It's quite fascinating. Shortly after we posted our blog article on alternatives to plastic straws, we realised we had our finger right on the pulse with this topic. Roland Graf, the Trinkprotokollist, published a piece in mixology on the subject, and readers of our posts pointed us to articles in Spiegel, Focus and Falstaff magazines. Reason enough for us to introduce three more alternatives. And certainly not the last instalment in this series.
Metal Straws
Actually, these have been around forever. Narrow little tubes with a bent metal piece at the lower end that doubles as a stirring spoon. You might vaguely remember them. The thing never really caught on. Modern metal straws, however, are elegantly designed, straight and can be made from stainless steel or copper. Compared to the other alternatives, metal straws have the longest lifespan — they're completely unbreakable. And dishwasher-safe. The one small drop of bitters: they're not entirely flavour-neutral.
Bamboo Straws
When it comes to sustainability, bamboo is pretty hard to beat. For one thing, the plant regrows — and remarkably easily at that. For another, it has a quality that sets the bamboo straw massively apart from its competitors from an ecological standpoint: its stems are hollow on the inside. Any child who ever had a bamboo blowpipe knows this all too well — that kid was the boss. For a drinking straw, this natural hollow means you essentially just snip off both ends and you've got yourself a perfectly usable straw. Processing and energy required to make it: negligible. The downside: eventually it starts to fray, and then things get a little hairy in the mouth.
Pasta Straws. Full Stop!
Last but not least, an alternative that's perfect for a children's birthday party. Maccheroni. The Italian tubular pasta made from durum wheat semolina. A word of warning: maccheroni are often pre-cut to short lengths. Every now and then, though, you can still find longer ones — usually around 30 centimetres. Just right for a tall lemonade glass. For open-minded parents, here's a little bonus idea: maccheroni cooked al dente make for a particularly fun experience. For the kids, that is. In a cocktail glass — especially a long drink or highball — an uncooked piece of pasta works rather nicely. It's a gag. Nothing more, nothing less.
Stay tuned. We'll keep scouting for candidates and will be back shortly with the next round.
