VIThe kit

Glassware

Seventeen glasses, grouped by shape, and what each is for.

5 min read

A glass is chosen for three reasons: how much it holds, how much surface it exposes to the air, and whether your hand touches the drink. Everything below follows from those.

Short and stemmed

Glass	Holds	What goes in it
Martini (cocktail)	90–300 ml	Anything served up: Martini, Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini
Coupe	150–200 ml	Anything served up. Shallower than a Martini and far less likely to spill
Margarita	250 ml	Margarita, and frozen drinks
Snifter / balloon	250–500 ml	Cognac, aged spirits neat. The bowl traps aroma; the stem keeps your hand off it

Short and heavy

Glass	Holds	What goes in it
Old Fashioned (rocks)	200–300 ml	Old Fashioned, Negroni, spirits on the rocks. Heavy base, wide mouth
Shot	30–60 ml	Shots, and layered drinks like a B52

Long

Glass	Holds	What goes in it
Highball	240–350 ml	Any long drink: G&T, Mojito, Tequila Sunrise, Cuba Libre
Collins	300–410 ml	The same, taller and narrower. Tom Collins, and anything you want to stay fizzy
Sling	350–400 ml	Singapore Sling, from Raffles in Singapore
Hurricane	440 ml	Piña Colada, and tall tropical drinks
Julep tin	350 ml	Mint Julep. Metal, so it frosts on the outside when packed with crushed ice
Mule mug	350–500 ml	Moscow Mule. Copper, and frosts the same way
Tiki mug	Varies	Rum drinks, mostly Pacific in style
Mason jar	Varies	Smoothies and mocktails. Not used much, and not by me

Wine, fizz and hot

Glass	Holds	What goes in it
Flute	180–300 ml	Champagne, Mimosa, Bellini, French 75. Narrow, so the bubbles last
Wine glass	300–450 ml	Wine, spritzes, aged spirits
Toddy (handled)	200–300 ml	Hot cocktails: Irish Coffee, mulled wine, hot toddy. The handle is the point

Martini90–300 ml
A stem to keep your hand off it, and a wide surface that gives the aroma straight up.
Martini · Cosmopolitan · Espresso Martini · Grasshopper
Coupe150–200 ml
The same job as a Martini glass with a lower centre of gravity, so far less of it ends up on the floor.
Daiquiri · Whiskey Sour · Clover Club · Pisco Sour
Margarita250 ml
A wide rim, which is there to be salted.
Margarita
Old Fashioned200–300 ml
Heavy base, wide mouth. Takes one large cube and sits still while you muddle in it.
Old Fashioned · Negroni · Boulevardier · Caipirinha
Snifter250–500 ml
The bowl collects aroma and the stem keeps your hand from warming it, though a cognac is often cupped deliberately to warm it.
Cognac and aged spirits, neat
Highball240–350 ml
Tall and straight, so it takes a full load of ice and a mixer without crowding.
Gin & Tonic · Cuba Libre · Bloody Mary · Sex on the Beach
Collins300–410 ml
Narrower than a highball, so there is less surface for the carbonation to escape from.
Tom Collins · Mojito
Sling350–400 ml
A footed tall glass. Holds a long drink with fruit juice in it without looking like a highball.
Singapore Sling
Hurricane440 ml
Large and curved. Holds a blended drink and a lot of crushed ice.
Piña Colada
Julep tin350 ml
Metal, so it frosts on the outside when packed with crushed ice, which is half the drink.
Mint Julep
Mule mug350–500 ml
Copper, and it frosts the same way. The handle keeps your hand off the cold.
Moscow Mule
Tiki mug400–600 ml
Carved, opaque and usually enormous. The mug is part of the drink rather than a container for it.
Mai Tai · Zombie · rum drinks, mostly Pacific in style
Mason jar350–500 ml
A preserving jar with a handle on it. Smoothies and mocktails, and not used much.
Smoothies · Mocktails
Flute180–300 ml
Narrow and tall, so the bubbles have the smallest possible surface to escape through.
French 75 · Mimosa · Bellini
Wine glass300–450 ml
A big bowl for a spritz, and the right glass for an aged spirit if you have no snifter.
Aperol Spritz · Wine
Toddy200–300 ml
Handled, and made of something that will not crack. Both non-negotiable when the drink is hot.
Irish Coffee · Hot Toddy · Mulled wine
Shot30–60 ml
Straight-sided and narrow, which is what makes layering possible.
B52

Open Glassware on its own