How did one mix drinks before electricity? You might think one of these hand-cranked eggbeaters would do:
Image: Levi Szekeres – SXC #437420, Public Domain
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However, that’s really a tool for food prep, not beverages. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, apothecaries and drug stores needed something more purpose-designed to mix their potions and liquid confections (fun fact: Milkshakes used to be sold at drug stores, for so-called restorative properties). Hence the invention of this manually-operated drink shaker:
To be clear, it doesn’t blend, it shakes. Here’s one in action, an antique model that was lovingly restored by Rescue & Restore:
This hipster bar put one into service, as a gimmicky way to make cocktails:
Interestingly enough, that unit was purpose-built for the bar. Darrell Greig, owner of The Standard & Co. Bar in Green Bay, was watching “Pawn Stars” when an antique one appeared on screen; he snapped photos and brought them to a local welding company. “There was no blueprint,” welder Denny Brotski told the Green Bay Press Gazette. “It was just a picture and two gears. It was like a puzzle. You just put the pieces together and see how they fit.”
“It’s just simple and stupid,” Greig said, of using the contraption to mix drinks, “but it’s fun.”
Source: core77