The Ultimate Guide to Cocktail Glassware - Punch Drink

Here at Punch, our priority has always been what&#;s in the glass. But that doesn&#;t mean we don&#;t pay attention to the cocktail glass itself. We&#;ve spent more time than most handling coupes and copitas of every ilk; we&#;ve seen Negronis served in lightbulbs and Old-Fashioneds in hollow ice spheres. All to say that over the years we&#;ve learned what works and what doesn&#;t when it comes to drinkware. 

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Below, we&#;ve compiled a list of our favorite examples in every category&#;plus a few notable outliers&#;selected for their availability, durability, functionality and, of course, how they look and feel. At the bottom, you&#;ll also find a selection of our go-to resources for scoring vintage finds.

Coupes

The default for any &#;up&#; drink, from Daiquiris to Martinis. 

Go-to: Cocktail Kingdom Leopold Coupe | Set of six, $33.99
Well-proportioned and sturdy without feeling clunky, the Cocktail Kingdom Leopold Coupe is a popular choice at bars across the country for its versatility and reasonable price point. It comes in several sizes, but the six-ounce option is our favorite for most &#;up&#; drinks. It&#;s not so big that the glass looks only half-full when your drink is poured, nor is it too small that you&#;re stuck with leftover cocktail in the mixing glass or shaker tin. 

Splurge: Waterford Elegance Champagne Belle Coupe | Set of two, $85
Waterford has built a reputation for being the leading manufacturer of crystal since its founding in . While the company is better-known for its more ornate, etched glassware, these unadorned coupes feel decidedly modern while still possessing an elegant timelessness.

Nick & Nora

An alternative to traditional coupes, Nick & Noras tend to be a tiny bit smaller (about five ounces), but can work for just about any &#;up&#; drink. 

Go-to: Cocktail Kingdom Nick & Nora | Set of six, $33.99
As with most Cocktail Kingdom glassware, these Nick & Noras are designed for commercial use, which means they can withstand a fair share of abuse. Apart from their durability, however, these glasses are the visual archetype of the modern Nick & Nora.

Splurge: Riedel Nick & Nora | Set of two, $33
With a more tulip-like appearance, these crystal glasses from Riedel recall the diminutive examples pictured in The Thin Man, the film whose protagonists gave the Nick & Nora glass its name. They&#;ve become a staple among the entire Punch team.

Single Rocks

Typically holding between seven and 10 ounces, these are ideal for Old-Fashioneds, Sazeracs or neat spirits.

Go-to: Duralex Empilable Tumbler | Set of six, $20
These seven-ounce tumblers are great for &#;down&#; drinks (i.e. chilled and in a rocks glass with no ice), neat spirits or even Old-Fashioneds&#;despite the fluted design, these glasses can still accommodate a large ice cube. And thanks to Duralex&#;s tempered glass, they are five times more resistant to shattering than most other glasses. What&#;s more: They&#;re stackable!

Splurge: Kimura Kikatsu 8-Ounce Old-Fashioned Glass | $53 each
Kimura is a hand-blown glass wonderland, and it&#;s easy to lose hours scrolling through their more than 1,000 ultrathin designs. Lucky for you, we&#;ve already put in the time, and these eight-ounce crystal Old-Fashioned glasses with a simple geometric &#;kiriko&#; design are our favorites. While shipping is from Tokyo, it&#;s fast and reliable.

Double Rocks

Typically between 10 and 13 ounces, double rocks glasses (or double Old-Fashioned glasses) are designed to hold larger cocktails, or those with ice.

Go-to: Design Within Reach Big Top Glassware | Set of four, $59
When it comes to rocks glasses, there&#;s an undeniable pleasure in holding one with heft. These &#;big top&#; glasses answer that call, offering a nice weight in the hand and plenty of room for ice, whether it&#;s a large cube for a Negroni or a heap of pebble ice for a Mai Tai. 

Splurge: Kimura Kikatsu 12-Ounce Old-Fashioned Glass | $67 each
These Kimura glasses fall on the opposite end of the spectrum as our go-to&#;they&#;re feather-light and impossibly thin, but every bit as satisfying to hold as their heftier counterparts.  

Highball

A workhorse glass for all your tall drinks. Though highball glasses are typically smaller than Collins glasses, they get the job done, for everything from a G&T to a Ramos Gin Fizz and, yes, even a Tom Collins.

Go-to: CB2 Marta Juice Glass | Set of eight, $12
Almost everyone on Team Punch owns these ultra-thin glasses, and it&#;s not hard to spot them in the wild at bars across the country since their sleek appearance belies a deceptively durable construction. Though they&#;re billed as juice glasses, they work equally well for highballs, spritzes and more. 

Splurge: Ferm Living Ripple Long Drink Glass | Set of four, $75
It&#;s impossible to make a drink look bad in these mouth-blown ribbed glasses. And, as nice as they look, they feel even better in the hand.

Heatproof Mug

The perfect companion for your next hot toddy. 

Go-to: Duralex Gigogne Mug | Set of six, $28
While the entire Duralex catalog of glassware is tempered and capable of withstanding both hot and cold temperatures (and rapid changes between the two), sometimes it&#;s nice to have a handle when drinking a steaming hot toddy or amaro caldo. This is our go-to. 

(Slight) Splurge: Kinto Sepia Cup | Set of four, $18.80
These amber-hued mugs have an inherent warmth to them that adds a bonus layer of comfort to your hot cocktails.

Copitas

Translating to &#;tiny cup,&#; copitas are the traditional drinking vessel for mezcal.

Go-to: Veladora Mezcal Shot Glasses | Set of six, $25
The name of these glasses alludes to their original purpose, which was to hold votive candles. (&#;Veladora&#; means candle in Spanish.) They&#;ve since become the go-to for sipping mezcal in Oaxaca; these particular examples are made from recycled glass. 

Splurge: Black Ceramic Mezcal Cups | Set of two, $25
These one-ounce copitas are hand-made in Oaxaca from black clay so no two are identical, making them especially nice to order in abundance.

Goblet

Though hardly essential, a goblet is a great option for sgroppinos, frappés or as an alternative to wine glasses for spritzes. 

Go-to: Design Within Reach Tavern Glass | Set of six, $35
The aptly named tavern glass has an air of the everyday about it: It&#;s sturdy and utilitarian, but still a joy to drink from. Try it for your next Daiquiri Frappé, or even just a glass of sparkling wine. 

Splurge: Italian Duotone Retro Goblet | Set of two, $88
For drinks as simple to throw together as a spritz or a Gin & Tonic, elevating them to more of an occasion is as easy as throwing them in an appropriately colorful glass, like these retro-inspired ribbed goblets from Food52.

Miscellaneous

Digestivo: Ferm Living Ripple Small Glasses | Set of four, $45
A diminutive take on our favorite highball glasses, these two-ounce versions are ideal for after-dinner drinking, like a pour of amaro or your favorite 50/50. 

All-purpose spritz glass: Karakter Sferico No. 2 Glass | $25 each
These Sferico glasses come in four different iterations, and we suggest mixing and matching. But if you have to pick just one, we recommend the No. 2, which feels well-proportioned for aperitivo.  

Pitcher: Design Within Reach Wave Pitcher | $215 each
The next best thing to a Negroni fountain is a Negroni-filled pitcher. This is the one we reach for when we want to get the job done in style.

Find Your Next Favorite Glass

Sometimes the best glasses are one-of-a-kind vintage finds, so we&#;ve compiled a few online retailers to help you score your next favorite glass.  

Cute Sips
A curated selection of vintage glassware selected by former Undercote manager Jillian Tuttle.

Sunnybrook Supply
Colorful stemware, vintage barware and smoked glass sets are always available at Sunnybrook Supply.

Are you interested in learning more about 25 oz beer mugs wholesale? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

How Fast Time Flies
A popular destination for retro anything, specializing in vintage glassware.

Collins & Coupe
This San Diego-based shop sells a robust collection of new glasses alongside a rotating selection of vintage barware.

Happy French Vintage
Vintage ice buckets, pitchers and glasses are the typical finds at Happy French Vintage.

When it comes to cocktails, we at Food52 think that the vessel that holds your drink is almost as important as the beverage itself. But with so much terminology and so many options, it can be challenging to find the perfect glass for whatever you&#;re sipping. So, we talked to two experts (our Cocktail Resident Harper Fendler and Commerce Editor Julia Kramer) to figure out exactly what to look for in a cocktail glass&#;and which styles are worth keeping on hand.

First off, Harper says it&#;s helpful to think about cocktail glasses as having two main categories: stemmed (like coupes and Nick & Noras) and stemless (tumblers, rocks glasses, highballs, and Collins glasses). Which type of glass you serve a drink in depends on a variety of factors, ranging from tradition and personal taste to practicality.

According to Harper, the first major consideration is volume. &#;You'd hate to make a drink, go to pour it in a glass only to find that it's too small,&#; he says. &#;The inverse is also true: If you select a glass that is too large for the volume of the finished drink, you're left with your cocktail looking skimpy. No good.&#; When evaluating the volume of your drink it&#;s also important to think about how it&#;s served or prepared&#;doing so helps account for additions like ice (if it&#;s served on the rocks), or extra dilution in the case of cocktails that are shaken or stirred. Lastly, you&#;ll want to think about how you want your cocktail to look. This will depend on your preferences and tastes, or the vibe you&#;re trying to curate.

Though choosing a vessel for your cocktail is often flexible, Harper warns that that&#;s not always the case. &#;If you're making a fizz, be sure to use a glass with straight sidewalls,&#; he says. &#;The hallmark of a fizz is its head and bubbles. If one is prepared in, say, a martini shell, the head will simply waterfall over the sides of the glass. Fizz glasses can look like anything from a highball to a flat-sided coupe, but they have walls.&#;

Sazeracs also demand a specific glass and serving style. Says Harper: &#;A Sazerac is one of the few classics that is served &#;down,&#; meaning it is stirred, then strained into a chilled rocks glass without rocks. This is correct. Do not serve up, and do not add rocks.&#;

Don&#;t be overwhelmed by these guidelines: It&#;s not actually necessary to have a ton of different cocktail glasses at home. When making drinks at home, Harper typically relies on &#;a few rocks glasses that can fit large ice cubes, a couple of coupes, and some highballs.&#; No highballs? Wine glasses will usually do the trick in a pinch.

&#;If you're looking for versatility and ease I'd have a couple rocks glasses, wine glasses, and coupes or Nick & Noras,&#; Julia adds. &#;Rocks glasses are versatile (can easily hold an old fashioned, Negroni, vodka soda, or margarita), and I prefer drinking from a Nick & Nora glass vs. a coupe, but they can hold many of the same drinks (daiquiri, gimlet, martini).&#;

Ultimately, you&#;ll want to choose glassware that not only looks good: It should feel good when you drink from it. &#;Two main components of quality glassware that I look out for are weight and density,&#; says Harper. &#;Is the glass weighted and balanced properly both empty and full? Is it too top-heavy, i.e. does it want to fall over? How thick is this glass? Is it designed to be elegant and present a drink well, or is it designed to be durable?&#;

Now, you&#;re ready to build out your glassware collection&#;and we have tons of options in our Shop. Whether you&#;re looking for sturdy, durable rocks glasses or delicate, vintage-inspired Nick & Noras, we&#;ve got you covered.

Stemmed

Coupes

Coupes are among the most versatile cocktail glasses, making them a no-brainer for your at-home glassware collection. With their wide rim, stem, and six-ounce capacity, they&#;re great for any drink that&#;s served &#;up&#; (aka chilled and strained). Julia is a fan of the Big Top Coupe Glasses from Nude Glass: &#;The thicker stems are fun and give them a slightly whimsical look.&#;

Note: Martini glasses fall under the broader category of coupes and are known for their distinct V-shape. Though classic, that shape also tends to be more prone to spilling (thanks to its wide, open rim).

Nick & Noras

Nick & Nora glasses are typically a bit smaller, narrower, and more bell-shaped than coupes, but as Julia mentioned, they can be used for many of the same cocktails. With this set from Bormioli Rocco, you can choose to get four Nick & Noras, or you can get the full bar set, which comes with martinis, coupes, and fizzes, too.

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Stemless

Rocks glasses

In addition to being stemless, rocks glasses are&#;as their name implies&#;designed for cocktails served on the rocks. &#;These old fashioned glasses are perfect for entertaining because they're shatterproof,&#; Julia says of these Old-Fashioned Glasses from Tossware.

Highballs & Collins Glasses

Highballs and Collins glasses are both slender (&#;taller, narrow glasses are meant to keep drinks carbonated for longer,&#; says Julia), but highballs tend to be narrower and smaller in capacity than Collins glasses. Generally speaking, however, the two are interchangeable for any drink that contains soda or seltzer, says Harper.

Julia&#;s favorite are these Italian Crinkle Glasses that boast a fun texture and are ultra-versatile: They&#;re perfect for &#;any highball drink, water, or non-alcoholic bev you're sipping on.&#;

What are your go-to cocktail glasses? Share in the comments!

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