Thoughts from Sally: During last week’s Downton Abbey segment I was taken by Lady Mary Crawley’s comment to Sir Richard before dinner, “You see that having a cocktail before dinner has not reached the countryside yet.” It made me wonder when the cocktail was invented. Do you know?
Here’s Mathew with Lavinia, not Mary 
I’ll bet if cocktails HAD made it to the countryside at Downton they would have been served with cloth napkins.
I was rumaging around in my linen drawer the other day and found my cocktail napkins. Real, made-out-of-cloth-ones. These have been saved from obscurity by virtue of having been passed down to me, from my mother and my aunt. My mother taught me what these were when we were downsizing my aunt’s house. I might have been confused by their size, as to their purpose. They are actually a little bit bigger than a coaster. So I asked my mother, “What are these for?” Thus my education.
One of my favorites is this little natural linen with fringed edges. They are about 5″ x 7″, including the fringe. It’s fun to get them out for small parties, because these days most people are used to paper napkins.
I think it is fun and festive to serve cocktails on a footed tray. Here are my favorite cocktail napkins on my favorite footed silver tray.
Love this Rococo style silver foot:
Another Fun set of cocktail napkins are from the 1950′s, the era when cocktail parties were so popular and chic. Look at the embroidery on these – each one with a different cocktail and its name!
They are made out of simple linen, like a handkerchief linen, and are each about 5″ x 8″ long. Notice the little hand rolled and stitched hem. So cute. Here they are on a tray, ready to serve our guests.
And last, but not least, another of my favorite color: yellow. These little napkins are big enough to put in your lap, if you are carrying an hors d’oeuvre plate, but folded they are only 6″ x 6″ including fringe. Aren’t they cute? I love them for their fringe and their engaging color!
Here they are with champagne flutes, ready to entertain with style.
Now, your task: take a look in YOUR linen drawer and see what you come up with! One of my readers was inspired by my last linen blog post to get out her linens and use them again! Way to go!
Until next time,
My husband and I inherited beautiful silver from his parents and these pieces are among my favorites. I love serving cocktails off of the footed trays, and I always have coffee after having guests for dinner – mostly to use the silver service. Adore your embroidered cocktail napkins.
Yes, that reminds me that I have brought the entire silver service to the table after a dinner party, and served coffee from the head of the table. Sounds like you! Best, Sally
OMILORD!! You have helped me so much! I have all these stories…and have been encouraged to do a blog! But you have inspired me to do blogs about the things I LOVE!!
Marghab! A whole generation doesn’t know about “Marghab” unless their parents taught them!
Thank you for such a beautiful post….and for sparking my next one!
These traditions stay alive because of people like YOU!!
Thank you!
Penelope: Thank you! and you MUST tell me what MARGHAB is??? I hope you are going to do a post about it, so we can be further educated!!!! Sally
Just looked up Marghab linens. WOW! Such treasures!!!
I do so hope you’ll do a post on them!
Cheers,
John
What a fun post – I *adore* the idea of a cocktail party so this was fun inspiration!
Barbara: I think cocktail parties are fun, too, but we are so social that our seem to go on forever! Let us know about your move. Best, Sally
That Downton Abbey comment got me wondering as well, Sally! Love the calorie napkins especially.
Donna: Did your ears prick up during the Downton segment? I don’t want to be reminded about how many calories the cocktails are, though. However, I find if you have one cocktail you no longer pay attention to those little calories! Best, Sally
as a linen hoarder, I too have a lot of cocktail napkins and such…and yes they do get used…I keep them in the bar area that’s set up for entertaining…
so nice that you’ve inherited a few lovely pieces..hope you are adding to your collection..there are daughters/in law or adult grandchildren to pass a few select pieces to eventually..
best,
maureen
Maureen: Oh yes, I hope to pass along all of these things. I’ve shown them to my future daughter-in-law already! I love your idea of storing your cocktail napkins in your bar area. My step father has an old french armoire set up as a bar. Best, Sally
Sally and John, We gave you the blog on fire award. Check it out!
How fantastic! We WILL check it out. Thank you so much, Sally
Hey Sally & John…
I loved this post. My parents were not cocktail people at all, so I never saw anything like that – until I was engaged to a man (didn’t marry him though) whose parents had all of that stuff. The parents passed away quite young and while I was living with him I saw those fringed numbers and the embroidered ones with the drink names on them. I would have elegant parties (with my equally ignorant of cocktail napkin type friends) and I’d bring out all the cocktail regalia. I felt as if I had stepped into a very wealthy (which he was) society and I was happy to play the part – however brief.
I am married now to a great guy – and I have not really looked inside a chest that he has (from his former mother-in-law) that opens to a bar. Perhaps there are some of those goodies inside. I will take a peek!
Thanks for this great post. And thanks for posting on my blog and loving my faux cobblestone dog house!
Linda
Linda,
Let us know what you find when you take a peek!!! I have to dig up a picture of the cat walk thru in a wall we did for a client so her cats could get to their litter box in the laundry room. She didn’t want to leave the door open because the room was at the head of a stair. We did cute little mock ups to be sure the cats could fit through the opening in the wall.
Cheers,
John