The Esquire Guide to Cocktail Glass Types: Best Cocktail Glasses

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Get to know the eight cocktail glasses you need on your home bar cart

We’re not here to tell you how to live your life, but if you’re serious about honing your inner mixologist at home, then it's worth investing in quality glassware. After all, what's the point of lining your bar cart with our recommended bottles if you’re not going to show them the respect they deserve? To help, we've selected the eight types of cocktail glasses that are essential for any home bar.

The reasons for using different types of glasses for cocktails are complicated and convoluted, but it all boils down to enhancing the overall drinking experience.

Each different glass is uniquely designed to bring out the complex aromatics, as well as mitigate against unwanted heat transfer. When served in the wrong glass, even the finest concoctions can fall short in flavour, temperature, and, let's face it, style.

In short: yes. There are very few cocktails — save for those served warm — that wouldn't benefit from a pre-chilled glass. Frozen glasses are crucial for cocktails served "up" (that is, shaken or stirred with ice then strained) as it ensures the drink remains at the optimum temperature until the last sip.

You should allow 30 minutes to chill your glass in a freezer. However, if you find yourself short on time and unable to resist the siren call of a pisco sour, you can chill glasses quickly by filling with ice (crushed works best, though cubed will do) and topping with water. Leave the glass to chill while you prepare your drink, then discard right before pouring. Voila.

We’ve covered a range of cocktail glass types here, but depending on your current kitchen blueprint, you may want to begin by choosing a couple of the hardest working options. A collection of highball, rocks, and martini glasses is a good place to start.

Read on for Esquire's recommendations for every budget, handpicked for their functionality, durability, and shelf style.

Designed for small mixed drinks served "up," the martini glass is a stemmed, tapered glass with a classic conical shape. The delicate stem ensures your hand doesn't warm the drink, so it should never be served with ice, though it's worth taking the time to chill your glass right down before pouring. The shallowness dictates that it's to be drunk quickly... but no straw, please.

What to serve in a martini glass: Martini; Gimlet; Gibson; Manhattan.

Luxe: Calypso Blue and Green Martini Glasses, 2, £290, artemest.com

Essential: Luigi Bormioli Optica Fluted Martini Glasses, 4, £52, johnlewis.com

Sometimes referred to as a champagne coupe, this shallow, stemmed glass can serve more than sparkling wine. Treat it much like a martini glass, and use for serving short, chilled cocktails sans ice.

What to serve in a coupe: Sidecar; Clover Club; Boulevardier.

Luxe: Waterford Lismore Essence Crystal Glass Champagne Coupes, 2, £150, selfridges.com

Essential: Soho Home Pembroke Scalloped Champagne Coupes, 4, £80, selfridges.com

A shorter, squatter version of a highball, the single rocks glass is used for both straight-up sipping (think whisky, bourbon, rum, and vodka), as well as strong cocktails served in small portions.

Our advice? Invest in a quality ice mould. Whatever you’re drinking, you’ll want to serve it over a large ice cube to open up the alcohol and soften the residual burn, without the risk of diluting the flavour.

If you’re going to town on your glassware, there's also the double rocks glass (sometimes referred to as a double old fashioned), which, rather confusingly, is often just 25% bigger than a single. We use ours for mezcal margaritas and sazeracs, as the toughened glass is safe for muddling in the glass itself.

What to serve in a single rocks glass: Old Fashioned; Negroni; Whisky Sour.

Luxe: Royal Doulton Highclere Crystal Cut Glass Tumblers, 2, £59, johnlewis.com

Essential: Riedel Drinks Specific Glassware Crystal Neat Glassware, 2, £32, selfridges.com

Long and slim with no taper, the collins glass is one of the most versatile cocktail glasses. Designed to hold ice and take lots of liquid, a typical collins glass will hold 300 to 410ml. The length is significant here as it allows for more soda water or mixer, making for a much lighter beverage.

What to serve in a collins glass: Mojito; Tom Collins; Paloma; Gin Fizz.

Luxe: Fferone Flight Collins Glasses, 2, £180, artemest.com

Essential: Jonathan Adler Cabana Glass, 1, £31, amara.com

Shorter than a collins glass, but taller than a tumbler, the highball is a workhouse that no home bar should be without. These glasses are long, but not so big that there’ll be an over-dilution of the base spirit. The mixer is supposed to be there to showcase the spirit, not swamp it.

What to serve in a highball glass: Gin & Tonic; Dark ‘n’ Stormy; Tequila Sunrise; Long Island Iced Tea.

Luxe: Tom Dixon Tow Glasses, 2, £95, selfridges.com

Essential: LSA International Verso Highball Glasses, 2, £35, johnlewis.com

Okay, calling these cocktail glasses may be generous, but the humble shot glass needs no introduction. Invest in small ones if you’re feeling sensible... big ones if you’re not.

What to serve in a shot glass: Anything you dare.

Luxe: Richard Brendon Diamond Shot Glasses, 2, £100, selfridges.com

Essential: LSA International Vodka Shot Glass, 4, £70, johnlewis.com

Long associated with the Moscow mule, copper mugs are excellent at insulating the heady mixture of vodka, ginger beer and fresh lime juice. Cocktail purists claim the copper oxidises on contact with the neat spirit, which boosts the aroma and enhances the taste of the vodka. Jury's out on that, but we do know we’re partial to one (or two) on a hot day.

Of course, if you have a thirst for a mule and find yourself short of the classic copper vessel, then you can use a traditional high ball instead.

What to serve in a mule mug: Moscow Mule.

Luxe: Cu Artigiana Copper Mugs, 4, £105, artemest.com

Essential: Tom Dixon Plum Moscow Mule Mugs, 2, £80, johnlewis.com

The biggest and brashest of the cocktail glasses, a typical hurricane glass will hold up to 600ml. The stem is too small to hold, so the drink must be served with plenty of ice, or it’ll be warm before you get to the end — and nobody wants that.

What to serve in a hurricane glass: Piña Colada; Singapore Sling.

Luxe: Waterford Lismore Nouveau Crystal Hurricane Glasses, 2, £120, houseoffraser.com

Essential: LSA International Hurricane Glasses, 2, £48, johnlewis.com

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