Why Does It Matter?
Choosing drinkware can be confusing – a glass is a glass, so long as you have something to drink from, right? There’s a good reason why spirits and cocktails are served in different long and short styles, and it’s not just to look pretty.
Ultimately the drinkware you pick can have a surprising effect on a drink’s aroma, flavour and longevity. Before we run through some of the classic styles, here’s a quick set of overarching rules to keep in mind.
Quick Tips
The higher the strength, the smaller the glass
Not just for curbing your enthusiasm, smaller tasting glasses and cocktail glasses ensure you sip and savour the aromas and flavour notes of a spirit served neat, or a higher ABV (alcohol by volume) cocktail, whilst ensuring you aren’t overwhelmed by their powerful flavour notes.
Examples: Nosing, Veladora, Sherry, Rocks, Coupe and Nick and Nora glasses.
No ice? Grab a stem!
If your drink is chilled but doesn’t require ice, reach for glassware that has a stem, or risk warming it with your hands.
Examples: Coupe, Martini and Nick and Nora glasses.
Serving something bubbly or ice-focused? Go long!
If your drink has a fizzy element to it or requires plenty of ice, opt for a tall and narrow glass to retain the carbonation, ensure the ice dilutes slowly and to allow enough space for a mixer.
Examples: Highball/ Collins, Hurricane and Copa de Balon glasses.
Glasses For Sipping & Short Cocktails
Shot Glasses
This one needs no introduction, thanks to all of those late night parties and end of the night moments we’re sure fans of Drinks Distilled have all had.
Use it for: The clue is in the name - use this when you’re looking to drink a shot of spirit, neat. Just remember not to fill it all the way up to the top, or things could get messy!
Veladora Glasses
Traditionally used to hold prayer candles in Catholic churches in Oaxaca (which is why they tend to have a cross on their bases), this glass has since ‘fallen from grace’ and is now traditionally used for sipping mezcal. It has a wider mouth than a shot glass, which allows alcohol vapours to dissipate so you can focus on the flavour of the mezcal.
Use it for: Sipping mezcal, neat.
Nosing and Glencairn Glasses
Both feature a wide bowl that tapers into a narrower neck. This combination unlocks and collects aromas before the liquid hits your lips and releases rich tasting notes thereafter.
Nosing glasses can come in different shapes or sizes with a longer stem and can be used for all manner of spirits. The tulip shaped Glencairn (developed by Glencairn crystal) has a short and heavy base and is often considered the definitive glass for tasting whisky.
Use it for: Tasting whisky.
Sherry Glasses
Also known as Copitas glasses in Spanish, sherry glasses are traditionally used to serve, you guessed it, sherry. These glasses have a bit of an image issue, thanks to their association with grannies sipping from them at Christmas. As such, they are often unfairly abandoned at charity shops.
Use it for: Consider using one of these if you don’t have a suitable nosing glass when tasting spirits such as whisky, mezcal and tequila. Their tapered shape will funnel the aromas of your spirit nicely and their long stems ensure the liquid stays cool.
Rocks Glasses
Available in single or double format, these are often the go-to for whisky tastings when you don’t have a nosing or Glencairn glass. Double Rocks glasses have a little more versatility as you can fit more inside. They're a popular choice for mixing whisky cocktails and other short, chilled drinks. You can opt for one of these to hold two-to-three-ingredient cocktails, from Negronis to Margaritas!
The Rocks style of glassware is designed to draw warmth from your hand into the glass, whilst its wide rim also allows the aroma to collect just above the drink itself. This glass is ideal for serving spirits on the rocks, with large blocks of ice fitting comfortably inside to provide a slow and steady rate of dilution, which retains the flavour of the spirit or cocktail for as long as possible.
The thick base of the glass also makes it ideal for muddling (grinding ingredients at the bottom to release flavours) which is what makes this glass so ideal for Old Fashioned cocktails where sugar and bitters are mixed.
Use it for: Drinks that are built in the same glass you’re serving in or on the rocks/ neat serves.
Nick and Nora Glasses
Borrowing their name from the lead characters in 1930s film The Thin Man - Nick and Nora glasses are often mistaken for miniature wine glasses, thanks to their long stems and rounded bowl, which work together to keep your cocktails cool.
Use it for: An elegant choice for your higher strength and lower capacity cocktails that do not require ice.
Coupe Glasses
Coupe glasses were originally designed back in the 17th century to serve champagne, even though their large surface area allows for the bubbles to escape the liquid! They have become increasingly popular for holding cocktails as they heighten sweetness and reduce burn.
Drinks served in coupe glasses tend to be blended without ice and their long stems will prevent your hands from warming your cocktail as you drink it.
Use it for: Cocktails that are shaken or stirred ‘up’ (without ice) and strained into a glass. The wide rim is also handy for cocktails featuring garnishes.
Martini Glasses
This iconic glass was originally created in the 1920s as an art deco version of the coupe, so that drinkers could easily dispense with their drinks when police arrived to break up illicit parties.
The long stem of these glasses helps maintain a chilled drink, whilst their wide surface area allows alcoholic vapour to escape and soften the taste of alcohol.
Use it for: Not just used for martinis, use these for short cocktails that are, in the words of James Bond, "shaken, not stirred".
Margarita Glasses
This glass has a wide rim to allow you to enjoy the traditional salt or sugar rim coating with each sip.
Use it for: Take one guess! It’s also commonly used to serve Daiquiris and if you’re stuck for cupboard space, you can choose this for shorter cocktails.
Mule Mugs & Julep Cups
Mule Mug and Julep Cups are traditionally used to serve Moscow Mule and Mint Julep cocktails. The copper and stainless steel used to create these vessels help keep your drink cool and some believe that the copper enhances the flavours.
Use it for: Not just the Moscow Mule and Mint Julep, but any short cocktails that you want to keep cool.
Toddy Glasses
A winter essential, used to serve hot drinks such as Irish Coffee - thanks to its thicker, tempered glass.
Use it for: Hot cocktails, like Irish Coffee. To ensure the glass doesn't crack when the hot drink is added (even tempered glass is at risk), warm up the glass with hot water beforehand.
Glasses For Long Cocktails
Highball & Collins Glasses
Although they are often used interchangeably, a Collins (named after the Tom Collins cocktail) tends to be taller and skinnier than the Highball (named after the broad family name for long cocktails).
Their shapes allow bubbles from mixers to slowly rise up and the ice to stay cool, maintaining a slower dilution rate. The long sides also trick us into experiencing a higher level of sourness, which can be further amplified with a garnish of lemon or lime.
Use it for: Long cocktails that are made using one-two or more parts alcohol and one-three parts mixer such as gin and tonics, or those that require crushed ice/stirring, so that the alcohol doesn’t settle at the bottom.
Hurricane Glasses
A hurricane is a pear-shaped glass which is reminiscent of a hurricane lantern.
It's a universal symbol of summer and good times. These glasses are typically used for serving long, tropical themed drinks such as the Pina Colada.
Use it for: Blended drinks, particularly those that may have visual layers to them.
Copa de Balon Glasses
This bulbous glass dates back to the 1700s. It was invented in the Basque region of Spain where gin-loving Spaniards developed the ‘balloon cup’, citing that its rounded shape and long stem are designed to trap the botanical aromas found in gin.
This shape also stops carbonated mixers, such as tonic, from losing their fizz and delays ice cubes from melting and diluting drinks too quickly.
Use it for: traditionally these were created for gin based cocktails such as the gin and tonic, but they are also useful for cocktails requiring plenty of ice and garnishes.
Cupboard Bursting at the Seams?
If owning a full set of these classic cocktail vessels is more than your cupboard can handle, simply select a Rocks glass and a Highball which should see you through most cocktails and occasions!
