Dogs in Good Spirits

So, you've got your vodka, gin, bourbon, scotch, double old-fashioneds, bar pitcher, ice bucket, swizzle sticks, mixers, jiggers, and ice tongs raring to go on your drinks tray or bar cart. What else might you need to complete your bar set up? Well, if you're a dog lover, how about a dog shaped crystal or glass decanter? It's not something with which I was familiar until I stumbled across a photo of one on the internet recently.

While I'm usually not an advocate of cute things, I do think one of these decanters might add a little humor to your drinks tray. A bar or bar cart is one place where whimsy is generally deemed acceptable. Just beware of the vintage ceramic dog decanters that are in abundance on eBay. Now those aren't so cute.

Asprey glass dog decanter, c. 1937, available through Guinevere



C. 1910 English hand blown glass dog decanter that sold at auction around four years ago.



Antique Austrian dog decanter, c. 1900, from The Three Graces



An antique silver plated and crystal dog decanter from Nelson & Nelson Antiques




A collection of silver pieces, from the Estate of Queen Juliana of The Netherlands that was auctioned at Sotheby's last year. Included in the lot was a silver-plated dog spout and a sterling dog mount for a decanter.




Not quite a decanter, but rather a sterling tantalus modeled as a dog house that holds two decanters.


Cartoon at top from The New Yorker, August 11, 1997, by Leo Cullum