I was recently at the thrift store, scrounging for glassware and something to wear to this year's Tiki Kon, and came across a new toy: the Fully Automatic Auto-Jigger, which sounds more like Quake weapon than a bar tool. However, it was 2 bucks and appeared to be new in its box, which seems to date back to the 60s or 70s. For the visually impaired, it consists of a hollow copper sphere with a spout on one side and a cork on the other.

So what does the Auto-Jigger do? Well, friends, it mostly pours 1 ounce shots. 'Mostly' because the first shot poured came closer to 1.25 ounces, which was somewhat discouraging, but subsequent pours were quite accurate. This could be useful if, for instance, you worked in a bar that only served drinks made of ingredients mixed in equal parts, and you did't mind saturn-shaped balls on top of all your bottles. There is about a 2 second lag while waiting for the spherical reservoir to fill before any liquid flows out of the spout, and another two seconds for it to actually empty into your shaker, giving you a speedy 4 second pour. A mere 12 seconds of pouring will give you the 3 ounces of gin you need for a Martini. If, however, you need 2.5 ounces of Bourbon for your Manhattan, you're pretty much fucked. Please be aware that when you pull the Auto-Jigger from your Bourbon bottle so you can make a Manhattan, about half an ounce of liquid will spill out the bottom onto the counter.

No, the Auto-Jigger cannot be disassembled for cleaning.

I have no idea why this did not go on to become a successful and well-loved commercial product.