As the clouds slowly passed through the small park where I may or may not have just poured a small dram into the North Drinkware’s Oregon Tumbler, I couldn’t help but create my own landscape shot of Mt. Hood. Totally delving into the Pacific Northwest mindset, I sipped the Eastside Distilling’s Oregon Oaked Burnside Bourbon, and enjoyed a small, sneaky sip.
The glasses feature the exact USGS measurements for different mountains, this one happens to portray the iconic alpine destination of Mt. Hood. It showcases not only the beauty of the peak, but the craftsmanship of creativity.
“The Oregon Tumbler is our hand blown, 8 oz glass with USGS data of Mt. Hood – Oregon’s highest peak at 11,250 feet – molded into the base of the glass.”
“Made in Portland, Oregon our glasses are lead-free and dishwasher safe. All glasses are handmade one-of-a-kind products that may have slight variation. Packaged individually and wrapped in custom topo map newsprint.”
Curious how these hand blown glasses are crafted? You’ll want to take a gander at the video embedded below…
[vimeo 140807906 w=640 h=360]
The weight of the glass begs for a strong pour and possibly a little more than you should on the first round. The crystal-clear glass allows for all of the subtle nuances of the designs to be showcased like a sculpture in a libation museum. Each crag and crevasse in the alpine silhouettes changes with the different angles of filtered light.
These glasses are as much vessels as they are works of art. With the rebirth of the craft spirit, glasses have tried to keep up with elegant designs and scientific formulas to accentuate bouquets and flavor profiles. While it might not be a completely accepted fact that the design helps to aerate the spirit, or coax the hidden potential of the drink to the forefront, I would argue that just like “eating with your eyes” the same would apply to drinking. Combining a beautiful presentation and a tasty cocktail is a tale as old as time, so why wouldn’t the image of a glass-blown mountain scene lend itself to a better drinking experience?
The grassroots campaign that bega
n as a crazy dream, caught fire as their idea gained momentum on Kickstarter.
“North Drinkware and The Oregon Pint launched on Kickstarter on February 1, 2015. The project goal was $15,000, which was planned to fund our production tooling, equipment and the first large run of glasses. The momentum of the campaign was blistering. The Oregon Pint surpassed $15,000 in 5 hours and 15 minutes, 200% funded in 28 hours, 2000% funded in five days, 5000 backers at 24 days and the campaign closed at 3,543% funded by 5,620 backers totaling $531,581.”
This simple idea that brings craft, art, and beauty into one stunning package is hopefully just the beginning of these spirit-inspired partnerships. The perfect gift for outdoor lovers, mountain climbers, or anyone that enjoys adding a touch of art into the afternoon cocktail, North Drinkware is constantly looking for the next landscape to immortalize. With pints, coasters, and tumblers available, a drink has never looked to pretty.
Leave a Reply