Gorham Mfg. Co. first began production of their 'Shrapnel Cocktail Sets' in 1915. An advertisement in The Kansas City Star on 21 January 1916 described this shaker set as a "Novelty of War Time, A Sideboard Surprise With Four Glasses... It is a facsimile in every detail of an 18-pounder shrapnel shell – its terrors slightly modified by the four cocktail glasses to be found in the silver plated plunger within... The lower part of the Server consists of an actual 18-lb. brass shell discarded by one of the great ammunition factories... With each Shrapnel Cocktail Set is given a booklet with full instructions for making the 'shrapnel,' 'Biltmore,' 'High Explosive,' 'Cascade,' 'Lone Tree' and other cocktails." An example of this model was sold at Sotheby's, London, 12 August 2020, lot 112. Variations of the model include the present example, which holds twelve glasses instead of four, and does not have the authentic brass shell base, as well as a version fitted with a poker set instead of glasses, an example of which was also sold at Sotheby's, London, 12 August 2020, lot 114.