Blue Blazer Mugs

The gap between home and professional bartender, it seems, is shrinking.

Of course, recent books such as Brad Thomas Parsons's Bitters or Jim Meehan's P.D.T. Cocktail Book encourage neophytes to experiment–but the passion for mixology is even greater than that. Indeed, Cocktail Kingdom, a website run by former bartender Don Lee, has made a wide variety of professional-grade gear available to the public.

And the site's most recent release reads like a dare for the bartending curious: blue blazer mugs.

For those who don't wear suspenders or sport facial hair, the blue blazer is the iconic cocktail conceived by drinks demigod Jerry Thomas in the 19th century. It involves pouring flaming whiskey back and forth in a steady stream between two glasses.

For Cocktail Kingdom's version of the iconoclastic cup ($75), Lee collaborated with drinks historian David Wondrich. The resulting equipment is true to its forebears: Each mug is made from silver-plated stainless steel and weighs nearly a pound.

A perfect winter drink, the blazer continues to appear behind the stick at bars across the country. We've seen classic renditions at the Oakland, a new bar in Detroit, and Brooklyn's Prime Meats head bartender, Damon Boelte, makes a blazer spin-off with milk, cinnamon syrup and overproof rum.

Should you be brave enough to try this tipple at home, just make sure there's a fire extinguisher present.