Glass bottles have been around for centuries. The first attempt to make glass in the U.S.A. was in 1608. I started collecting bottles about 20 years ago, buying from dealers, auctions and yard sales. My interest in bottles, goes back to childhood, growing up in Guyana.
At that time, “drinks” bottles were common. These were called “soft drinks” as against hard liquor. If a guest was arriving, my father sent me to run from our King Street home in New Amsterdam, around the Backdam Road to the shop on
Essex Lane to buy “a soft drink”. These carbonated drinks went by different names and makes: Pepsi Cola, Coca Cola, Juicee, Ju-c, 7 UP, Russian Bear Lemonade, D’Aguiar I-Cee Puma (a milky coloured drink in a small bottle), LBW (Lemon Barley Water), Vimto imported from England, and Portello – a purple coloured sweet drink made at the Aerated Water Factory in Georgetown. Vimto is still around today. Flavours included cream soda, grape, banana, orange, and lime.
