Introducing, the Mescola Cocktail Set
Sometimes, the perfect object is born from a shared vision, a mutual love for design, and a few great conversations over coffee, and that’s exactly how our partnership with Craighill came about—a natural meeting of the minds driven by a passion for creating objects that are not just beautiful but deeply considered and functional. Founded in 2015 in Brooklyn, NY, Craighill is a design and manufacturing brand rooted in curiosity, ingenuity, and satisfaction.
Alex, co-founder and CEO of East Fork, first met Craighill’s founders, Hunter and Zach, back in 2018 at a Field & Supply show in upstate New York. Craighill’s commitment to craftsmanship and thoughtful design resonated with us, and over time the connection between our companies evolved. By the summer of 2023 the seed of collaboration began to sprout. Both teams wanted to create something special, something that blended Craighill’s expertise in metalwork with our organic forms and design language.
After some brainstorming, we landed on the idea of a cocktail set—specifically, a shaker that embodied the best of both of our brands. It was the perfect product to reflect our shared values: beautiful, functional, and built to last. We’re always looking to create and share objects—whether it’s a bowl, a mug, or a martini glass—that you reach for again and again. We’d struggled to find the right cocktail maker to complement our collection, and this collaboration with Craighill gave us the opportunity to craft it.
The Design Process
The design journey was full of back and forth collaboration. Alex, along with our mechanical engineer, James, worked closely with Hunter and Kevin (Craighill’s designer), bouncing ideas and prototypes between Asheville and Brooklyn.
“They thought through the tiniest details of function and engineered fixes to our sales and merchandising team’s more visceral feedback, like ‘this curve or weight just doesn’t feel quite right’ or ‘it’s feeling a little off.’ There was definitely a mix of right and left brain involved in this collaboration, but it’s a true representation of both our brands. Everyone brought their strengths to the table.” - Ha Nguyen
Design iterations for the Shaker’s strainer pattern.
The final design
The Craighill design team spent about 6 weeks diving deep into the initial design process, testing dozens of new and vintage shakers and identifying features and constructions that we liked. “We also studied East Fork’s various vessel forms, to see if we could translate some of the specific curvature and spirit of those forms into a metal object,” Hunter said. “The shaping of the shaker, jigger, and even the spoon, all came pretty directly from a few different East Fork cups and bowls.”
One of the biggest challenges? The pour spout. Pottery spouts are formed by hand in seconds with a fluid, dynamic pinch—a gesture that Alex knows intimately. Translating that kind of spontaneity into metalwork was no small feat. Alex provided insight into the distinction between a “jug spout” and a “teapot spout” along with lots of references. We passed the 3D model of the spout back and forth a few times over the next month to refine the exact shaping, trying to make it feel as hand-formed as possible. After several iterations and design tweaks, the team achieved a spout that felt both functional and true to the spirit of our work, and the Mescola Cocktail Set was born.
A spout Alex threw in January 2024 to demonstrate the traditional process
Early 3D-printed spout iterations
The brushed finish at the bottom of the shaker mirrors the unglazed section on our Mugs, and the jigger and spoon are half brushed and half polished, too. Every element of the set was designed to work together seamlessly. The cap fits into the rim of the shaker rather than over it, preventing drips during pouring, and the spout itself offers a precise, celebratory feel—perfect for at home bar enthusiasts who appreciate the ritual of crafting the perfect cocktail.
The Challenge and Reward of Collaboration
Combining our love for ceramics with Craighill’s metalworking prowess, this collaboration allowed both of us to step outside of our comfort zones. The result is a set that’s more than the sum of its parts—a cocktail shaker, spoon, and jigger that are as functional as they are beautiful.
Every Consideration
Go deeper with Alex, Hunter, and Zach in Craighill’s Brooklyn office and listen in on their conversation about Craighill’s origin story, the making and designing of beautiful objects, and the struggles of running a business.
