Skull Bottle for Rum, Hand Painted Ceramic, 1kg

For anyone making house preparations who wants them seen. House spiced rums, infusions, own made syrups: these are preparations worth a great deal in terms of the story and they almost always end up in an anonymous bottle, where nobody notices them. A vessel people recognise on the shelf is a way of making them exist in the guest’s eyes before they order.

An opaque vessel is an advantage on a house preparation, not a limitation. Light is the main enemy of infusions and flavoured spirits: it takes the colour out and oxidises the essential oils, and a clear bottle left on a shelf under spotlights degrades the contents within a few weeks. Ceramic protects it completely. In exchange you cannot see the level, so it has to be marked or checked by opening, which on a bar preparation is an acceptable trade.

• Material: hand painted ceramic
• Shape: skull
• Weight: 1kg
• Use: rum and house preparations
• Washing: by hand, with a bottle brush

Take the skull bottle if

If you have house preparations to stage or a tiki section that has been built properly. For everyday service and working decants, the glass bottles in the same family are more practical and let you see what is left.

The skull in the tiki repertoire

It is not a Polynesian subject but a graft from the pirate and Caribbean strand, which came into tiki early and stayed. That is why the skull goes with rum more than with any other spirit: it talks about the routes, the ports and the smuggling rather than about the islands of the Pacific. On a list built on dark rums it is coherent; on a strictly Polynesian tiki list it is a different reference, and it is worth knowing that before putting it on the shelf.

One kilo of weight, and what follows

It is a heavy vessel, and that makes it stable on a shelf but awkward to pour freehand through a fast service. Its natural place is the shelf on show, with the decanting done beforehand or the pour done calmly in front of the guest as part of the moment. Anyone looking for a working vessel, picked up and put down dozens of times a night, does better among the glass bottles.

House preparations and the paperwork

Worth repeating because it gets forgotten: a preparation made in house and kept behind the bar has to be labelled with the date and the contents, and that is a standard thing for an inspection to ask about. An opaque skull bottle with no label is handsome on the shelf and awkward under inspection. The answer is a discreet label on the back or on the base, which does not spoil the staging and puts the vessel in order.

Care

Hand wash with a bottle brush, because the neck is narrow and the irregular shape does not let everything drain. Drying the inside completely before closing it is the most important part: leftover moisture in an opaque vessel cannot be seen and spoils the next preparation. The hand painted outside does not like harsh detergents or the dishwasher.

FAQ

Is the skull bottle dishwasher safe? No, hand painted ceramic is washed by hand with a bottle brush.

Can you see the level of the contents? No, it is opaque. In exchange it protects the preparation from light.

Is the skull a tiki subject? It belongs to the pirate and Caribbean strand, which entered tiki early: it goes with dark rums.

What does it weigh? One kilo, which makes it stable but not handy in a fast service.

Can it be used for syrups? Yes, and the protection from light is an advantage on house preparations.

Can it go in the fridge? Yes, ceramic does not mind cold: it minds sudden changes.

How much does it hold? The supplier declares the empty weight of 1kg but not the capacity.

Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.

For the other bottles and dispensers, see the bottles and dispensers category.