Tag Archives: Chase Chrome

Cocktails for Two . . . or More.

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1981 Facsimile of the 1930 original.

1983 Facsimile of the 1931 original.

 

Throwing a Deco style cocktail party can be simple with a few of the right pieces. To begin with a proper shaker is essential. Here are some from my collection.

Even though these are collectible they are not expensive, especially the Krome Kraft shaker. Farber Bros. made this style of shaker from the 1930’s until the 1960’s, many are found in excellent condition at thrift stores for less than twenty dollars. The Steward and Paden City shakers were less than fifty dollars each.

Another elegant way to make cocktails is a mixer. Below is the Stirring Cocktail Mixer and spoon, designed by Walter Von Nessen (1889 – 1943), for the Chase Specialty line and was in stores between 1934 and 1937.

Stirring Cocktail Mixer from the Chase Specialty Line, 1935.

Stirring Cocktail Mixer and spoon from the Chase Specialty Line, 1935.

For many years, I have used William Powell as Nick Charles in The Thin Man (M.G.M., 1934) as my cocktail mentor. Take a look at the size of the cocktail glass.

I don’t know when it happened, I think it was in the 1980’s, that cocktail glasses became the size of buckets. This is great if you want to get blind on one drink, but if you want to enjoy the evening use a vintage glass that is an appropriate size for a Martini, a Manhattan or a Bronx. Again the thrift stores or flea markets will be your best friend in finding these style of glasses.

I picked up the platinum trimmed glasses at a local Goodwill Thrift store for .99 cents each. The Farber-Cambridge glasses were purchased at the Golden Nugget Flea Market in Lambertville, New Jersey for $18.00 for the six. So it is easy to find proper cocktail glasses at very reasonable prices.

 

A great classic cocktail is the Old Fashion. It is not only necessary to have the right glass (which is short and squat), but you must also have a muddler. Chase made some great chrome Old Fashion cups and muddlers with bakelite tips. These are highly collectible and very stylish. A set like this can be found for between $80.00 to $125.00.

If drinking out of chrome plated cups does not appeal to you, try these Seneca black amethyst petal foot glasses, they would be perfect for an Old Fashion cocktail.

Seneca Glasses

Black amethyst footed tumblers by Seneca.

A Highball is a nice cool drink for the summer. Highballs are easy to make and should always, always be served in a tall glass. Too many times today a highball is served in a tumbler, take a hint from the name of the drink and use the correct glass. Below are more black amethyst footed glasses from Seneca, which are perfect for highballs. Glasses like these can be purchased at flea markets for around $5.00 to $10.00 each.

Footed black amethyst highball glasses.

Footed black amethyst highball glasses.

Of course serving cocktails with a complete set (shaker, glasses and tray) is always an impressive statement. This is the Chase “Blue Moon” cocktail shaker (early version with the bakelite ball cap) and glasses on a Chase Ring Tray. This set was available between 1937 – 1941. The shaker, designed by Howard Reichenbach (1901 – 1959) and was first sold individually in 1936. The following year Chase combined it with the Harry Laylon (1911 – 1997) designed cups and tray. Today this set has a book value of $280.00 – $320.00.

The Chase Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker, Blue Moon cups and Ring Tray, 1937 - 1941.

The Chase Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker, Blue Moon cups and Ring Tray, 1937 – 1941.

Once you get the right glasses and shakers, next come some accessories, like a Russel Wright cocktail ball from the Chase Specialty line. Even though it looks like a 1950’s satellite, it is actually from the mid-1930’s. These can either be used for cocktail franks and cheese cubes or for olives, cherries and onions to garnish your cocktails.

Chase Cocktail Ball by Russel Wright, 1935.

Chase Cocktail Ball by Russel Wright, 1935.

Here is a cocktail accessory that I have had for a while, but have yet to use – Silverice.

Introduced in 1927, Silverice was initially sold exclusively through Mary Ryan of Fifth Avenue, New York, and cost $6.00 for a box of six. The metal balls contain a liquid. Put them in the freezer and when they are frozen, place in glass. Unlike ice cubes, these won’t dilute your drink. I’m not sure what the liquid is inside Silverice, so I’m a bit leery of using them. But the box has a nice Deco design that I would put out on the bar while having a cocktail party.

Time to Party!!

Time to Party!!

Now that you have the shaker, the right glasses and some accessories, it is time to throw that Deco style cocktail party. Here are some recipes from The Savoy Cocktail Book. Please note that vodka is not seen in any of them. Save the vodka for your mid-century Mad Men 1960’s cocktail party.

 Dry Martini: 1/3 French Vermouth, 2/3 Dry Gin, 3 dashes of orange bitters. Shake well and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive. In the 1920’s and 1930’s vermouth was used more liberally than today. The old recipes give a nicer, more mellow flavor to the drink.

 

Manhattan (Sweet): 1/2 Italian Vermouth, 1/2 Rye or Canadian Club Whisky, 3 dashes of Angostura bitters. Shake well and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry. As with the martini, more vermouth was used back then. The color of a Manhattan should be slightly lighter than Coca-Cola.

Chester Morris preparing Manhattans in a modernistic kitchen, in 1930's The Divorcee (M.G.M.)

Chester Morris preparing Manhattans in a modernistic kitchen, in the 1930 film The Divorcee (M.G.M.)

 

Bronx: The juice of 1/4 orange, 1/4 French vermouth, 1/4 Italian vermouth, 1/2 dry gin. Shake well and serve in a cocktail glass.

Sidecar: 1/4 lemon juice, 1/4 cointreau, 1/2 brandy. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Ginger Rogers and William Powell enjoying a Bronx Cocktail in the 1935 R.K.O. film Star of Midnight.

Ginger Rogers and William Powell enjoying a Sidecar in the 1935 R.K.O. film Star of Midnight.

Old Fashion: 1 lump of sugar, 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, 1/4 of an orange slice, 1 cherry. Crush sugar, bitters, orange and cherry with a muddler. Add 1 glass of Rye or Canadian Club whisky. Top off with a splash of club soda.

Highball: 1 lump of ice, 1 glass of whisky, scotch or brandy. Fill with club soda, or Ginger Ale, if desired, or a mixture of soda and Ginger Ale. Serve with a lemon peel, if desired, in a tall glass.

Griffith Jones and Jessie Matthews having brandy and soda in First a Girl (1935, Gaumont-British)

Griffith Jones and Jessie Matthews having brandy and soda in First a Girl (1935, Gaumont-British)

Tom Collins: The juice of 1/2 a lemon. 1/2 tablespoon of powdered sugar. 1 glass of Dry Gin. Shake well and pour into a tall glass. Add a splash of club soda. This is an especially  refreshing summer time drink.

 

As always, please drink responsibly, and do not go Driving for Deco, or anywhere else after cocktails. Enjoy your drinks after a long day of antiquing to celebrate your Deco finds of the day.

                                                                                                                                                                           Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

 

George and Marian Kirby smash their car after a night on the town, in Topper (1937).

Don’t let this happen to you – George and Marian Kirby smash their car after a night on the town, in Topper (1937).

 

Hunting Deco in thrift stores and junk barns.

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Some of my best Art Deco items did not come from any fancy New York City antique show, Miami gallery or San Francisco shop, but from thrift stores and junk barns. I will grant you that junk barns and thrift stores are hit and miss, and to be honest, mostly miss. But every once and a while a real treasure can be found. The trick is to find a store that is located in an old established neighborhood, town or city, rather than one located in a suburban stripmall, and then go back often. Stock comes in every day, so one weekend there might not be anything of note but the next weekend might be the jackpot.

 

In a junk barn a half hour south west of Allentown, Pennsylvania, I came across this Chase Corn and Pancake set, designed by Russel Wright (1904 – 1976). Wright was an industrial designer who worked in New York City and is probably best known for his spun aluminum products made in the 1930’s and his famous lines of dinnerware such as American Modern (1939 – 1959) for Steubenville Pottery and Casual (1947 – 1967) for Iroquois. The Chase Corn and Pancake set was sold by the Chase Speciality Line between 1935 – 1940 and originally sold for $4.50 ($78.00 in 2014 dollars). It consists of a syrup jug, salt and pepper shakers and a chrome and blue glass tray. This set has a book value of $250 -$400. I was lucky to find this set in unused condition for $6.00.

 

There once was a great thrift store in Rochester, New York. Almost every other week I would go to the Vietnam Veterans Thrift Store to see if anything new came in. Now most times I came out empty handed, but sometimes a real treasure was to be had at bargain basement prices. One day in October, 2009 in the back of the store among all the chairs there was a 1930’s Lloyd Manufacturing Company Springer Rocker chair designed by famous industrial designer K.E.M. Weber (1889 – 1963). The chair was in good original condition, with original cushions with no tears or cracks and the chrome was not pitted. Normally that chair sells for between $450 – $2,000, but at the thrift store I was able to pick it up for just $30.00.

 

 

Another great find at the Vietnam Veterans Thrift Store, was a set of six Ruba Rombic 10 oz. footed tumblers for a $1.99 each. Ruba Rombic was created by Reuben Haley (1872 – 1933), the most important American glass designer of the 20th Century, for the Consolidated Glass Company of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Introduced in 1928 it was produced only until 1932 when Consolidated Glass closed, due to the depression. When the company reopened in 1936 Ruba Rombic was no longer part of the line. Upon its introduction, the company called it “An Epic in Modern Art”, most of the public called it “that crazy glass”. The colors of Ruba Rombic were Smokey Topaz, which is the color of the tumblers that I have, Jungle Green, Jade Green, Sunshine Yellow, Lilac, Silver, French Crystal and Opal. Jungle Green and Smokey Topaz are the most common of the colors. Aside from the extreme look of the items, it was also very, very expensive – the 10 oz. tumblers that I picked up cost $9.00 a piece in 1928, which is the equivalent of $125.00 in 2014 dollars. Today Ruba Rombic is very rare, Jack Wilson an expert on Consolidated Glass feels that less than 3,000 pieces of Ruba Rombic exist. These tumblers are worth about $275 – $300 each.

 

It is finds like these that inspire us to stop at those out of the way barns and thrift stores on our travels.

Chris & Anthony