My muddlers are made to last a long time - including looking great. That's why I use wood that is exceptionally hard and dense. It is also why I apply the distinctive oil finish to each muddler. Shellac type finishes crack and break off while the oil penetrates and even hardens the wood cells with a food safe coating. But even with the care I use the muddlers can have some of the gloss finish "banged-up" from the kind of use professional mixologists put them through.
My son, Todd Appel, is such a professional and came to visit a couple weeks ago bringing his cocktail equipment for drinks on the lake in the North Woods of Wisconsin. He had a couple of my muddlers with him, While the wood was like new, the working end of the muddler had lost its glossy finish. My recommendation in the past was to apply a food grade lemon oil to the muddler when ever this happens. That still works well. But, I applied a thin coat of the original oil to the muddler - left it sit for an hour - and then wiped it off with soft paper towel. You could not tell it from new. And, after a couple days for the oil to set-up completely it was ready for hard use once again.
I was so pleased that I make this offer to all those who buy one of my muddlers - in the past or now - that I will send a small bottle of my oil to anyone who e-mails a picture of the muddler that I have made. I plan to do this initially at no cost to you. If it gets too much for me I will continue to send the oil but charge a small fee.
I really am proud of my muddlers and hope to keep them in top shape for years more.
Gary Appel
My son, Todd Appel, is such a professional and came to visit a couple weeks ago bringing his cocktail equipment for drinks on the lake in the North Woods of Wisconsin. He had a couple of my muddlers with him, While the wood was like new, the working end of the muddler had lost its glossy finish. My recommendation in the past was to apply a food grade lemon oil to the muddler when ever this happens. That still works well. But, I applied a thin coat of the original oil to the muddler - left it sit for an hour - and then wiped it off with soft paper towel. You could not tell it from new. And, after a couple days for the oil to set-up completely it was ready for hard use once again.
I was so pleased that I make this offer to all those who buy one of my muddlers - in the past or now - that I will send a small bottle of my oil to anyone who e-mails a picture of the muddler that I have made. I plan to do this initially at no cost to you. If it gets too much for me I will continue to send the oil but charge a small fee.
I really am proud of my muddlers and hope to keep them in top shape for years more.
Gary Appel