I think my favourite thing in my collection is actually not a shaker but a set I managed to obtain. It’s made up of a shaker, ice bucket, soda and cream siphon. They may not be very old but the blue metal net around them is really a wonderful thing. They are all in pristine condition.
I’m always on the lookout for sets even if it’s a simple shaker ice bucket duo like one of these below.
And do you have one with a personal story?
Only the one which belonged to my grandfather really that is the most prized thing in my collection for obvious reasons. I often wonder where and how my grandfather might have used this shaker. He travelled around quite a lot so I wonder if this shaker often travelled with him.
I think that one of the attractions of collecting vintage barware it that it’s wonderful to think about how a shaker may have been used a long time ago, by whom and where.
Is there still a cocktail shaker or bar item you have heard about but never seen? Something like the Holy Grail of Shakers?
Actually, living in Poland there are a few bar items that I’ve never seen. The bartending trade was very badly affected by communism here in my opinion, especially considering that in the inter-war period there were many great bars in Warszawa. Until recently I had never seen a real ice shaver but I just happened to come across it in an antique shop the other day. I’m still searching for an antique ice cracker.
What do you think about modern bar design; ie; the Flip Top shaker by Metrokane?
This particular model I’m not too keep on. I generally prefer shakers made of metal and glass or crystal. Plastic just doesn’t do it for me. The only exception from this rule is the Perlini shaker by Perlage Systems, but that is because of its intended use – carbonating cocktails.
Do you think reproducing vintage shakers is a good idea?
Yes because some of those designs are just amazing. I like the reproductions that you can find in Japanese equipment shop Naranja.co.jp or http://www.cocktailshaker.com/ for example. I think it’s great that anyone can buy a shaker which is identical to vintage shakers not produced anymore and be able to enjoy them. As long as people aren’t fooled into thinking that they are real vintage shakers then it’s great.
What are your future projects and plans?
The future is to build my collection as much as possible and feasible. I would like to be able to spend more time on finding out about vintage shakers and reading more books on them. However, for the moment it seems that other projects will be taking more of the spotlight. I’m always looking for new things for my collection.
Can you tell us a few homepages where we can find further information about shakers and bar ware?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time to devote to this part of my fascination. I don’t really know many websites apart from the usual ones like: http://www.cocktailshakers.com/ and http://www.thejazzage.com/. I really like http://www.icetoolcollections.com/ and of course http://shakerliebe.blogspot.com/.
Thank you Tomek, for this interesting interview. I think you showed up well the difficulties for collectors outside of the USA.
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