DIY Vintage-Glam Cocktail Swizzle Sticks!!

With all the vintage cocktails we've been researching lately (see our vintage cocktail of the month), I've also run across a lot of vintage bar-ware pieces - So Fun!  One evening, ordering vintage glass swizzle sticks for my husband and myself, the idea to dress them up with sparkly, vintage, glass beads popped into my head.  Sparkles, Vintage, and Cocktails - Yes Please!...I decided to give it a try!  Here's what I did:


Materials:

Vintage Swizzle Sticks: I ordered simple, glass, vintage cocktail stirrers or swizzle sticks (different sellers label them differently) on ebay.  You can also keep watch and sometimes pick them up at thrift and antique shops.  Some of the swizzle sticks have rounded ball ends, some have little flat tops.  The flat tops are often designed to be used in drinks as muddlers, however, since I was looking to decorate mine, those flat tops provided a lovely bead platform.  Vintage swizzle sticks also come in a variety of lengths.  As my husband and I tend toward drinks served in Double Old Fashioned glasses, martini glasses, coup glasses, etc., I personally preferred the short 4"-5" sticks when I could find them.  If you tend towards drinks typically served in Highballs or taller glasses, look for the longer glass swizzle sticks.  It's also not a bad idea to make a variety of lengths, just in case!

Vintage Beads: Again, these can be found in a variety of places, online, thrift shops, etc.  Oftentimes buying one necklace and cutting it apart, can yield 10-20 beads depending on how many you are using and what size they are.  My recommendation is to use glass/crystal beads over plastic or wood as they are easier to clean, however, any would work.  The beads I used ranged from 1" (abstract large beads) and 3/4" (amber disks), to 3/8" (small gray beads topping larger gray beads).

Glue: I used E-6000

 The process is simply to glue the pieces together.  The most difficult aspect I encountered was where to place them to let them dry and set in an upright position.  I had this spikey "grass" drying rack I had gotten for bottle components when my children were little, which proved the perfect place to stick them upright, (a bucket of sand might work too?)!  Initially I did not scuff or "rough-up" the glass pieces prior to gluing.  Some of them held together well, some did not.  Those that did not hold, I filed with a small metal file and tried again.  So far, they seem to be holding.  I have used some in drinks, (stay tuned to our future cocktails of the month blogs-you'll spot some of these lovelies), and washed them successfully.  I would caution that they are delicate, and to handle them with care.

They are also, super sparkly, and loads of FUN!  I kept finding beads that would be "perfect" for a swizzle stick and ended up making quite a few...so now that everyone knows what they're getting for Christmas....   lolol

Enjoy, have fun, and Cheers!
If you make some, tag us on instagram - we'd love to see how they turned out!!
-Christine

Cocktail of the Month-September: Old Fashioned

Labor Day- summer is coming to an end, but it's not quite fall. As we thought about a drink that captured this feeling, we decided to feature the classic Old Fashioned with a few variations.

The Old Fashioned is among the most classic of cocktails.  References to this classic bourbon (or whiskey) drink date back to 1806; it may in fact have been THE original cocktail. What we do know: in the 1800's a cocktail was comprised of bitters, a sugar cube, a dash of water and your spirit of choice- you could order one with most any alcohol as the base. Sometime in the late 1800's the bourbon variety picked up the Old Fashioned moniker- leading to the idea that it may have been the original, or just the one that best stood the test of time.

What we love most about this drink is it's simplicity. Free from the over sweetness of many modern cocktails, you can really enjoy the bourbon you are paying for - which incidentally means you should start with a bourbon you enjoy straight.

Traditional Old Fashioned recipes call for a sugar cube muddled with a few dashes of bitters and a splash of water. Although this is ideal, most agree that a rich simple sugar (2:1 ration sugar to water) is a reasonable replacement. (Use about 1\3 oz of rich simple syrup/drink).

We also tried a few variations on the Old Fashioned- although they are not traditional. We found that using a fruit bourbon- cherry and peach specifically- brought us a flavor profile that reminded us of the summer to fall transition. We omitted the sugar cube, using just a few dashes of bitters and the bourbon - plus ice. as the fruit bourbons are sweeter on their own, Purists would gasp, I am sure, but if you are just experimenting give it a try!


Cheers and Happy Fall!
Christine and Stacy