I really didn't expect it to be this difficult to find something this simple. I'm looking for 3-4 oz. glass, amber sample bottles with cork caps. So far every site I've looked at either has them with twist on caps, or no caps at all.

This is pretty much what I'm looking for right here:

http://www.essentialsupplies.com/~smartcart/

The problem with this site is they have the bottles and caps listed separately, with no clear indication of what goes with what.

Here there is a nice assortment of amber sample bottles, but, naturally... not a single one of them comes with cork caps.

http://www.sks-bottle.com/GlassBottles/Glass_Bottles_2.html

Here's another site with the same problem:

http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?P...Custom&ID=2

But of course they do make the clear ones with cork caps, as you can see here:

http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/fin150e.html

... so if they can make clear bottles with cork caps, why not tinted? I'm at a complete loss for a rational answer to this dilemma.

If worse comes to worse I'll just settle for the twist on caps, or get the clear ones with the cork caps... but I'd like to have the best of both worlds. I want them because I plan on giving out some absinthe samples for Christmas.

Well, you can always get your corks here: http://www.widgetco.com/cork-stoppers

and then get your bottles here: http://www.specialtybottle.com

I know, two orders is a pain in the ass, but what ya' gonna' do?

I bought some bottles with corks from specialtybottle that were fine. They were larger than you probably want.

The problem I've found with some of the corked bottles have been cork quality. Corking and uncorking leads to a broken cork especially in the smaller sizes. JMO

I prefer the screw on caps for easy re-use. Tie a ribbon around the bottle.

Samples would be a neat thing to do. What a fun and generous idea.

Have fun.

Thanks. I guess I'll order from separate sites if that's the only way to get it done. My only concern would be that the corks won't end up fitting into the bottles right. The pictures are kind of misleading and it's hard to tell how big the corks really are, and I'm not too familiar with them.

Do you think the 00 size would be about right for a 4 oz. sample bottle?

Again... thanks for the help.

The snag I'm running into now is that it doesn't specify how big the opening of the bottles are. If I had this information I could choose the right corks. They tell me how big the diameter of the bottles are (50mm), but that doesn't help.

You're making yourself crazy over something so dispensable, man. Find an artist friend, have them paint the screw-caps like corks, and present the absinthe to your peeps in the best condition they could possibly expect to get it in.

Corks present all kinds of problems. Just look back to OMG's post.

Or, you could just take the filled bottles with screw caps and dip the top quarter of the bottles in a pot of molten colored sealing wax to hide the screw cap.

A nice touch as well.

I see that stuff at my local brew shops.

What's ridiculous is that somebody would be in a position to go crazy over something like this. It just shouldn't be this hard to find something this simple.

But yeah, I'm going with the polyseal screw on caps afterall.

I feel you. I'm telling you, I don't know how many times in my life I've been on wild goose chases after something that should, it seems, be readily obtainable... but is not. And I also know that when it seems so logical, then it's even more maddening! Just remember what my man, Mr. Eastwood, said in "Hamburger Hill"... "improvise, adapt, overcome".

That'd be life!

Together with a friend we have found these. Perfect for shipping!

http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/fin171.html

Is it smart to ship in plastic bottles?

It is very light and very cheap and doesn't require much wrapping since plastic cannot break, moreover it is less suspicious and quieter than glass. We do not have such an opportunity here like you do-appreciate that. Here you can get only plastic mignonettes of vodka and liqueur; no one sells them empty. Though if you are happy you can get a box for free. Sadly I am ran out of such ones, hopefully by Christmas.

I was just wondering about the high alcohol content in absinthe reacting with the plastic.

You read my mind.

I can't help with the size of the corks, but I can tell you that the bottles you can get from Specialty Bottle have inside diameters of .5 inches for their 1 oz and 2 oz ambers and .6 inches for the 4 oz bottles.

I use sks-bottle for sample bottles, but I get the glass bottles.

Thanks for all the help guys. I ended up going with these, with the polyseal caps:

http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?P...D&ProdID=19

After further review it does make for a more reliable seal than cork. That's more important than looking pretty.

Good choice. I have a few of those and like the size. You can sample the goods and then re-seal for tasting at a later date. The colored wax is a good idea also.

Transport lasts too short (7-14 days) and there is no change in taste, colour. I was asking at the source (CVUAKA Karlsruhe) coz I was afraid it would pose some problems, but there are none.

I looked up the info on Nalgene bottles last summer and posted somewhere here, there is NO breakdown with alcohol.

Ask a soon to be producer here what type of container the super high proof industrial alcohol comes in, I have seen it with my own two absinthe blurred eyes.


I will say though that I still wouldn't trust plastic for long term storage of absinthe.

Cool! You learn something new everyday!

Not all plastics are alike though. I have seen high proof spirits make plastic containers brittle and break in an instant.

Use caution or Hills before putting the good stuff in plastic. I trust glass.

The Amber PET Boston Rounds are the way to go. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is best for long term alcohol storage. Hiram Walker & Sons and some of Brown-Forman's leading liquor brands use PET bottles.

Remember the FDA are the same people that say thujone is a dangerous chemical in wormwood, but not a dangerous chemical in sage, that is used to be a dangerous chemical in yarrow, but now it's safe.

Remember the FDA are the same people that say bisphenol-A is perfectly safe but an independent government panel blasted the FDA for completely ignoring contrary evidence that raise serious questions about the chemical.

Remember the FDA are the same people that say transfats are safe in food while America has an obesity epidemic among the poor.

The US still has the highest incidence rates of cancer in the industrialized world, though there have been decreases (on the order of 2%) since the late 1990s.

So, we're getting better?

I’m digging the cobalt blue ones…

If you can forgo the amber glass (just pack it in a protective sleeve/wrapping paper), Check out the following options (really just a starting place, there are lots of alternatives):

For a small, screw-cap bottle:

Bellolio Glass Bottles 50 ml

Here is a 200ml bottle (a little pricey, but nice; if you don't like the std cork, replace as desired...):

200 ml "Bordo" bottle

As mentioned by others, sks has nice options, like the following:

4oz bottle with cork

These folks also have interesting options:

GlassPak

A few interesting, but pricey options here:

Fantes

Cork options:

Waterloo

Leeners

Midwest

HomeBrewit

and, as mentioned before...

Widgetco

Hi Mike

Nice links. Thanks for the info.