The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

A Drunk-Proof Guide to Outdoor Glassware

By J. Fergus July 6, 2017

‘Tis the season for day drinking, waterfront shenanigans, and dimly lit patios. Other than the holidays, summertime is rare calendar window for acceptable binge drinking, pub crawls, and bad decisions. The worst decision you could make would be inviting glass to this party. Glassware’s plus-ones are wild cards, ranging from embarrassment to a trip to the E.R. Keep the party going strong this year with these sleek, outdoor glassware options.

Jokel

Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are numerous silicone-based glasses out there, but Jokel leads the charge on cleanliness and stability. Easily collapsible, Jokel’s pint and stemless wine glasses are ideal for trips to your local watering hole. If you’re looking for more opaque outdoor glassware, Silipint also offers high-quality silicone pint glasses, many of which glow in the dark. Although these won’t break, they can be easy to tip when not full.

Hydro Flask

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hydro Flask has slowly made a household name for itself over the past few years with its well-insulated water bottles. If you’re looking for more discretion, their stainless steel glasses are a reliable choice, particularly in hotter climates. For budget or bulk outdoor glassware buyers, a slightly cheaper option with comparable quality would be Klean Kanteen’s pint glasses.

Felli

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Felli’s Baroque-styled acrylic glasses are a great option that won’t remind you or your guests of Mom’s colorful patio tumblers. The styling camouflages any damage inflicted over the years or whatever extreme adventures your summer has in store. Coming in a variety of sizes, Felli glasses are the perfect receptacles for your summer mixology skills.

RSVP-INTL’s Endurance

outdoor glassware — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Whether you like it shaken or stirred, martinis always look cool poolside. Keep your drink tasting as cool as it looks with these stainless steel martini glasses (wrist balance not included).

Govino

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ergonomic and stylish, Govino boasts an entire fleet of shatterproof outdoor glassware. From pitchers and decanters to stemless wine glasses and champagne flutes, their smooth thumb notches make everything easy to hold onto. Their latest whiskey glasses allow you to enjoy your first and fourth Old Fashioned, wildly gesturing your way through any tale. The only thing you have to worry about is texting your ex.

Topics

Camping

Former Digital Trends Contributor

J. loves writing about the vices of life — decadent food, strong drinks, potent cannabis, and increasingly invasive…

Food & Drink

The 10 best rosé wines that everyone should drink

It's time to finally try rosé

Rose wine glasses

Rosé rules -- no ifs, ands, or buts. You’ve most definitely seen dudes drinking rosé, with the pink wine sold in forties. Chances are, you’ve heard the term “brosé” at least once or twice in your life. Heck, people are cooking with rosé. Can you believe that? It's a sweet wine worth talking about.

All this talk about the drink prompted us to go on a quest to find the most exceptional ones this rosé season. With plenty of great options in the market, we chose to narrow down our list to these best rosé wines for your next hot date, guys' night, or solo Netflix binge. Still reluctant to try this magical wine? We listed seven reasons why you should start drinking rosé.
Best rosé wines

Food & Drink

How to start your own home bar: the essential spirits

Home Bar

When you start getting into cocktails, drinking them is only half the fun -- making them is part of the appeal too. If you start making your own drinks at home, you'll soon find that you can often create better or more interesting drinks than what you're served in most bars. And even better, making drinks for other people is a great way to try out new combinations, learn about spirits, and make your friends and family happy too.

However, moving beyond the simple spirit plus mixer style of drinks which most people make at home and into the world of cocktails means that you'll need a wider array of spirits on hand than you might be used to. It can take some time and research to build up a well stocked bar, and choosing high quality spirits isn't a cheap endeavor. It's worth it, though, for the pleasure of being able to try out classic cocktail recipes and experiment with making up your own creations too.

Food & Drink

You’re overlooking the most important ingredient in your cocktail

Steel Hibiscus cocktail.

When you list off the most important parts of making a good cocktail your mind likely goes immediately to good ingredients: quality spirits, freshly squeezed citrus juices, and well-matched mixers. You might also consider the importance of using the right tools, like getting a proper mixing glass so your stirred drinks can be properly incorporated, or a good strainer so that there aren't little shards of ice in your cocktails. And then there are the fun additions like elaborate garnishes, bitters, or home-made syrups which can add a personal touch to your drinks.
All of those things are important, absolutely. However I think there's one ingredient that can make or break a good cocktail, and it's something many drinkers don't ever stop to consider. It's the humble but vital ingredient of ice.

Why ice is so important
In mixed drinks like a gin and tonic or a screwdriver, ice is added to the drink primarily to chill it down to a pleasing temperature. That's a topic we'll come back to. But in cocktails which are shaken or stirred, ice is far more important than that. Cocktails are typically composed of between around 20 to 30 percent water, and this water comes from the ice used in the preparation process.
When you stir ingredients in a mixing glass or shake them in a shaker with ice, you are chipping away small pieces of the ice so that it dissolves and blends with your other ingredients. You might imagine that water doesn't make much of a difference to taste, being tasteless itself. But it's vital in opening up the flavors of other ingredients. That's why many whiskey drinkers like to add a dash of water to their whiskey when they drink it neat.
If you're ever in doubt of how important water is to cocktails, it's worth trying to make a drink with no ice. Even if you mix up the ideal ratios for a drink that you love and put it into the freezer so that it gets to the chilled temperature that you usually enjoy it at, if you sip it you'll find that your drink tastes harsh, unbalanced, and incomplete. Even for special room temperature cocktails like those designed to be drunk from a flask, you'll generally find water being added at a rate of around 30%.
When you make your cocktails you should be sure to stir for a long time – around 30 seconds is a good start – or to shake for a good while too – I typically do around 12 to 15 seconds – in order to melt enough ice to get plenty of water into your cocktail. Despite what you might imagine, this won't make the cocktail taste watery but will rather make the flavors stand out more as well as often improving the mouthfeel of the drink. A good rule of thumb is to mix or shake until the vessel is cold to the touch. That means your ingredients are sufficiently incorporated with the ice.