There are also mate cups made from metal, ceramic or wood.
Hill's, meanwhile, have come up with a tantalising bet of 15-2 trebleeble for Moscow Flyer (Two Mile Champion Chase), Best Mate (Gold Cup) and Rooster Booster to retain their titles at Cheltenham.
Yet old mate took a cup, had a sniff, had a sip … shook his head, and said, on your way then.
Less than two hours later, he was at a Cuban bakery in Tampa toasting his running mate with a cup of thick Cuban coffee.
Numbers are well down on the glory days of Best Mate, whose Gold Cup hat-trick emulated the feat of steeplechasing great Arkle, but any gloom has lifted during a good run since Christmas.
Lord Windermere, trained by Jim Culloty who, as a jockey partnered Best Mate to Gold Cup glory, bounced back to form last time and it would be no shock to see him play a decent supporting role at least.
McDowell comfortably outstripped his playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate with an unblemished 68, which gave the Northern Irishman an early one‑shot lead over the Valderrama field.
The four-times major winner, who was fourth last year, will partner his Ryder Cup team-mate Martin Kaymer and America's Bill Haas in the first two rounds of the year's first major championship.
He had been due to partner European Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood and young English prospect Tommy Fleetwood in Thursday's opening round.
It a came down to a decider and it was one-way traffic as Evans powered on, building a 5-1 leandand closing out the win on his third match point, with Davis Cup team-mates Colin Fleming and Jamie Murray among the vocal courtside supporters.
