Get more essential mixology information every guy should know at The
2012 Better Man Lounge for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic.
Have you ever seen a truly stunning woman dressed in a very unflattering pair of pants?
“Wow, that’s a shame,” you remark to yourself. That’s how you
should feel about drinking a high-quality beverage out of the wrong glass. It’s all
about bringing out the best in what you’re enjoying, and there’s a reason why
Scotch is best sipped out of a heavy tumbler and a martini is served in a coupe glass. The
feeling of the glass in your hand, its weight and shape, is part of the experience of
enjoying the drink. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on barware, especially with amazing deals out there for bar stools and other supplies, making it even easier to create a bar in your home, which creates an atmosphere where you can enjoy your drink more, and so will your guests.
Here’s a basic rundown of what you need to set up a bar for proper drink-serving. By
no means do you need all of what we mention here to set up your bar, but you should at
least be familiar with the ideal at-home bar setup.
For your Scotch on the rocks
The short tumbler can also go by the name of an old-fashionedglass
or a rocks glass. This is the right glass in which to serve whisky and certain mixed
cocktails that are alcohol-heavy. If you ask for something “on the rocks” at a
bar, chances are this is the glass the bartender will reach for. Likewise, if you’re
drinking something “neat,” (unmixed alcohol served without ice) this is what
you should drink out of. Ideally your short tumbler should have a little heft to it.
You’re sipping this drink, not pounding it back. You should be able to cradle it in
your palm thoughtfully. Its weight should be comforting, like a favorite coffee cup.
For your aperol spritz
The tall tumbler usually falls within the range of a 8- to 12-ounce
capacity. The top of the glass is usually a little wider than the bottom — it’s
also referred to as a highball glass. Use this glass if you’re making something
heavy on the ice cubes, since it’ll still leave plenty of room for the drink itself.
Some people call this glass a “Collins” glass after the Tom Collins cocktail,
but in fact a true Collins glass is a narrow cylinder, whereas the tall tumbler tapers out
a bit.
For your Barolo
Traditionally on a stemmed base, wineglasses
vary in capacity. Since white wine is typically served chilled, white wine glasses have
smaller bowls and longer stems, so that the warmth of your hand won’t come into
contact with the wine and raise its temperature. Red wine glasses usually have larger
bowls, leaving room for the wine to be swirled and aerated, in order to release its full
flavors.
For your French 75
Flutes are also known as Champagneglasses,
and if you’re ever mixing Champagne cocktails, flutes are the ideal delivery
device.
For your gin martini, up, two olives
A cocktail glass is also known as a martini
glass. They come in a variety of sizes; we prefer cocktail glasses that aren’t huge
(which is tacky) and not too small (which is stingy). Perched on a tall stem
for the same reason as white wine glasses, these are used for martinis and mixed cocktails
containing important aromatic elements. The bowl of the cocktail glass is wide so that
when the glass is brought to the mouth, its contents are found directly under the
drinker’s nose. It is the glass associated with the term “straight up,”
or simply “up,” which refers to a drink that has been shaken or stirred with
ice, but then strained and served without it.
For your Calvados
The snifter is a glass with a wide bowl and a short stem. It is
predominantly used for brandies and Cognacs, and is designed to be cradled in the
drinker’s hand to keep its contents lukewarm. A snifter feels most at home in a
wood-paneled library, being sipped contemplatively by a man who fancies himself a lover
and connoisseur of the finer things.