Detrick Distilling Co. Motto Jugs
Around the turn of the 20th century the Detrick Distilling Company of Dayton, Ohio, issued a series of miniature “motto” jugs. These jugs were 4 inches or so high and are properly described as two-toned stoneware with an Albany slip top and
Bristol glaze body. They were made with two different tops, one conical and one more rounded.
Detrick jugs were issued with twelve different mottoes, not tied to Christmas or any specific years. A customer who bought one gallon of Detrick’s whiskey could choose one of these jugs; if he bought four gallons, he could choose four. Among the slogan’s used were some of a traditional nature: “While we live – let’s live,” “To Err is Human, to Forgive Devine,” “A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed,” “May Fortune Ever Smile on You” and the enigmatic, “As I Go Up the Hill of Prosperity, May I Never Meet a Friend.” Other mottos were particular to the bar business: “Rye on Toast,” “Drink Weary Pilgrim, for Tomorrow You May Die” and “If You Try Me Once, You Will Try Me Again.”
These motto jugs proved very popular with customers and were copied by a number of bar keepers and distilleries around the country.