Today's mixologists, with their muttonchops and handlebars, have a historical influence: the Victorian male. These guys took their mustaches seriously, so much so that in mid-1800s England, a special teacup was designed for them. Its porcelain lip incorporated a bat-shaped guard that cradled the mustache, preventing it from getting wet or ruining one's Earl Grey with melted mustache wax. I first came across one at the Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog, a Manhattan bar inspired by Gangs of New York–era Gotham. There, the vintage cups are filled with "daisies"—sweet-sour drinks that were popular in the 1870s. While they might strike some as dainty sippy cups, they make today's mustachioed men, as well as smooth-faced drinkers like me, feel stylishly well cared for.
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