Serving up cocktails is about an entire sensory experience: not just the taste of the drink, but also its smell, its texture in your mouth, and its appearance. And while a delicious drink will be something to enjoy however it comes, taking some time to think about how you present your drinks can really heighten the pleasure of a special cocktail. For cocktails, even more so than other drinks like fine wines or interesting craft beers, a certain amount of ceremony and embellishment is part of the fun.
So, one reason to think carefully about the glassware in which you serve your cocktails is so you present your drinks well. In the right glass, a drink looks its best, whether you’re showing off the beautiful green of a gin basil smash or highlighting the delicate bubbles of a kir royale. A good glass should feel weighty and pleasing in the hand, like a heavy tumbler that’s perfect for enjoying your scotch. And good glassware feels good when you sip from it too, with a lip that’s not too thin and flimsy but also not too thick and chunky.
But glassware isn’t only about looks. The right glass will help to channel the scents of a drink, which is a hugely important but easily overlooked factor in enjoying a drink. Much of what we think of as flavor actually comes from our sense of smell, so you want to use this sense to its best effect in your drinks by making sure that your cocktails have room to breathe. When you go to take a sip of a drink, you should get a waft of delicious scent to prepare you for the flavors that you’re about to enjoy.
There are seemingly hundreds of styles of cocktail glasses, though, and trendy cocktail bars often use gimmicks like serving drinks in unexpected containers. We’ll walk you through the essentials of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to glassware so you can up your home cocktail game to something even more special.
Basic glassware for every home bar
Tumblers
Perhaps the backbone of any glassware collection, tumblers are so simple but are quite often designated as a luxury. If you mostly make mixed drinks, then you probably won’t reach for the tumblers so often unless you really like your Negronis, so you could probably justify going simple and affordable on these. But if you’re a whiskey lover, or anyone who enjoys sipping spirits neat, for that matter, then your tumblers should be an indulgence. Sipping high end whiskey from an Ikea glass just feels wrong, honestly, and something that is weighty with an attractive design makes the whole experience of sipping a spirit work better. The heavy glass helps to keep the drink cool, and they should be wide enough for you to get a good whiff of scent from whatever you’re drinking.
Collins glasses
Tall and thin, these glasses – also known as highballs – are perfect for serving simple mixed drinks. They needn’t be fancy, and you can pick up a six-pack of decent Collins glasses from just about any homeware store that will serve you well. They should have straight sides and not be too large, and look for a reasonably heavy base so they’re not so likely to get knocked over. The tall shape shows off the bubbles from mixers like ginger beer or tonic water, and they are understated and suited for simple
Coupe glasses
Coupe glasses are some of the most versatile glassware, as just about any kind of cocktail can be served up in a coupe. Their extremely wide mouth means you get a huge whack of scent when you drink from them, especially compared to their short depth. They don’t hold a large amount of liquid, so they are perfect for cocktails that are lower volume and that pack a punch. Anything from a last word to a sidecar goes in a coupe, and drinks with foam on top, like sours, look particularly good as you can clearly see the layers of the drink. They were even used for champagne historically, although, in honesty, I find them a little impractical for the larger volumes that champagnes are typically poured in.
Martini glasses
These V-shaped glasses are a love-them-or-hate-them item. Many craft cocktail enthusiasts disdain the martini glass for its associations with the sugary sweet drinks of the 1990s, bringing to mind bachelorette parties and sticky club floors. However, for many people who aren’t so immersed in the cocktail world then, these glasses represent something fun and fancy and an indication that they are about to drink something special. Personally, I find martini glasses rather charming, and I love the joy that they bring to guests who don’t drink cocktails often. The shape is, in truth, rather impractical as they do tend to spill easily and it’s hard to hold them by the stem and keep them balanced. People often end up holding them by the main body, which results in the drink getting warm too fast. But practicality aside, sometimes it’s nice to have fun with a cosmopolitan or an espresso martini.
Optional glassware, depending on your preferences
Copa glasses
These balloon-style glasses were first popularized for drinking gin and tonic in Spain, and now they’ve spread to become a favorite around the world. Often less deep but rounder than a wine glass, they hold plenty of liquid but have an elegant bowl shape that looks great half filled with a drink over ice with a large garnish. The ideal gin and tonic glass, they also work well for drinks like an Aperol spritz or spritzes of other kinds, adding a touch of class rather than the typical wine glass. These are particularly pleasing to use if you like a drop of interesting bitters in your gin and tonic, as you only experience the full extent of the scents of the drink once your nose is inside the rim, at which point you get hit by the full scent swirling around in the bowl.
Margarita glasses
There’s no reason that I’m aware of why margaritas, in particular, should be served in this style of glass other than fun and tradition. Functionally similar to a coupe, they have a very wide mouth and a little more depth and are used almost exclusively for margaritas. If you love a margarita, it probably wouldn’t feel right to drink it from anything other than one of these.
Champagne flutes
The wine experts of the world will tell you there’s a whole lot to learn about wine glasses as well, but we’ll borrow this particular style of glass from them for its use in the home bar. Flutes are a great way to show off long columns of bubbles, and they are the best way to serve prosecco or champagne-based cocktails like a French 75 or a bellini. Classy, elegant, and good to hold, flutes hold a surprising amount of liquid while still looking light and effortless.
Nick & Nora glass
These glasses are most often used for serving historical cocktails, particularly those from the pre-Prohibition era. They are similar to martini glasses but with a more sloped edge. They are small, perfect for straight-up cocktails, and they have a more understated appearance than a sharply angled martini glass.
Even more glassware
You’ll also sometimes find sour glasses designed for classic sour drinks or a range of glasses used in Tiki
If you’re ever unsure what glass to use for a cocktail, consider a few factors: Do you want to serve it straight up or with ice? Are you trying to show off the drink’s scent, layers, or bubbles? Are you aiming for elegance or fun? And when in doubt, take my advice: just put it in a coupe.
