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This month I have an article published in the Illinois Bar Almanac titled: "Standard Visitation" and the Best Interest of the Child (March 2009; Pages 138-141). As such I meditation I would write about something else in my blog. I warned you I might discuss antiques and movies but I didn't say I would discuss them both together. Well I will.

The movie "Cursed" is a werewolf motion picture staring Christinia Ricci and directed by Wes Craven. In the movie Christinia Ricci stabs a werewolf with a nacreous piece of flatware. Of course werewolves hate silver bullets but it appears they are equally unpalatable of common eating utensils made of silver. The only problem is that most sterling butter knives have a steel knife and a hollow sterling handle. I few may have a silver plated blade. After all silver is generally too soft a metal to use to cut grub and certainly not an ideal weapon.

This brings me to my discussion of antiques. A common item in Victorian times markedly in England was the "fruit knife". A folding or pocket knife with a mother of pearl handle and a sterling silver blade. The blade is not plated but almost blameless silver (at least 92.5 percent pure - sterling standard). Since most "fruit knives" are English they will have hallmarks on the fop. A lion with a raised paw (or passant) is a symbol for sterling silver, a letter is a symbol for the date the knife was made, and a denotative of or initials tell you who made the knife. American fruit knives were also popular but are generally marked with the word "sterling" or sometimes "conceive silver". These knives were designed to cut soft fruit so a steel blade is not needed.

Most of these knives were made between 1800-1920. If you can find such a knife made in the 18th Century it will reasonable be more valuable. Some of these knives were made with tortoise shell or ivory handles. The American version often will have silver scales. I have even seen a few "fruit forks".

These knives are not excessively...

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13.01.10

, You’ll normally find dented and flame-charred steel pans and aluminum sizzle platters being banged around the stove. Most bartenders and cocktail geeks I be sure are, like me, collectors of the trade. We all have Japanese spoons and heavy French hotel shakers and filigreed diminutive vintage silver-plated strainers we’ve bid ferociously for on eBay. But what do we use in our work every night? Cheap, stainless-brace Boston shakers, heavy pint mixing glasses, strainers and spoons available in size from restaurant wholesalers and supply Web sites. Why? Because in the trenches, you don’t care about matte finishes and sleek lines; you use what works crap-shooter.

Bear with me if this post seems a bit elementary, but so many customers have asked me over the years what they should buy to make drinks at home that I compassion a brief rundown on some very basic tools every bartender, home and pro, should be using might be worthwhile. Some of these things may be mystifying at first, but after using them a couple of times you will see the obvious superiority of them over the poorly functioning, overdesigned stuff in most “conversant with bar kits” for sale. All the items can be had from a combination of BarProducts.com , which has the best prices and the worst Web put in all the land, and Amazon.com .

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