Ah, thank you for the suggestion!
As it turns out there are mantle lamps that will run on diesel.
I think these will be close to what I'm looking for.
The Sea Anchor 950 is an example that keeps popping up.
They won't burn "anything" but they should burn anything that can pass as diesel, and that's quite a range.
Meanwhile I came across some lantern enthusiast's who were thinking along the same lines:
https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/a-lantern-thatll-take-on-any-liquid-fuels.12593/