Choosing the right glass for serving cocktails

The myriad of options in glassware can get rather overwhelming when it comes to choosing the right cocktail glasses to serve to your guests. While visiting some of the best restaurants in Bangalore I have always noticed that the silverware and glassware are both specific to the kind of food or drink being served. But, what works with what exactly was hard to figure out. I did not want to make a social faux pas by serving the right dish on the wrong platter and certainly not to the wrong palate.

After a while, it occurred to me that there is a specific pattern as to what drink goes with which glass and I researched further. If you were to understand why a certain thing is served in a particular way, it gets a lot easier than memorizing things. So, here’s a brief explanation for you to know the right way to serve the best cocktails.

Lowball

A lowball glass has a thick glass bottom and are uniformly shaped and short and stout. These are used with drinks that are poured directly into the glass and served, i.e. they don’t require mixing glasses and shakers. Besides this, drinks that are typically served with ice cubes can also be served in it. The shape and size is ideal to maintain and retain the temperature for long. Carbonated or soda cocktails are not served in these as it risks spilling due to the short size.

Highball

These are tall glasses shaped more or less like lowball. Drinks which require mixing in the glass or have an effervescent component are ideally served in these. The narrow body reduces the surface area allowing the carbonated essence to last longer. There are other variations to these such as a flute which is used with champagne and Collins glass for more fruity drinks. However, the three are interchangeable and if you don’t own one of the best restaurants in Bangalore and need it for home use, it is more practical to purchase just one.

Coup

These are stemmed glasses but round at the bowl, unlike a martini glass; and the both play pretty much the same role. Any drink served that is usually served without ice and requires stirring are served in these. The stem allows the liquid to stay unaffected from the warmth of your hand.