I‘m compiling my annual gift guide for Serious Eats, looking at cool products for your home bar. This measuring beaker from Williams Sonoma caught my eye.
I love the idea of a product like this. It’s nothing I’d use daily, because of its breakability, but I’d definitely bring it out if we were having a couple of close friends over for drinks and dinner. It’s a great piece for entertaining.
Except, look at it closely.
Look very closely. See what it lacks, bar geeks.
Said the drunken sot to the drunken sot, “Do you see what I see? There on the beaker, drunken sot. Do you see what I see?”
Argh! You’re right! It only measures in full ounces. Need half an ounce of vermouth or other ingredient? Go to hell! You can’t do that with this one! Grump. It’s really cool looking otherwise. I guess if I just wanted a show piece, this would be fine. As a practical tool, though, nope.
I have a handful of large, ornate shotglasses that I got from Crate and Barrel that I like for the same reason: each has finely-etched lines for 0.5, 1, and two ozs.
Alas, they don’t sell them anymore
LikeLike
also note that the 0 mark is not at the bottom of the beaker.
I received one of these as a gift and I use it to prep a second drink if I am making more than one at a time. as a measuring device it is worthless though.
LikeLike
Wow. I think I saw that zero mark and tried to ignore it. That’s a mark of a designer glomming onto cocktail culture without taking five minutes to understand it.
LikeLike
You would be better off acquiring a real beaker. Durable and at least the markings are accurate even if they aren’t specifically what you need for cocktails
LikeLike