- Red Wine Glass: This glass has a long stem to keep your hand from getting the wine too warm and has a large, round bowl to be able to swirl the wine so that it will aerate
- White Wine Glass: This glass is smaller because you don’t want white wine to oxidize too quickly. The smaller aeration area helps keep white wines’ flavor profile from eroding.
- Flute Glass: Sparkling wine needs to preserve its bubbles so it has a smaller opening to keep it from going too flat too quickly.
- Cocktail Glass: This classic glass comes in a variety of sizes and is to serve cocktails that don’t require ice. The wide mouth allows you to get a better whiff of the aromatic scents associated with a cocktail.
- Highball Glass: This tumbler is to serve ‘tall’ drinks or other mixed drinks which feature a large portion of a non-alcoholic mixer and ice.
- Lowball Glass: This is just a shorter tumbler with a more solid base because the drinks it serves usually require some muddling. However, they serve neat or clean drinks equally well.
- Irish Coffee Glass: This glass is made with a heat resistant glass and comes with a handle to allow you to comfortably hold the drink, which is traditionally served warm or hot.
- Hurricane Glass: Named after the cocktail, which was originally served in hurricane lamp shaped glasses, and a popular choice in New Orleans ever since the 1940s.
- Martini Glass: Specifically for martinis, which differ from a normal cocktail glass by having an even larger bowl and a more conical bottom.
- Margarita Glass: Specifically for margaritas, a variant of the traditional cocktail glass.
- Whiskey Glass: A derivative of traditional nosing glasses used by master blenders. It has a wide bowl to show off color and aroma but also a tapered mouth for easier drinking.
- Snifter Glass: Has a short stem to allow cradling in the hand to warm the drink. It has a large bowl for swirling and aeration but the shorter mouth traps aromas so they are more prominent.
Enjoyed this review? Don’t forget to share it on Pinterest!
Image credits:
(1) Red Wine – https://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/88817686
(2) White Wine – https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcbauer/3485439452
(3) Flute – https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanant/3117691436
(4) Cocktail – https://www.flickr.com/photos/preppybyday/5076311907
(5) Highball – https://www.flickr.com/photos/dinnerseries/6331425703
(6) Lowball – https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartwebster/4599786176
(7) Irish Coffee – https://www.flickr.com/photos/jf-sebastian/6811030343
(8) Hurricane – https://www.flickr.com/photos/bigberto/2826375336
(9) Martini – https://www.flickr.com/photos/greentrench/2578752055
(10) Margarita – https://www.flickr.com/photos/preppybyday/5076907896
(11) Glencairn – https://www.flickr.com/photos/photobyaaron/8034556198
(12) Snifter – https://www.flickr.com/photos/preppybyday/5076313963
Thanks for this quick, easy explanation.
Thank you – I’m glad you found the article helpful!