A Taste of Glitz From a Past Era

The return of the cocktail culture has business booming in everything from cigars to torch singers’ soundtracks. Riding the wave of related kitsch and collectibles are vintage cocktail shakers.

“They’re hotter than heck no matter who you talk to,” says expert Harry Rinker.

Stephen Visakay, author of “Vintage Bar Ware” (Collector Books), notes that the popularity of cocktails grew through the Art Deco era and the Great Depression. “Most people couldn’t afford Art Deco designed homes,” he explains, “but with (a cocktail shaker) they could get a little glitz and glamour whether they drank or not.”