Cut crystal, fine long-stemmed wine glasses, hand-friendly goblets — glassware is a beautiful topic
to get lost in. The glassware you choose for every drink, from beer and wine to cocktails, is a
primary identifier of the drink itself.

It is still debatable if there is any scientific merit to how glassware affects the sensory experience
of the drink itself. But here’s a quick list of the most common drinkware and glassware so that you
can decide for yourself.

Stemware
This drinking vessel was designed to have a stem to hold the glass without affecting the
temperature of the drink through skin. This category includes the Martini glass for aromatic
cocktails, Margarita glass in both saucer or welled type, Coupette glass, Hurricane glass, cordial
glass, copita nosing glass and Glencairn for whisk(e)y, poco grande, snifter for brandy, and whiskey
sour glass.

Tumblers
Tumblers are flat-bottomed glassware with a wide range of intended use and volume capacity.
Some common types include Cosmopolitans which are similar to cocktail glasses but lack the stem,
rocks glasses for drinking spirits, old fashioneds (specifically named after the classic cocktail), high
balls (a taller version of rocks glasses), Zombie glasses for fruity cocktails, Collins glasses for long
drinks, shot glasses, and shooters.

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Beer Glasses
There are different beer glasses that are said to be the right one depending on the beer style. The
most common is the pint, which is a standard conical shape that makes it easier for bars to stack
the glasses. A Pilsner has a long, narrow shape with a tapered base to support delicate heads of
pilsners and other lagers. A tulip is bulb-shaped, commonly used for ales, barley wines, and
aromatic lagers. Similar to a brandy snifter, a beer snifter is ideal to enjoy the aromatics of ales.
And like champagne flutes, beer flutes maintain the carbonation while pushing the aromas on top.

Wine Glasses
Wine glasses have a variety of shapes and sizes but all have three primary elements: the bowl, the
stem, and the base or foot. They are usually categorized according to shape: standard, flute, tulip,
coupe, hock, and tumbler. But they are also often categorized based on the type of wine: red,
white, sparkling, and dessert. The most common glasses for red wine include Burgundy, Bordeaux,
Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Glasses for whites come in standard white and Chardonnay.
As for dessert wines, there are specific glasses such as port, sherry, and Sauternes. And finally for
sparkling wines, glasses designed to maintain carbonation are the flute, tulip, and vintage.

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Whether you are setting up your own bar professionally or at home, it is never wrong to be familiar
with the diverse shapes and purpose of the design of different glassware