This weekend we found some serious Thrift Store Treasures:

A cute set of four penguin shot glasses from Libbey. The box announces that these glasses feature "safedge" technology.

A 1946 edition of the Old Mr. Boston's Deluxe Official Bartender's Guide. Original price $2.

This book is interesting because I generally don't love the OMB in its current versions. (Although, I believe that the very most recent version involved Robert Hess and other top shelf mixological researchers.) The reason is that somewhere along the line the OMB lost its classicist approach. Consider this:

The 1946 Old Mr. Boston has an exciting 12-page section in full color, featuring the twelve most popular cocktails of the day.

They are:
Manhattan
Old Fashioned
Tom Collins
Sloe Gin Fizz
Dry Martini
Cuba Libre
Whiskey Sour
Golden Martini
Mint Julep
Rum Collins
Daiquiri
Mint Collins

This is not necessarily an accurate list of the most popular cocktails of the day, since the book is designed to promote the products of Old Mr. Boston. The Mint Collins, for one, seems suspect because it features OMB Mint Gin--more on that in a minute. For the moment let's look at the Manhattan of 1946: Italian Vermouth, Rye or Bourbon, and a dash of bitters. Stirred and strained into a 3 ounce cocktail glass. (3 ounce glass!) Fast forward to 1994, the most recent OMB that I have. By 1994, we've lost the bitters, and the book specifies just "Blended Whiskey". The Manhattan has lost its luster. By my unscientific estimation, the OMB is the among the most-read cocktail books in the world, and as it lowers its standards, so the bartenders who follow it lower theirs.

The Old Mr. Boston guide used to promote the company's line of spirits. I can't help but think that Mint Gin was like the flavored vodka of its day.

I think the book on top should be required reading for all students entering college (or maybe high school). It begins with a quote from Churchill: "I have taken more good from alcohol than alcohol has taken from me."