The 15 Types of Cocktail Glasses You’ll Ever Need

It’s been a hot second since man has swilled alcoholic beverages out of drinking horns. In fact, ancient drinking vessels came in an incredibly diverse range of materials, from stone to clay, and wood to leather.

However, most of these fell out of favor after glass production gained steam. Although the earliest versions of glass vessels were opaque or translucent, transparent glass burst onto the scene around the 8th century BCE, revolutionizing the industry — after all, being able to observe the color and body of one’s beverage greatly enhances enjoyment. Glassware possesses many other advantages: in addition to being lightweight and durable, the material is non-porous, making it hygienic, easy to clean, and incapable of imparting ‘trapped’ flavors to beverages.

Now that you’re able to appreciate glass as a superior material, discover the different shapes of glasses that will bring the best out of your boozy beverages, and why they work.

1. Champagne flute - This tall, narrow glass was designed with sparkling wine in mind but also works beautifully at slowing the dissipation of all kinds of bubbles, thanks to its flute-shaped bowl. Fizzy cocktails like the French 75 and Death in the Afternoon will stay effervescent for longer in this type of stemware.
   
2. Collins glass - Which came first, the Tom Collins cocktail or the Collins glass? According to Liquor.com, it was the former. The latter is tall and slender to maintain the carbonation in cocktails containing soda or tonic while also being spacious enough to hold plenty of ice.
   
3. Coupe glass - Also called the coupette, this style of glass has a wide, shallow bowl that was once rumored to be modeled after the shape of Marie Antoinette’s breasts. The coupe makes any cocktail effortlessly chic but works especially well with sweet concoctions designed for slow sipping.
   
4. Highball glass - As its name implies, this glass goes hand in hand with highballs. Like the Collins glass, for which it is easily mistaken, the highball glass is tall and narrow to keep mixers fizzy for as long as possible.

5. Hurricane glass - Shaped like the cartoonish outline of a hurricane (wide at the top with a narrow ‘waist’), this curvy glass with a short stem is usually reserved for tropical cocktails like the Piña Colada or the Singapore Sling.
   
6. Irish coffee glass - This tall stemmed glass has a tiny handle that looks as useful as a T-Rex’s arms, but it does come in useful when serving winter warmers like Irish coffee and toddies.
   
7. Margarita glass - It’s a no-brainer that one of the most-drunk cocktails in the world has a glass named after it. Possessing more rim than depth, the margarita glass has a maximum surface area for rimming with salt, spices, or dried fruit — the sky’s the limit.
   
8. Martini glass - Easily identifiable by its signature V-shaped bowl, this stemmed glass is suitable for serving low-volume but strong cocktails, like most Martinis.
   
9. Nick & Nora glass - Named after a fictional couple in American writer Dashiell Hammett’s detective stories, this small glass with a round bowl is practically made for pairing with classic cocktails from the same era, like the Aviation, the Bees Knees, and the Clover Club.

10. Rocks glass - This short tumbler is used for serving spirits straight, on the rocks, or with low volumes of mixers, as seen in cocktails like the Whisky Sour or the Old Fashioned, hence its other moniker: the ‘Old Fashioned glass.’
    
11. Shot glass - Sure, you can serve pure alcohol from these glasses, but they’re also great for shooters or small cocktails, like the B-52 or the Kamikaze — notice a trend here with the military names?
    
12. Sour glass - Rather like a miniature version of a white wine glass but with slanted sides, the sour glass has a ‘protruding’ lip to contain the frothy heads of egg white that cap sour-style cocktails.

Specialized drinking vessels:

Although almost every type of cocktail can be served in the aforementioned glasses, ownership of the following serving ware will show that you really know your stuff.

13. Moscow Mule mug - The history of this copper mug with a handle is inextricably intertwined with the cocktail after which it is named. In addition to being a good electrical conduit, copper also adapts to temperatures well, and keeps this vodka-based cocktail nice and cold.
    
14. Julep cup - Another type of serving ware with a namesake cocktail, this sterling silver cup may be expensive, but think of it as a long-term investment if you truly love your bourbon-laced Mint Juleps, which are symbolic of the American South.
    
15. Tiki mug - Though slightly kitsch, Tiki mugs are terrific for serving tropical cocktails like the Mai Tai or the Zombie. Crafted from ceramic, these tall vessels typically depict figurines from Māori mythology, although you’ll find all sorts these days, from animals to movie-themed mugs.

In conclusion, the world of cocktail glasses is vast, with each designed to enhance various drinks. From the Margarita glass that’s mostly associated with a single drink to the more versatile Nick & Nora glass with ties to the Roaring 20s, there is a glass for every cocktail aficionado. Not every sophisticated home bar should have all of the above, although a wider range of glasses, cups, and mugs mean there’s more room for experimentation.