Thoroughly modern inventions they may appear, but the shot glass has a lineage that dates back to the 17th century (although its official term of use would be declared shortly before WWII).

Designed for a single “shot” of potent liquor, the shot glass has become a mainstay in global cultures, with meanings that go beyond a simple penchant for testing one’s liver endurance.

The shot glass harkens back to the early days of the American saloon, when whiskey was cheap and could strip the paint off a barn, and when life was hard enough to warrant the indulgence. A shot glass doesn’t play around or pretend to be what it is not; leave the champagne flutes and fancy cocktail glasses to the elite happy hour set. The shot glass tattoo makes a bold, no-nonsense statement in a very short space, and the man who carries it needs no further introduction. You won’t find him in lounges or trendy new dives, for his home is where it’s always been: on a barstool designated for him in his longtime watering hole.

The no-frills shot glass is both effortlessly cool and timelessly relevant. You don’t drink to drown your sorrows or go for the proverbial cocktail meet-and-greet. No, you drink and talk straight, no airs or pretenses, and are the best bar company because of it.