COCKtail Shakers

Who can resist a Cosmopolitan served icy-cold from one of these individually-sized Napier shakers? Not me! I have always had a soft spot for deco collectibles and a chilled cocktail, and these silverplate Napier shakers hold a perfect pour. The rooster-tipped lid doubles-in-brass as a cup–clever! Here's my favorite Cosmopolitan recipe, that will fit snug as a bug in one of these Napier bad boys...

Individual Cosmopolitan
1.5 ounces of vodka
1/2 of Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 teaspoon of lime juice
1.5 ounces of cranberry juice
1 twist lime zest

Chill a martini glass in the freezer. Wet rim with a lime twist and dip into superfine sugar. Fill shaker with ingredients and ice. Shake vigorously and pour. Yum!

I Dream of Eva!

I cannot help it, but whenever I see Eva Zeisel's Hyalyn High Fashion wine bottle I think of I Dream of Jeannie and that wonderfully exotic bottle where Jeannie would take up residence whenever she wanted to get away from her master. When I was a boy, I would fantasize about how fun it would be to stow away inside my own private bottle. To hold Eva's wine bottle, with its undulating curves, flared stopper and imposing size (over 17-inches high) brings back that fantastic memory–I want to jump right in. In 1964, predating I Dream of Jeannie by over a year, Eva designed this amazing wine bottle and the companion dinnerware. High Fashion and high fantasy, indeed!

Good Cookie

I expect a lot from the things that I collect. Of course, they have to appeal to my sense of good design, history and humor. But above all else, they have to be functional and useful! Although, I have been told that my house looks like a museum, would a museum allow its works of art to be used? Absolutely not, but that is exactly what I do. This Russel Wright American Modern Stack Server does not sit on my pantry shelf, waiting to be admired. I keep it on the kitchen counter and use it as a cookie jar. And, what a cookie jar it is–it looks great with its simple design and gleaming white glaze AND it holds two different types of cookies at the same time! To my way of thinking, it's a perfect collectible.