Label
DALE’S COCKTAILS
1950s
Donated by the Family of Steve and Christine Jones
Restored, 2018 with funds from Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, with special thanks to Lisa Schulte and Nights of Neon
One cannot underestimate the importance of a possessive apostrophe and the sign for Dale’s cocktail lounge contains a fine example. Its apostrophe hangs on an unusual Plexiglass backing to allow the character to float above the perky, mid-century typography below. Too often, these possessive apostrophes are overlooked and it remains a sign of quality when the proper character is included and bent into the neon sign.
For Dale’s 2018 restoration, there were no historic photographs of the sign once located at a Navy-favored dive bar in the port of Alameda, California. Sign experts and curators at the Museum of Neon Art were left to guess the colors and design. No misunderstanding was allowed when it came to the cocktail, however, as it was Bulleit Frontier Whiskey that was helping support this task. The only cocktail that tipsy barware could possibly represent was a Manhattan cocktail with a cherry inside, a nod and thank you to Bulleit Frontier Whiskey.