A cocktail's glass is more than presentation. It controls temperature, aroma and how quickly the drink dilutes. You only need a handful of glasses to serve almost every classic properly.
Drinks Served Up
Shaken or stirred drinks served without ice go in a stemmed glass, so your hand doesn't warm them. The coupe is the most forgiving: its curved rim prevents spills. The martini glass is iconic but tippy. The Nick & Nora is a smaller, taller bowl for stirred drinks.
Drinks on the Rocks
The rocks glass holds spirit-forward drinks over one large cube and short sours over cubed or crushed ice. Its heavy base takes muddling and stirring.
Long Drinks
The highball and the slimmer Collins keep carbonation alive in tall drinks. Fill them with ice: more ice means slower melting.
Sparkling and Special
The flute keeps bubbles alive, a wine glass holds a spritz with plenty of ice, and the hurricane, copper mug and tiki mug are part of their drinks' identity.
Size Matters More Than You Think
A drink that fills a small coupe to the rim looks generous. The same drink in an oversized glass looks stingy. Every glass page on this site lists the real capacity, calculated from the glass's shape, so you can match drink and glass properly.