Cruchon is a delicious refreshing drink made from berries or fruit and low-alcohol wine. The main rule when making cruchon is to avoid using several types of fruit at the same time so that their flavors do not cancel each other out. This is also why only light wines should be used for cruchon. It is very convenient to mix this kind of drink in a special bowl or even a large pitcher and then serve it to a large group of friends in small crystal glasses or cups.
Legend has it that cruchon appeared as a means of staying cool in hot weather. The Frenchman who invented the drink mixed wine and champagne in one bowl and added the fruits that were close at hand. As a result, he got a refreshing cocktail that soon became popular among the aristocrats.
The cruchon bowl is made of yellow-green uranium glass. Its unique green color is achieved with the help of uranium trioxide and creates a particularly impressive effect because such glass can fluoresce. Up to 20% of invisible ultraviolet light in sunlight strikes the glass surface and is transformed into visible yellow-green light. As a result, the glass seems to glow from within. When uranium glass is lit with ultraviolet light only (for example, using an UV lamp in a dark room), this glowing effect is significantly stronger. Uranium glass can be yellow (or yellow-green) and green (or green-yellow). Both types were developed by the glassmaker Josef Riedel the Elder between 1830 and 1848 and named Annagelb and Annagrün respectively after his daughter Marie-Anna.
Uranium glass was mainly used for making thick-walled products. This is explained by the fact that the wide facets on the surface of such products highlight the play of yellow and green colors. The Dyatkovo Crystal Factory manufactured uranium glass products between the late 1830s and the 1950s. A cruchon set usually consists of a 3- to 5-liter bowl, a special ladle for pouring the drink, a tray, and from 6 to 12 glasses with handles.
Legend has it that cruchon appeared as a means of staying cool in hot weather. The Frenchman who invented the drink mixed wine and champagne in one bowl and added the fruits that were close at hand. As a result, he got a refreshing cocktail that soon became popular among the aristocrats.
The cruchon bowl is made of yellow-green uranium glass. Its unique green color is achieved with the help of uranium trioxide and creates a particularly impressive effect because such glass can fluoresce. Up to 20% of invisible ultraviolet light in sunlight strikes the glass surface and is transformed into visible yellow-green light. As a result, the glass seems to glow from within. When uranium glass is lit with ultraviolet light only (for example, using an UV lamp in a dark room), this glowing effect is significantly stronger. Uranium glass can be yellow (or yellow-green) and green (or green-yellow). Both types were developed by the glassmaker Josef Riedel the Elder between 1830 and 1848 and named Annagelb and Annagrün respectively after his daughter Marie-Anna.
Uranium glass was mainly used for making thick-walled products. This is explained by the fact that the wide facets on the surface of such products highlight the play of yellow and green colors. The Dyatkovo Crystal Factory manufactured uranium glass products between the late 1830s and the 1950s. A cruchon set usually consists of a 3- to 5-liter bowl, a special ladle for pouring the drink, a tray, and from 6 to 12 glasses with handles.
