Have you noticed that many cocktails are served (and drunk) in very different glasses? Not all of them are created equal because they’ve all been specially designed to enhance the flavours, aesthetics, and temperatures of the cocktails you’re drinking. Here are some of the most popular cocktail glasses that you’ll be able to find at the bar.
Highball glass
These tall and narrow highball glasses are compatible with all sorts of drinks, especially those with a shot and a soda, like Rum & Coke or whisky soda. Bartenders often pour the ingredients and serve within the same glass (instead of shaking it up somewhere and pouring it in), and thanks to its height, there’s enough room for ice and the movement of the bubbles in the soda. A Collins glass is a taller version of the highball glass.
Lowball glass / Old-fashioned glass
Lowball glasses, also called rocks glasses, come in 2 sizes (single and double) and are often used for serving spirits such as whisky (neat or with ice – usually a large, single cube or ball of ice) and certain cocktails, such as negroni and the old fashioned, which it’s named after. Its wide and sturdy base makes it ideal for muddling ingredients like mint and other herbs, and its wide top enables you to smell the drink’s ingredients.
Martini glass
The iconic Martini glasses are exclusively used to serve “up” drinks – those shaken or stirred till chilled with ice in a tumbler and then served without ice – like Martini, Aviation or Manhattan. The glass’ long stem minimises heat transfer from your hand to the drink, and the wide brim enhances the liquor’s aroma. The sloped sides prevent separation of ingredients, and help prop up garnishes (like olives) on toothpicks.
Coupe glass
Coupe glasses are similar to Martini glasses in that they’re stemmed (so you don’t warm drinks with your hand) and are designed especially for cocktails served “up”. The only difference is their broad, shallow saucer which is a safe alternative to the spill-prone Martini glass. Once used to serve champagne, they’re now used to serve craft cocktails (flips, gimlet, etc) and sometimes beer. A variant is the Margarita glass, exclusively serving… margaritas.
Nick and Nora glass
Nick and Nora glasses are like a cross between a coupe glass and a small wine glass, typically used by craft mixologists for cocktails served “up”, just like in Martini and Coupe glasses. Named after the 2 main characters of the 1934 thriller, The Thin Man, the design of the glass allows for the delivery of spirit-forward, high alcohol content drinks (usually without citrus) without forcing the tilt of the head to do so.
Hurricane glass / Sling glass
You may recognise this glass because it’s the one the Singapore Sling is served in. Typically taller and wider than the highball glass, this curved glass is so named because it resembles a hurricane lamp or vase, and used to serve complicated mixed drinks with a tropical or tiki theme (typically using rum and fruit juices), like pina colada, Blue Hawaii, and Mai Tai. The glass was probably invented in the 1940s in New Orleans to serve the Hurricane cocktail.
