Hotel Imperial cocktail slide rule

The Hotel Imperial was built in 1863 and remains a top hotel in Vienna, today. The hotel has quite a history.

We don’t have an exact year for this promotional novelty, but we presume it’s from the mid-to-late 1950s, when the hotel finally reopened following the World War 2.

As a tool, this one definitely pushes the limits of practicality, relying on both color coding and symbols to cram in the outlines for 24 drinks across some 40 ingredients in a fussy package roughly the size of a business card. The recipe selection is interestingly tasteful, including Continental drinks such as the Ohio and the Rose.

If you fully remove the card insert, one side contains marketing copy: