Shot Glasses From Outside the United States: Spain, Belize, U.K., and Italy.

Shot Glasses From Outside the United States: Spain, Belize, U.K., and Italy.

Shot Glasses From U.S. States: Arizona, Hawaii, and New Mexico.

Shot Glasses From U.S. States: Arizona, Hawaii, and New Mexico.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities: Orlando, FL; New York, NYC; and the State of Hawaii.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities: Orlando, FL; New York, NYC; and the State of Hawaii.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities and Mexico: Big Bear, CA; Ensenada, Mexico; and Solvang, CA.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities and Mexico: Big Bear, CA; Ensenada, Mexico; and Solvang, CA.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities: St. Louis, MO; Seattle, MA; Denver, CO; and New York, NY.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities: St. Louis, MO; Seattle, MA; Denver, CO; and New York, NY.

Shot Glasses From Specific Events And Tourist Spots Within The United States: Hearst Castle, Primm Valley Casino, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and the San Diego Zoo.

Shot Glasses From Specific Events And Tourist Spots Within The United States: Hearst Castle, Primm Valley Casino, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and the San Diego Zoo.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities: San Diego, CA; Las Vegas, NV; and San Francisco. CA.

Shot Glasses From U.S. Cities: San Diego, CA; Las Vegas, NV; and San Francisco. CA.

Shot Glasses From U.S. States: Arizona, Washington D.C., Texas. and Oregon.

Shot Glasses From U.S. States: Arizona, Washington D.C., Texas. and Oregon.

 

Shot Glasses

Alanna Carnahan

Art History

For a beer drinker who rarely travels and doesn’t like to collect things, Alanna Carnahan (Lana) sure has a lot of shot glasses from foreign parts – thirty-two to be precise. What gives? 

“When I was working on my undergrad degree,” said Lana, “my friends were studying abroad, I was working three jobs and going to school full-time, so I couldn't travel…[they] wanted to bring some joy to my life.” 

The glass that kick-started the collection is decorated with a cartoon of happy cows. It was a gift from Ashley in 2005. “I know you don't like clutter or tchotchkes,” Ashley reportedly said, “but I couldn't help but get you this…I know you were bummed you couldn't go abroad. Plus, it's hilarious that I get to go to Barcelona and all you get is this weird cow/bull shot glass." “Whenever I see it,” Lana explained, I am reminded that…my friends still think of me when they are off seeing the world…They get my silly sense of humor.”

Although the Oxford English Dictionary identifies the earliest literary use of “shot glass” to a 1941 New York Times article, no one knows for when or where their name originated. With its etymology buried in the mists of time, the modest shot glass has become a storied vessel. Could it have been named for buckshot – the kind found in one’s frontier dinner and spat into a glass? Or for lead shot – which, before the invention of ballpoint technology, was commonly kept in small, thick-walled glasses, ready to keep a quill pen upright? 

“I am slightly embarrassed to say that I have never researched the meaning of the shot glass,” Lana explained. “However, I have researched the places they are from. So, when I got the first one, I did a deep dive into Barcelona history. At the time though, I was a Criminology major and had not yet realized I was an art historian, so I wasn't as inquisitive as I am now.” 

While Lana’s multiple jobs still limit travel, the glasses “function like a checklist of all the places I'm going, a reminder of places I was able to go, and the friends I've made over the years…I don't have any other collections and do not plan to start any in the future…[but] the fact that my friends still keep the tradition going warms my heart.”