A glassy affair

A perfect drink deserves the perfect cocktail glass. And cocktail glasses vary from drink to drink. A margarita served in a wine glass doesn’t feel like a margarita at all. Very often, what you are drinking is understood by the kind of glass you are drinking from. When stocking up your bar, it is important to keep in mind the kind of drinks you will be serving, and the different spirits you use.

One of the first things you want to keep in mind while setting up a bar is understanding which drink goes in which glass. Hence, it is necessary to have a certain variety of glasses in your bar. Some glasses like beer mugs, brandy snifters, champagne flutes, Collins glasses, high ball glasses, Irish coffee mugs, margarita and martini glasses, the old fashioned, pilsner, wine glasses and shot glasses are essentials for your bar.

People have preferences for cocktails and drinks for various reasons like taste, aroma, and sometimes even the way the drink looks. Wine, for instance, is all about the aroma, if you can’t stick your nose into the glass to take a good whiff of it, you shouldn’t be drinking wine from it. Wine also needs to be consumed chilled, hence the stemmed glasses are a must, so your body heat isn’t transferred to the drink and you can hold the glass from the stem.

Champagne, on the other hand, is not for the aroma at all, the mouth of the glass can be narrower but a stemmed glass is necessary, as it needs to be consumed chilled. Cocktails served with soda like Mojitos, are served in long glasses to maintain the temperature. But due to the soda, the alcohol settles down and hence there needs to be scope to stir the glass. The cocktails are thus served in long and slightly wider glasses.

The Moscow Mule is one drink served in the copper cup. Many believe, that the copper helps to enhance the flavours of the ginger beer and vodka, but a lot of people find drinking alcohol out of a copper cup quite interesting. Drinks on the rocks require to be short and wide. This allows room for large amounts of ice and the drinks quantity is comparatively smaller than the regular cocktails.  

Now, drinking one-too-many cocktails out of these glasses means that one could get a little careless. Hence, the foremost rule while investing in cocktail glasses is to ensure that they aren’t too too dainty and don’t break easily. An expensive, good quality glass is quite an investment. With space often being an issue, one can avoid buying very bulky glassware. Always remember, minimalism is the best option when it comes to
glassware.

Another option to increase the shelf-life of your glassware is to immediately soak them in warm water and baking soda after use. Follow this up with a sponge clean with a mild detergent and then a rinse. Use quality paper towels or lint-free cloth to wipe the glasses dry. The glasses must be stored in a clean, smell-free cupboard with a cloth lining at the bottom to avoid any damage.

And now that you’re covered with the basics, get to the most important part — enjoying a good drink. Cheers!

Ricky Teja is the owner of Summer House Cafe.