Slick 60s Package Design Re-Lived

I was recently visiting friends who were in the process of cleaning out their late grandma’s house. Apparently, grandma was a bit of a collector during her day, keeping everything from broken vacuum cleaners and air conditioners (they might, after all, see a day when they could be repaired and reused), to Canadiana antiques, to a broad selection of complete sets of dishes and kitchen knick-knacks, dating back to great, great relatives of sorts. The treasure trove of family finds was mind-boggling, as said grandma had a very large house in which to store all of the above and more.

It was my good fortune that brought me to my friends’ house, a day or so before the closing of the house, which had to be emptied of all its belongings. As such, my friends whose own house is now bursting at the seams with much of the contents of grandma’s house, were eager to find homes for some of the less sale-able odds and ends. After dinner, I was offered to take home with me one of the many recouped bottles of liquor, from the many cases they’d uncovered.
Apparently, grandma liked her gifts sets… and so I selected this James Bond styled gift box, that came beautifully wrapped in a gold lame box, with blue velvet interior. Accompanying the bottle of imported Boodles British Gin, were two Crystal d’Arc glasses, suitable for the finest of any smoking room. I leapt at the opportunity to own a piece of this kitch… a veritable piece of packaging design history. I suppose my hosts detected my excitement, as they then offered me a second bottle of booze: a bottle of Bolshoi Vodka.

Beside the intricately designed glass bottle with the fancy top (these tops were clearly all the rage… notice the similarly fashioned one on the gin bottle), my favorite part of this bottle is the fine print on the label (“Distilled from an original formula under government supervision by Distillers Corporation Limited, Montreal, Quebec”) and on the seal (“Bottled in bond under government supervision”).

Why they use the word “formula” in lieu of “recipe”, I have to wonder. True to the days of the iron curtain, there’s an element of secrecy about this ornately designed package. I suppose I’ll never know the exact ingredients, but it’s certainly a form of slick (dare I say tacky?) 1960s art that I will continue to marvel at.

Food for thought for any packaging designer, thanks to my friend’s late grandma.