Gastronomista: Tales of the Cocktail Trend Alert

About a year ago I started seeing these awesome brass vintage Pineapple Ice Buckets popping up on Etsy and Ebay - gorgeous and festive vessels that were popular in the 60s and 70s. Naturally, I lusted after them, and apparently, I was not alone.

Etsy - The White Pepper Vintage Pineapple Selection

The pineapple has been a symbol of wealth, hospitality, generosity since colonial times, and in turn, a symbol of colonial dominance. Christopher Columbus penned his experience of first tasting a Pineapple on the island of Guadalupe, and brought the exotic fruits to Europe in 1493. The fruit immediately became a curiosity, and was highly coveted by Kings, Queens, and hosts who used the Pineapple as a display of wealth to their guests.

The pineapple became a popular decorative element - carved into headboards, incorporated into wallpaper patterns, or cast in metal and used for candle holders, trivets, and ice buckets!

Today, the Pineapple is having a Renaissance in the cocktail world - famed bartenders are moving beyond the coupe or the tiki-style carved fruit goblet, and are using the vintage pineapple vessels as inspiration for a new way of imbibing.

One of the most talked about cocktails at Tales of the Cocktail 2014 was served at the House of Elyx: Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, with Absolut Elyx, Carrot, Sandalwood incense, and topped with Kombucha. Delicious, yes, but it was the copper pineapple vessel that had the crowd oohing and ahhing. The cocktail was served over crushed ice, with a round of orange in the center, in which a stick of incense was lit, and then extinguished when the top of the pineapple was put in place.

Who Framed Rodger Rabbit in a Copper Pineapple at the House of Elyx

Jack Hubbard Finishing Off Cocktails at the House of Elyx

The pineapple vessel has also been used at ZZ's Clam Bar here in New York City, as well as The Artesian in London (winner of four spirited awards at this year's Tales of the Cocktail) in collaboration with Tanqueray, and sources tell me that Cocktail Kingdom is developing a line of vintage inspired pineapple drink-ware.