How do you muddle without crushing herbs too much?

For herbs, use gentle pressure and a twist — five to seven seconds maximum, just enough to release the oils. For fruit and sugar, use firmer downward pressure for 10 to 15 seconds.

Muddling extracts oils and juices from solid ingredients. Different ingredients want different muddling pressure: (1) Herbs (mint, basil, rosemary, sage) — gentle. Bruising herbs releases the volatile aromatic oils; tearing them releases bitter chlorophyll. Place herbs at the bottom of the shaker, press the muddler gently and twist slightly for 5 to 7 seconds. The herb should look lightly bruised, not torn. Hold the leaves up to the light — they should be intact, just slightly broken. (2) Fruit (lime wedges, lemon, berries) — firm. The cell walls hold juice and pulp; you need real pressure to break them. 10 to 15 seconds of downward pressure with full body weight on the muddler. (3) Sugar cube with bitters (Old Fashioned) — moderate. The goal is dissolving the sugar into a paste, not pulverizing the cube. 8 to 10 seconds of pressure, often easier if you add a small splash of cold water first. Wooden muddlers are gentler than steel; both work, just adjust pressure accordingly.