Saint-Ouen, France — The glorious cocktail which over the years gave over to the even more glorious cocktail hour is outfitted with an origin that remains shrouded in mystery ditto the etymology of the word. One fun story is that the word originated during the Revolutionary War in a tavern in New England run by Miss Betsy Flanagan who apparently had a crafty sense of humor. American officers who frequented the place complained about a local Tory living rather well while they had trouble making ends meet. Betsy served them a drink of rum mixed with fruit juice. Each drink was decorated with the tail of the Tory’s rooster. A French army officer is believed to have cried out « Vive le coq tail, » coq being the French word for rooster. Perhaps the bilingual toast gave rise to the word, perhaps not but the cocktail is universal and with the likes of Betsy back in the 18th century appears to be as much of a woman’s world as of a man’s.
Direction the Marché Serpette in the luxury part of the Paris flea market on the edge of town where collector and gallery owner Olwen Forest, known for her vintage jewelry collections, also officiates over an unparalleled collection of cocktail paraphernalia. Everything you need to make a perfect cocktail and a perfect cocktail hour look is on hand from shakers to ice-buckets, spoons, tongs and cocktail pics all adding up to that perfect cocktail party. The collection of accessories ranges from the superb Art Deco era to the 1980s. If you can’t get to Paris right now The Gourmet Gazette brings this fabulous collection to you for your next visit.
There are exquisite pieces, whimsical ones, too, like the dice cup for holding cocktail pics or the penguin candle holder and the bottle opener with a horse’s head. Prestigious creations from the greatest houses of French luxury can be found here including pieces by Baccarat, Saint-Louis, Christofle, Puiforcat, Ercuis, Saint Médard and Hermès. It’s all about the ritual of cocktail hour, the art of living, of taking one’s time. ©The Gourmet Gazette
Cheers! A Gourmet Gazette Slide Show
An array of cocktail accessories curated by Olwen Forest. Baccarat shaker and ice bucket with silver colored metal covers and trims, cocktail pic holder with silver colored metal trim and bakelite. Photo ©Frédéric Poletti. Courtesy Olwen Forest. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette 
Cocktail accessories curated by Olwen Forest. Shaker and vessel for mixing with crystal balls filled with colored liquid and a Hermès bottle opener all in silver colored metal. Photo ©Frédéric Poletti. Courtesy Olwen Forest. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette 
Cocktail accessories curated by Olwen Forest.Tongs, ice bucket, a one-man shaker in silver colored metal with a lemon squeezer inside and pics in a dice pic holder in bakelite. Photo ©Frédéric Poletti. Courtesy Olwen Forest. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette 
Cocktail accessories curated by Olwen Forest. Shaker in the shape of a bottle with recipes engraved on it, Hermès bottle opener, all in silver colored metal. Pic holder in silver colored metal and bakelite. Photo ©Frédéric Poletti. Courtesy Olwen Forest. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette Cocktail accessories curated by Olwen Forest. A candle holder in the shape of a penguin, a shaker, a one-man shaker with a lemon squeezer inside all in silver colored metal. Photo ©Frédéric Poletti. Courtesy Olwen Forest. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette Cocktail accessories curated by Olwen Forest. Box in the shape of a ball, shaker and pic holder in silver colored metal and bakelite.Photo ©Frédéric Poletti. Courtesy Olwen Forest. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette Collector and gallery owner Olwen Forest. Photo ©Frédéric Poletti. Courtesy Olwen Forest. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette
Olwen Forest
Marché Serpette, Allée 3 Stands 5,6,7
110 rue des Rosiers
93400 Saint-Ouen, France
+33 (0) 1 40 11 96 38
You can visit the jewelry collection on-line at
http://www.olwenforest.com/
Categories: Everything Gourmet, Gourmet Fare, Gourmet Ware
The Gourmet Gazette 