Stirred, Not Shaken

In March, while I was in Pennsylvania for a bridal shower, I helped my parents in their final sweep of my grandmother’s house; the property had sold, the valuable contents had be claimed or auctioned, and the closing was approaching.

stirred, not shaken // union jack creative

To my surprise, quite a few remnants struck my fancy: Exhibit A, a collection of vintage cocktail stirrers. Back in April (the last time we thought we were moving), we did a fair bit of spring cleaning just in case, and the mismatched stirrers that I brought back from PA had to go – after I photographed them just for posterity.

stirred, not shaken // union jack creative

My grandmother was never a big imbiber, and I’m not sure I ever saw her with more than iced tea in her hand; her liquor cabinet, when I got to it in March, was basically a time capsule honoring my grandfather, who passed away when my mom was 15.

stirred, not shaken // union jack creative

I was particularly fond of the Golden Key stirrer (a bar at which I cut my jazz performance teeth alongside the band of two music teachers), and the stirrer from the Roosevelt boasting air conditioning.

stirred, not shaken // union jack creative

The glass-and-gold stirrer set was also uncovered in that cabinet, and will be coming with us in the next move, too. Keepers, those are.

stirred, not shaken // union jack creative

stirred, not shaken // union jack creative

What are your most treasured mundane items? I declined my grandmother’s prized Santa collection, but her cocktail stirrers and cast iron will hold a special, well-used place in my heart for a long time.

image credits: Union Jack Creative

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