It’s common for most of us to reach for our everyday glassware when pouring the day’s first glass of juice or fruit smoothie and that same glass usually ends up at our dinner tables filled with water or even a cup of coffee (yes, we’ve seen this done before). But when it comes to a home bar setup, a boring juice glass just won’t do. With these traditional cocktail glasses, you’ll be ready to host a proper party and feel confident pouring the classics—from dry gin martinis to smooth old-fashioneds.
A Bar Classic
Whiskey Glasses: Commonly referred to as a whiskey glass, old-fashioned glass or rocks glass, these types of glasses are short and heavy. As the name states, it’s ideal for whiskey, rye or scotch on the rocks or in stirred cocktails. Though you may find scotch served in snifter glasses—a curvy, bulbous glass featuring a stem—at high-end bars, these rocks glasses are perfectly acceptable.
Contoured Shape
Martini Glasses: Whether you are team vodka or team gin or perhaps you’re more influenced by James Bond and go for both spirits in one drink—meet the martini glass. Martini glasses aren’t just for stiff drinks with salty olives. Use them for a Manhattan or a Carrie Bradshaw favorite, the Cosmopolitan.
Tall & Lean
Collins/Long Drink: When it comes to drinks served in tall, slender glassware, you might be quick to think about a Cuba Libre, Paloma or thirst-quenching gin and tonic. Referred to as a Collins or Long Drink glass, these glasses are tall and ready to accommodate lots of ice, they are also quite narrow and feature a heavy-weighted bottom to secure balance. Not to be confused by the highball glass, which is somewhat similar in nature but shorter and wider in appearance, the Collins glass crosses over to support any frosty beverage.
Buy: Schott Zweisel Collins/Long Drink Cocktail Glasses
Alternative to Flutes
Coupe Glasses: The birth of this Champagne glass is truly quite interesting, let’s just say it dates back to 1663 and involves Marie Antoinette; I’ll leave it to you Google that. Today’s use for it isn’t exclusively for Champagne. You may see a martini-like shape at first glance, but you’ll find the stem is shorter and the bowl of the glass engineered to be wider, rounder than that of the V-shaped martini glass.
Buy: Libbey Speakeasy Coupe Glasses
Michellina Jones is a contributing writer to Florida Travel & Life, an online brand that inspires active, affluent travelers, providing them with insider information on discovering the best of Florida. Informative and engaging, the website showcases travel destinations, arts and cultural venues, vibrant dining scenes, recreational activities, the great outdoors and the revitalized real-estate market. Michellina enjoys traveling to great food destinations worldwide and loves exploring boutique hotels.
