The origin of the word cocktail is much debated. One theory is that it comes from the French word for egg cup “coquetier” as people would use them to serve digestive alcohols. In early 2016, spirits historian David Wondrich published an article revealing what could be the true story of how the word cocktail came to be, a story that will most likely make you want to gag, rather than order a drink.

Last fall, I was strolling on Portobello Road in London and, quite unusually for me, I was perusing the antique stands. I was looking for vintage shakers or maybe glassware. As I wandered inside a gallery, my attention was caught by several egg cup trays and, remembering the “coquetier” theory, I was taken with the idea of serving shots on a tray. I thought it would look very smart and the tray could also be decorated which would allow some mise en scene and add visual value to the service. So, you guessed it, I bought one.

After seeing some remarkable Easter-themed cocktail pictures on Instagram, I remembered about my still unused egg tray and got a little inspired. The shots served inside the cups on the tray with one chocolate bunny are some simple, alcohol free, rhubarb shrub shots, while the shots on the tray with two bunnies are Ruby Gin-Gins (rhubarb shrub, gin and ginger).

More decoration ideas are popping in my mind. I’m thinking baby pineapples and mini pumpkins. Any suggestions?