Take a sip from some unusual drinking vessels

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The recent trend of using unusual and quirky drinking glasses may not be as new as some might think. People have enjoyed drinking from a variety of strange vessels for centuries, and here are just a few examples:

The Stirrup Cup is a lidded tankard traditionally given to guests departing on horseback. The lid prevented the liquid from spilling. Then there was the Fuddling Cup, which consisted of three small mugs with the handles interlinked and small holes bored into the walls. The challenge was to drink from one vessel without spilling from another. The Puzzle Jug had a number of holes arranged around the neck, and the drinker had to cover these with fingers and thumbs before drinking from the top.

The Yard Glass held a quart (two pints) in the bulb at one end of the yard-long neck, and it required a certain technique to drink without spilling the brew all over yourself. Toby Jugs came in an unlimited variety of designs, from clergymen and sailors, to priests and the gentry, and were often a great source of amusement. Dice Glasses had two dice sealed into the bottom and were used to determine who would be paying for the round of drinks, while the Last Drop Glass had a gruesome engraving of a yardarm with a man hanging from it, which was only visible after the last drop had been drunk.

Here at H Cooper Glass Engravers we are experts at glass engraving and have a wide, and sometimes unusual, range of engraved drinkware.

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