Among the most celebrated objects of the American cocktail revival, the Napier "Tells-U-How" shaker stands as the definitive expression of interwar barware design — part functional object, part social theater, and part period document. This example, in silver plate with gilt brass fittings, is in superb condition and displays the full two-tone scheme that distinguishes the finest versions of this iconic form.
The shaker is constructed in three sections: a tapering cylindrical body, a characteristic bulbous upper section with four lobe-form quadrant panels, and a domed gilt cap that lifts free to reveal the pouring spout. The base cap, also gilt, is stamped with the maker's mark and the serial number No. 398119, confirming authentic Napier production. Height: 11 inches.
The genius of the design lies in its rotating outer sleeve, which carries sixteen gilt-labeled cocktail recipe plaques arranged in a descending diagonal cascade around the body. Named cocktails visible in the photographs include the Orange Blossom, Palm Beach, Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Gin Rickey, and others — a Who's Who of the Jazz Age bar. The rotating mechanism allows the host to dial up a recipe and follow its proportions step by step, encoded directly on the object itself. The conceit — a recipe wheel disguised as barware — perfectly captures the wit and ingenuity that defined American decorative arts in the years bracketing Prohibition's repeal (1933).
Illustrated on page 123 of the standard reference on American cocktail shakers. The "Tells-U-How" is widely regarded as the single most desirable Napier shaker form, and the gilt-cap version the most striking variant. Seldom found in this condition.
MAKER: Napier Company, Meriden, Connecticut DATE: c. 1929–1933 MATERIALS: Silver plate; gilt brass DIMENSIONS: 11 in. (27.9 cm) height MARKS: Maker's stamp and serial number No. 398119 to base CONDITION: Very good; silver plate bright with minor age-appropriate wear; gilt fittings retaining strong original finish
LITERATURE Stephen Visakay, Vintage Bar Ware (1997), p. 123.
Among the most celebrated objects of the American cocktail revival, the Napier "Tells-U-How" shaker stands as the definitive expression of interwar barware design — part functional object, part social theater, and part period document. This example, in silver plate with gilt brass fittings, is in superb condition and displays the full two-tone scheme that distinguishes the finest versions of this iconic form.
The shaker is constructed in three sections: a tapering cylindrical body, a characteristic bulbous upper section with four lobe-form quadrant panels, and a domed gilt cap that lifts free to reveal the pouring spout. The base cap, also gilt, is stamped with the maker's mark and the serial number No. 398119, confirming authentic Napier production. Height: 11 inches.
The genius of the design lies in its rotating outer sleeve, which carries sixteen gilt-labeled cocktail recipe plaques arranged in a descending diagonal cascade around the body. Named cocktails visible in the photographs include the Orange Blossom, Palm Beach, Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Gin Rickey, and others — a Who's Who of the Jazz Age bar. The rotating mechanism allows the host to dial up a recipe and follow its proportions step by step, encoded directly on the object itself. The conceit — a recipe wheel disguised as barware — perfectly captures the wit and ingenuity that defined American decorative arts in the years bracketing Prohibition's repeal (1933).
Illustrated on page 123 of the standard reference on American cocktail shakers. The "Tells-U-How" is widely regarded as the single most desirable Napier shaker form, and the gilt-cap version the most striking variant. Seldom found in this condition.
MAKER: Napier Company, Meriden, Connecticut DATE: c. 1929–1933 MATERIALS: Silver plate; gilt brass DIMENSIONS: 11 in. (27.9 cm) height MARKS: Maker's stamp and serial number No. 398119 to base CONDITION: Very good; silver plate bright with minor age-appropriate wear; gilt fittings retaining strong original finish
LITERATURE Stephen Visakay, Vintage Bar Ware (1997), p. 123.
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