Classic Cocktail Glass Guide

Here is a list of most cocktail glasses you might find in a well-equipped bar.

There are few hard and fast rules about cocktail glasses for serving cocktails:

Always use glass, not plastic which taints the taste of the cocktail.
Always use plain, uncoloured, unpatterned glass.
Always allow enough room for the decoration and never fill the glass to the brim.

The following list of glasses includes the most common kinds of glasses found in the cocktail bar for use as cocktail glasses:

Highball glass

Typical uses: Bloody Mary, Harvey Wallbanger

Lowball glass

Typical uses: drinks with a high proportion of mixer and alcohol. Often, cocktails with whiskey as the base ingredients are served in lowball glasses.

Wine glass

Typical uses: wine, any cocktail

Cocktail glass (Margarita glass)

Typical uses: many cocktails are served in cocktail glasses. Daiquiris are common as are magaritas.

Martini glass

Typical uses: Martini, of course. Also for margaritas. It’s small volume makes it less suitable for large cocktails with many ingredients.

Shot glass

Typical uses: shooters, designed to be hit back and swallowed in a single gulp.

Champagne flute

Typical uses: anything with champagne and bubbles. The tall shape of the glass helps prevent the drink going flat too fast. It also lets the bubbles rise slower, giving the best visual effect of the bubbles.

Hurricane glass

Typical uses: Often used to serve tropical cocktails in.

Even though a bartender will prepare the cocktail in the “right” glass keep in mind that nothing should stop you from making any cocktail in any glass. Tis’ the Mr. Booze and The Missus way.