thirsty thursday: the champagne coupe

i tend to be obsessive. right now i have a slight obsession with the champagne coupe. every time i go to the antique mall, i stare at all the pretty little coupe glasses, all the different colors and styles. i think to myself, i really don't need them, but i really really want them. as i tend to get buyer's remorse, i usually don't buy the first time. if i really want something, i will go back a second or third time to make sure i really want it. it's called shopping stalking.

the champagne coupe has been around for a while. usually they are present at wedding receptions, the plastic little coupe glasses that more than likely are stacked in a pyramid waiting for the champagne fountain to pour. but that's typically the only place they have been from the 1960's on. recently they've been popping up on tv shows that take place in the past. with shows like mad men, pan am, the playboy club (which didn't last very long), and boardwalk empire. everything old is new again. i love it.

legend has it (via wikipedia) that the champagne coupe was modeled on the breast of marie antoinette or one of several other french aristocrats, but the coupe came about way before that. the large bowl of the glass allows the champagne to loose its carbonation faster, making it more suitable for sweeter champagnes.

the more and more i think about it i need to buy an array of champagne coupe glasses. they aren't the best for making champagne cocktails (see my previous post on making this delicious drink), but they do have a vintage air to them that makes them timeless. they are adorable and are like little handheld time machines. xoxo.

thirsty thursday: the decanter

so far the common thread here has been drinking. and if anyone knows me they know how much i love to drink. i, however, am saving my alcoholic years for my 60s and on. everyone should have goals, and mine is to be that overweight chico's-wearing gray-haired lady who has too much purfume on and will have a cocktail in hand and at some point will make you uncomfortable. i can't wait.

that being said, i am not a professional. i am not a sommelier or spirits expert; i just enjoy drinking.

i've seen decanters around, mainly on tv shows. the chandler household on all my children always had an array of decanters step up nicely in their grand living room and on the latest episode of downton abbey anna the housemaid was showing molesley the butler all the wines that needed to be decanted before diner was served. it was an amazing display of wines and decanters, and i thought to myself that i need to get a decanter.

the decanter is mainly used for serving wine. some people use it to let the wine "breathe" or as a serving vessel other than the bottle that it came it. it just looks fancy and sophisticated, giving one's drink a bit of class. it seems that the main use is for older bottles of wine where a wine is full of sediment. one would pour the bottle of wine into a decanter, and the sediment should collect in the shoulder of the bottle leaving the decanter full of wine without the grit. but with modern wine making sediment isn't as big a problem anymore.

the decanter can also be used for such liquor as a cognac or a single malt scotch. their decanter would have a stopper so the liquor can be stored in the fancy vessel.

i found some decanters online that look amazing. i like the simple modern lines of each of the decanters, very classy. all three are by ravenscroft crystal, a lead-free crystal company. they are just beautiful. a little mad menesque. i just love them. i would use the third decanter for the oban scotch that my gentleman friend has his eye on.

 let's get our drink on. enjoy. xoxo.