A great cocktail might be love at first sip, but you have to admit that first impressions, even before the initial taste, matter. The proper stemware can make a boozy beverage look good, feel good and, above all else, taste amazing. Though it’s easy to assume that any cocktail could work in any type of glass, finding the perfect match makes a big difference. For starters, it’s important to think about the type of drink you’re serving. While a petite pour like a post-dinner aperitif is best served in a smaller cup, cocktails served over ice are more nuanced. And, contrary to popular belief, certain spirits don’t always go in one type of glass. Instead, it’s all about focusing on the final product.
“We consider the function of temperature and dilution in the drink,” Rachel Azhadi, the bar manager at Left Door in San Francisco, tells Observer. “Do we want this cocktail to continue diluting and changing as the drinker imbibes? If so, smaller formats of ice are used.” A mojito complete with tiny ice cubes might pair well with a narrow highball glass, while stiffer classic cocktails that are designed to dilute slower will fare best in a shorter vessel with a wide opening. Maybe that’s why an old fashioned or Negroni is often poured into a rocks glass with a single, large ice cube.
Drinks that are meant to stay colder for longer might be served in a glass with a long stem, a common trick to prevent the heat from prematurely warming up a beverage. Of course, spirits aren’t the only thing you should consider when selecting a glass. If you’re adding a skewer of blue cheese-stuffed olives to a gin martini or a few dashes of Angostura bitters, Azhadi says a wide-brimmed coupe with a narrower base is a great silhouette for garnishes.
To help you find the right vessel for every type of drink, we chatted with cocktail connoisseurs to share the very best glasses to add to your home bar cart. From vintage-inspired coupe glasses to double-walled tumblers, the options below are poised to take your boozy beverages to the next level. Cheers!
