PrintFor a Drink You Can't Put Down: Bottoms Up
This Monday the James Beard Foundation Greens is hosting a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. Mind you, the deed was not officially done until December 5th of 1933, with the ratification of the 21st amendment, but by golly, if the James Beard Foundation has sanctioned the early celebration of this momentous occasion, who am I to quibble? Nobody, that’s who, and thus, I will be eagerly joining in the festivities on Monday evening. So, it is in the spirit of this event, with free flowing libations in mind, that I decided to introduce you to some of my very favorite drinking companions: bottoms up shot glasses.
Bewitchingly playful on the shelf, these Art Deco babies are all business when it comes time for cocktails. Originally created in 1928, at the height of the Roaring 20’s—the era of the speakeasy, the Shimmy and the flapper girl—these 2-ounce conical vessels, draped with round-bottomed, nude female forms, were intentionally designed so that they could not be put down until their contents were drained (at which point they were to be flipped upside down onto their attendant coasters). The first versions were made in upstate New York of glazed pottery in a limited number of colors, but the unique design was quickly picked up for larger scale production in myriad colors of cast glass by a company in Pennsylvania.
Though the ceramic versions are extremely rare and highly sought after, and the original glass versions only slightly less so, examples in both materials and a bewildering range of colors, along with far more affordable reproductions (generally without matching coasters), periodically show up for sale through online auctions and antique dealers, and at flea markets and antique shops, especially in the Northeast. I never said they would be easy to come by, but to my mind, a great drinking companion is worth the seeking.
Bottoms up!
About the author: Amanda Clarke is a recovering restaurant pastry chef with a background in architecture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes, tests, and develops recipes and works on freelance food-styling gigs between walkings and feedings of her two dogs and husband.
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2 Comments:
It makes me think of an after dinner drink (sake?) I had in an Asian restaurant in France. It was a porcelain cup with a sort of glass "bubble" on the inside at the bottom of the cup. When it was empty, the glass distorted whatever pattern was underneath. When the alcoholic drink was put inside, it changed the refractive properties of the glass and the pattern was revealed as a partially clothed woman or man depending on your gender.
jfultz at 12:31PM on 02/21/08
There are several for sale on ebay that seem pretty reasonable. Pretty colors! A couple of the sellers have a great history lesson on their sites. Thanks for the heads-up/bottoms-up!
Editmom at 10:58AM on 02/25/08