Why You Need More Than One Glass for Cocktails
Do you love making cocktails at home? There's so much more to cocktail presentation than that one tumbler you also use for water! So what are the different types of cocktail glasses, and how do they help elevate your cocktails?
From Aromatics to Effervescence
Why one Cocktail Glass isn't enought
There's a reason why you'd never see a sophisticated bar serving every drink in the same glass. It's partly about flair and presentation, but there is also a range of technical reasons behind their decision to stock a varied collection of bar glasses. Just as a Margarita differs from a Manhattan, the glass you use should consider the ingredients, the method, the state and structure of your finished cocktail, whether it's shaken or stirred, and whether it includes ice.
Enter the RIEDEL Drink Specific Glassware range: six glasses based on the traditional serves for classic cocktails. The collection debuted in 2019, in collaboration with North American spirits specialist Zane Harris whose vision was to design a simple set of glasses perfected to cater for thousands of cocktails. Take a look at the innovative collection below.
The Neat Glass
This glass is for neat serves or spirit-focused cocktails like a Sazerac, which combines rye whisky, absinthe, bitters and sugar for a sweet and spicy cocktail with a strong kick.
Your Neat glass should be small enough that it doesn't look empty when holding only a single pour of spirit like a great single malt whisky, but not so little that it doesn't allow you any aromatic expression.
The Rocks Glass
This glass is for spirits served on the rocks or short mixed cocktails like an Old Fashioned, which is very similar to a Sazerac except it replaces rye whisky with bourbon, and is designed to be served with ice.
This tumbler is one of the most classic cocktail glasses and is an essential staple for your at-home bar. To up the ante on your everyday drinks, our RIEDEL Drinks Specific Glassware is also specially sized to allow for the large format ice cube or ball.
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The Highball Glass
This glass is for cocktails with a high ratio of a carbonated mixer such as a gin and tonic or mojito, which combines white rum, fresh lime juice, sugar, mint and soda water.
Another excellent staple, the Highball can also be called a "Long Drink" glass and is intentionally tall to help maintain effervescence. RIEDEL's Highball glass is also sized to hold large format ice cubes elegantly stacked on top of each other.
The Fizz Glass
This glass captures the perfect frothy head of foam in cocktails like the gin fizz, which includes pasteurised egg whites shaken through gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup.
Shorter than the Highball, this glass is less common because it serves a particular purpose, to ensure the pillowy "push-pop" head sits up in all its gravity-defying glory. For this, the glass must have completely straight sides, as a curve or angle on the tall glass can cause the head to sag.
The Nick & Nora Glass
This glass is for drinks that are shaken or stirred with ice but served without, like the classic martini composed with either vodka or gin.
This glass became famous following the release of a thriller movie called "The Thin Man", where the main characters (named Nick and Nora, if not already obvious) were regular imbibers who used this sophisticated glass. It is V-shaped with only slightly inward curving sides, delivering liquid without forcing the drinker to tilt their head to ensure an effortless sip.
The Sour Glass
This glass is for mixed cocktails that are classified as "sours", served without ice and including whisky sours, sidecars, and daiquiris among others.
This glass features an old-fashioned style rarely seen in modern collections, which is a shame as its elegant form incorporates an outward flared lip essential for the traditional sour. This lip helps to deliver the silky, smooth texture of these cocktails to your entire palate, presenting a balance between the sweet and sour elements.
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The Mixing Glass
The Mixing Glass is for making more than one cocktail that should be stirred down with ice, including the martini, manhattan, negroni, or old fashioned.
The Mixing Glass is the ultimate accompaniment to your favourite cocktail glasses. When paired with a bar spoon, this product is a home bar must-have for composing any cocktail that needs to be simply stirred with ice, rather than actively shaken for higher water dilution.
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