Choosing the Right Glassware
Complete Your Bar With the Perfect Beer and Cocktail Glasses
Jul 1, 2007
The final element to make your home bar complete is glassware. After all, you need something to put your great cocktail in! It can be a little intimidating trying to decide what you need - it seems as though there's a glass for every cocktail. Luckily, it's not that bad.
Glasses for Beer - The most commonly used beer glasses are the pint glass, the mug, and the pilsner. In practical terms, they differ only in small details, and while a purist may disagree, the glasses are essentially interchangeable. Just choose the one that you prefer.
Most people are familiar with the traditional handled beer mug. Although they tend to be heavier than other beer glasses, the handle makes them easy to hold. And if you have children, mugs may be the double-duty glass for you - what kid doesn't like drinking from a mug?
A pint glass, not surprisingly, holds 16 ounces, and is wider at the top, tapering towards the bottom. Pints may have straight sides or be curved in a tulip shape. There is also the nonic pint glass, which has a pronounced bulge about 1/3 of the way down the glass. A pilsner glass holds less than a pint, usually about 14 ounces. The sides may be either curved or straight, but they are always tapered from the top down, and have a footed bottom.
Rocks glass - These glasses are also known as old fashioned glasses. They're short and round, usually holding 8 to 10 ounces. Rocks glasses are normally used for cocktails or liquors served on the rocks.
Highball glass - These glasses are tall, straight-sided glasses, and usually have an 8 to 12 ounce capacity. Highball glasses are used to serve a multitude of drinks, including drinks served on the rocks or cocktails made with mixers. The shape is very similar to that of a collins glass, but a collins glass typically holds 14 ounces.
In a perfect world, you could have old fashioned, highball and collins glasses all at hand. If you're on a budget or have limited space for glassware, start with the old fashioned glasses. You can always add the tall glasses later if you wish.
Wine glass - Technically, there are different types of glasses for red wine and white wine. A white wine glass is a stemmed glass with an elongated oval bowl that tapers in at the rim, a red wine glass is a stemmed glass with a round bowl that tapers in at the rim. If you're a serious wine drinker, you'll probably want both. If not, you'll probably find that the red wine glass is all you need.
Cocktail glass - This is classic shape commonly associated with the martini. It has a triangular bowl with a long stem, and is used for a wide variety of straight up (without ice) cocktails - martinis, metropolitans, gimlets, manhattans.
There's no requirement to have all these. Choose the glassware that fits cocktails you make most, and ignore the rest. And if you wish, you can choose even more specialized glasses: brandy snifters, champagne flutes, Irish coffee mugs, margarita glasses, sherry glasses, cordial glasses - the list is almost endless! Just make sure your glassware is spotlessly clean before serving your guests. Wash glasses with warm water and detergent (not soap), rinse them afterwards with lots of fresh cold water, and polish them with a soft cloth. To avoid fingerprints, hold your glasses by the base or the stem.
Learn more about setting up a bar, choosing mixers, gadgets & garnishes, and stocking your bar.
