5 extra uses for shot glasses

I appreciate shot glasses. They are classy and inexpensive souvenirs. And they are ultimately practical for weekend parties when making drinks.

I have amassed a decent collection of shot glasses. One day it bugged me that the shot glasses primarily got used on weekends. They simply occupied cabinet space on weekdays.

In the spirit of frugality, I thought about extra ways I could use my decorative and ornamental shot glasses. I was amazed at how versatile shot glasses are, and now my shot glasses find daily use. Here are 5 extra ways to use shot glasses:

Snack or appetizer holder

I like honey-roasted peanuts, but I can’t stand how messy my fingers get. It’s especially embarrassing at a party, where I have more than once avoided a handshake when meeting someone new.

The shot glass is a nice solution. Food can be eaten simply by “drinking” from the shot glass without the need to get one’s fingers messy. I especially enjoy do this if I’m at my computer or watching TV.

The shot glass also works for appetizers at dinner parties. You can put soups or even desserts in it. The possibilities are quite interesting. Here is a nice list of 34 appetizers served in a shot glass to get started.

Sauce or salad dressing holder

Yes, I like-a the sauce. I like extra ketchup, bbq sauce, honey mustard, ranch, and more. But I hate dolloping the sauce on my place because it invariably spreads all over and creates a mess.

I took inspiration from the tiny plastic cups you get at restaurants, and I realized that the shot glass was the perfect home equivalent. Putting sauce into a shot glass is great. The shot glass has a wide mouth so it’s easy to dip food into. The dining experience is much cleaner.

As an added bonus, I pre-fill a few shot glasses with sauce for my dinner parties so guests can take extra sauce rather than having to request it or pour it from the bottle at the dinner table. This tip works equally well for chutneys and salsas.

Pen and paper-clip holder

I know, the shot glass is not a great pen holder. But it is a decent one. Plus, there may be some historical background to this use.

One story holds the shot glass originated as a quill pen holder. Over 100 years ago, according to this theory, the term shot glass was used to describe a such a small thick glass that people would have on their writing desk. The cup would store small pellets of lead BBs or “shots,” which could conveniently hold a feather writing quill.

So give it a try. At a minimum, you might get a kick out of having a shot glass at your desk, which might be convenient at the end of the week before happy hour.

Paperweight

Another fun way to get the shot glass into the office is to use it as a paperweight. This is a self-explanatory use.

Some ideas are you can use the shot glass to display your alma mater or to highlight your most recent vacation.

Spice holder when cooking

TV cooks seem to have tons of those small bowls to hold spices and ease cooking assembly. I don’t have any of those, but I do have enough shot glasses for this purpose.

I like to pre-measure my spices especially when cooking soups or stir-frys. I have found that one shot glass holds about 3 tablespoons of spices, so I often don’t even need to get out my measuring spoon.

Bonus use: drinking chess

image credit: puyol5 at http://weblog.ch/

This is just for fun. I’ve never played drinking chess, nor do I intend to play a game where I’d have to take a shot each time a chess piece got captured…

Tip: Oh, and if this list has inspired you to buy more shot glasses, you can often get good prices from Amazon.

What are your ideas?

I’m always looking for more ways to utilize items around the house. What are you inventive ideas for using shot glasses?