Barware: Tom’s Peanuts Country Store Jar
I got a sinus infection in July. I’m not going to claim to be particularly unlucky or anything, because I don’t particularly believe in luck, and I mostly have a perfectly nice life. However, I got a sinus infection in July.
This is a roundabout way of saying I haven’t been drinking at all because I’m on antibiotics. I realize you can, technically, have a drink or two on some antibiotics, but a friend of mine once had a pharmacist tell her, “Don’t drink on this or you will vomit up your toenails.” This might be the most effective piece of pharmacist advice I’ve ever heard. Not only did my friend not drink, I now can’t bring myself to drink on any antibiotics. I wasn’t even on the relevant medication. Vomiting up your toenails sounds like something that might happen to you in one of Dante’s rings of hell — perhaps a punishment for gluttony, or, if the toenails were particularly well manicured, vanity.
In the interim, however, I’d like to show you a couple of recent acquisitions. On the slate today is a vintage Tom’s Peanuts jar my parents picked up at a charity auction. I’ve filled it with pistachios and stuck it on my counter for guests who might want to snag a bit of something while they’re standing around helping me test cocktails. If you’d like something similar, I’m finding a few on eBay just by searching “Tom’s peanuts” (here, here, and here, for example) There are also similar jars from Planter’s, Curtiss Candy, Stewart’s and other distributors. Prices range from about $10 on up.
If you’d like something a little less colorful, you might want to look for apothecary jars or medical sundry jars (also available unlabeled). Or, if you want to try out something a little more unexpected, you might peruse American Science & Surplus, which always has an intriguing collection of containers available. If you’re low on your recommended daily allowance for whimsy, you can view the site with line illustrations instead of photographs, just like an old catalog.
