Beverage News
Stephensons Brings Iconic Lantern Tankard Back to Britain’s Bars
Stockport-based catering equipment supplier, Stephensons, has revived the iconic ten-sided Lantern Tankard in a bid to bring it back to Britain’s pubs and bars.
With origins that trace back to the late Victorian era, The Lantern Tankard was one of the earliest handled vessels produced. It was the market-leading pressed glass from the 1920s to the 1950s, as its ten transparent panels forced brewers to improve the quality and clarity of beers and ciders.
The tankard was also star of The Brewers’ Society’s ‘beer is best’ campaign throughout the 1930s and 1950s, but eventually fell out of fashion as lighter ales become more popular in the 1960s.
Longstanding admirer of the Lantern Tankard’s elegant design, Stephensons, has chosen to faithfully recreate the original mould produced by The Crystal Glass Company of Knottingley. This design is considered by many experts to be the finest version of the glass, and with this reproduction, the Lantern Tankard has finally been reborn for a new audience.
Henry Stephenson, managing director at Stephensons, said: “The Lantern Tankard is one of the finest handled glasses ever produced, combining elegant visual design with functionality.
“Authenticity is increasingly important to UK consumers, evident by the meteoric rise of the craft ale industry. We believe consumers will welcome the return of this forgotten British classic.”
One of the first places in the UK to serve up drinks in the new Lantern Tankard was the Partridge in Stretton. Commenting on the glass, managing director and owner of 16 Hospitality, Edward Barlow, said – “It really is a delightful reimagining of a classic. We recently started to serve of our own 16 Ale in the Lantern Tankard and it has gone down a treat. Already we’ve seen that people are genuinely intrigued by the heritage, and when you twin that with how good it looks, it’s a winning combo. One customer even jubilantly claimed that the tankard enhanced the whole drinking experience!
To find out more about the Lantern Tankard, please visit: www.thelanterntankard.com
Source: Stephensons
