Topic: Mystery item, maybe nozzle with (Rd) number

[chopin-liszt]

Angostura bitters are an old condiment, the one traditionally used to make "pink gins".
This involved taking the cocktail glass and adding just a couple of drops of bitters to it, then swirling it around to cover the inside of the glass, before adding the gin.

They were quite "posh" drinks, so if there is a way of getting this thing to work for dispensing a very small amount, I can see how something attractive and with work done on it, (the colour and the cutting) would have been used.
Angostura bitters used to come in a glass bottle, completely covered in (torn and age-spotted) cream coloured paper, (with dark drips of suspicious looking-stuff down it) with a nozzle part at the top that is just like the tops you still get on bottles of L&P.
These bottles of bitters lasted a very long time. I'm not absolutely sure they're still even legal.

My Grandpa had some in his drinks cabinet.

[glassobsessed]

Interesting thanks Chris, the Fieldings lot: http://fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk/lot/156972

They are more than twice the height of this one, in term of function I can see that working. There is still that bayonet fitting affair - perhaps that is the reason for the Rd number.

[Paul S.]

John - are you thinking that the No. applies to what potentially would have been some metal frame or whatever? ..........   I'd have thought that if the No. is on the glass, then it would have been the glass that was the subject of the design Registration.          I see the Fieldings examples have a kick in the base.

[glassobsessed]

More the use of the bayonet and the groove in the glass Paul, very speculative though! Noticed the kicked up base, being me I immediately wondered if the corks belong in the first place and are they actually for bitters, never having seen any before. Just the way my mind works...

[Paul S.]

C20 dry condiment containers do have nylon/cork base plugs - presumably for cleaning since you can't access the insides from the top, but I'm unsure as to why you'd have cork bungs in these C19 bitters bottles  -  perhaps because you couldn't clean via the top as the opening is too small?        Although Fieldings not my favourite auction house, I'd imagine they'd done their homework on these things.      I will look when I'm next at Kew.

[glassobsessed]

Presumably they have to have a large opening to get the contents into them, these are fairly small vessels though - one of the reasons I discount string holders.

[oldglassman]

 HI ,
       Bitters bottle are fairly common and because of the tiny hole at the top for dispensing a larger hole is required in the base for filling , these are always closed with a cork , I cant see the item posted being a bitters bottle, looks more like the top half of something but no idea what .

cheers ,

Peter.

[glassobsessed]

Excellent thanks Peter, that is two of my questions answered, how tall is your bitters bottle please?

[oldglassman]

Hi,
  Not at home at the moment so cant be exact, normal decater size, around 9 inches I suspect,
cheers
 
Peter.

[glassobsessed]

Approximate is fine, thank you Peter. That is a different scale entirely, a bitters connection seems less likely unless they were intended to be the business end of say a flask.