# Anyone heard of Franklin's Flip?



## RelicRaker (Nov 19, 2018)

Haven't been digging much lately but did happen on this ACL at a recent foundation excavation. Any info appreciated.


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## RCO (Nov 19, 2018)

I've seen bottles in a similar shape before but never this specific bottle , is there is no other writing or markings on the bottle ? perhaps faded from view on the back


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## M.C.Glass (Nov 19, 2018)

I can't find anything on this one. There is a Franklin Beverages, from Franklin Springs, NY.


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## RelicRaker (Nov 20, 2018)

RCO said:


> I've seen bottles in a similar shape before but never this specific bottle , is there is no other writing or markings on the bottle ? perhaps faded from view on the back



Here's the reverse:


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## SODABOB (Nov 29, 2018)

RelicRaker 

I've seen references for a Colonial (1700s) cocktail called Benjamin Franklin Flip made with rum and eggs. As we know, Benjamin Franklin was from Philadelphia. I've also seen reference for other types of "Flip" drinks from that same era. But as far as your bottle and the soft drink are concerned, I can't find anything. And I mean nada, nothing. Your bottle could be kinda rare. ???


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## RelicRaker (Nov 30, 2018)

Thx Sodabob! Appreciate the research. I'm cool with it being a rarity.


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## SODABOB (Dec 1, 2018)

RelicRaker

I did a little more searching but still can't find anything regarding "Franklin's Flip"  

By the way ...

1. What is that image at the top of the front label?

2. Are there any marks/codes/dates on the base?


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## SODABOB (Dec 1, 2018)

PS 

There are dozens of references for a Franklin Bottling Co. in Franklin, Pennsylvania but I don't think your bottle came from there because it has Philadelphia, Pa. on the back. As strange as it seems, this newspaper snipped is the only reference I have found so far for a Franklin Bottling located in Philadelphia. Other than the address it shows, I don't know anything about the company ... 


*1817 S 11th St.*

[ The Philadelphia Inquirer ~ January 20, 1943 ]


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## SODABOB (Dec 1, 2018)

And there's this from ...

*1935 Philadelphia City Directory*

Note; I cannot find any 1940s Philadelphia directories - 1935 is the closest I can find between the 1930s and 1950s. But it at least tells us that Franklin Bottling was in business in 1935. Notice the 1815 S 11th St address - the 1943 classified shows 1817 S 11th St


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## SODABOB (Dec 1, 2018)

But still zero - nada - nothing regarding "Franklin's Flip" ...


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## SODABOB (Dec 1, 2018)

As it stands now, I have found references for a "Franklin Bottling" located in Philadelphia between 1906 and 1943. If this information is accurate, I'm guessing your "Franklin's Flip" bottle was produced no later than 1943.  ???


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## RelicRaker (Dec 2, 2018)

Sodabob - Many thanks! At least we have an address and an age range.


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## SODABOB (Dec 2, 2018)

RelicRaker said:


> Sodabob - Many thanks! At least we have an address and an age range.




Did you check the base for a makers mark / date code?  I suspect it has them - if so, it might be easy to date.


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## RelicRaker (Dec 3, 2018)

And the image is, a chicken. Was a "flip" made w/ eggs? Reaching, I know.


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## SODABOB (Dec 3, 2018)

Hot Ale Flip

Hot Ale Flips were all the rage at a time when fire pokers were ubiquitous hearth accouterments and warm beer was lauded as tonic. One of the earliest known mixed drinks, the flip was referenced as early as 1695 in William Congreve’s society farce _Love for Love: _“We’re merry folks, we sailors: we han’t much to care for. Thus we live at sea; eat biscuit, and drink flip.”And though flips were associated with a rough crowd in England (Nathan Bailey’s _An Universal Etymological English Dictionary _[1721] defines flip as “a sort of Sailor’s Drink”), it was beloved in taverns on the other side of the Atlantic. George Washington was known to drink them in the early years of America.


In those days, ale was often mulled (finding an ice-cold one would’ve been something of a challenge—refrigeration wasn’t invented yet), and doctors prescribed it for indigestion, insomnia and colds. In taverns, flips were often composed of rum or brandy, eggs, molasses or sugar and beer all mixed together in a pitcher and then stirred to a caramelized froth with a hot poker. The poker was eventually replaced with the “ale-warmer,” which consisted of a tin or copper vessel that heated and funneled the drink from the pitcher to the pint. Today, the stove top will do just fine.


Ale Flip: A Colonial Cocktail Recipe

*Ale Flip*

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Makes 1 drink
*Special Equipment:*

Boston shaker or 2 pint glasses

*Ingredients:*



1 1/2 fl. oz. (3 tablespoons) rum
1 tablespoon molasses
1 large egg
8 fl. oz. (1 cup) dark beer such as brown ale, porter, or stout
freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

*Method:*

Pour the rum and molasses into one of the pint/shaker glasses. Crack the egg into the other glass and beat well with a fork.
Warm the beer in a small saucepan over low heat just until it begins to froth and steam; don’t let it come to a boil.
Pour the beer into the glass filled with rum, then pour the egg into the beer. Continue to pour the drink back and forth between the pint glasses until smooth and well-blended, then transfer to a mug or other clean and heat-safe drinking glass.
Grate fresh nutmeg over the flip and serve immediately.


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## RelicRaker (Dec 3, 2018)

Rum, molasses, and egg in a beer? Wow.  
The base by the way is <0I> with a date code of "6" and it's Duraglas. What's that make it... 1956? '46?


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## CanadianBottles (Dec 3, 2018)

That reminds me of a party I was at once where they tried making something from a 16th century recipe called buttered beer.  It basically involved putting eggs, butter, sugar, and spices into beer.  I'm not sure if they made it wrong or not, but the egg cooked and turned solid and the butter floated around on top.  I was not brave enough to try the final product.


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## SODABOB (Dec 4, 2018)

RelicRaker said:


> Rum, molasses, and egg in a beer? Wow.
> The base by the way is <0I> with a date code of "6" and it's Duraglas. What's that make it... 1956? '46?




Duraglas (a glass hardening agent) was introduced in 1940 - plus a solo 6. would indicate your bottle was made in 1946. By 1956 Owens Illinois was using double-digit dates such as ... 9 <(I)> 56

If the beverage itself was intended to replicate a Colonial flip, I can only imagine what it taste like - but thinking it might have been some type of root beer. The possibility that your bottle might be the only known example suggest that it might have had a short run for some reason - possibly because it didn't sell well. And if it taste like I think it might have, its no wonder.


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## RelicRaker (Dec 5, 2018)

CanadianBottles - Lol that's awesome!


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## RelicRaker (Dec 5, 2018)

Sodabob -
Thanks! 1946 it is then. Yes, I'm getting the feeling that FF wasn't around long enough to produce many bottles.  Bet you're right about the root beer.


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