity goodness. I say mythic because I've rarely, if ever, seen them on the shelves. If you've ever hunted for muddlers before, you know what I mean -- most stores have every drink gizmo available, except for a simple muddler. The only one I had ever seen on the shelves was the over-priced (in Canada) Williams Sonoma variety, with the green, jagged ball on the end. And then I went to the super-expensive restaurant supply store that I live near, and viola! A muddler. Not only a muddler, but a really nice wood one for $2. Now, just a few weeks later, the Kitchn has listed three basic muddlers you can buy -- but you can go even cheaper than their lowest at $6.99. (Unless, of course, you want stainless steel. Then you're looking around $10.)
There are a number of new, wood muddlers on eBay, starting at prices under a buck, or you could try websites like barproducts.com, which has light and dark wood ones under $5, plus other varieties for good prices. But first, you might want to see if you have a local restaurant supply store, and ask what they charge. Happy, cheap muddler hunting!
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