A Guide to Wine Glasses, Cocktail Glasses and Glassware

A wine glass that's half fullAside from knowing how to mix hundreds of cocktails, a bartender must know which glasses to pour their mouth-watering drinks and cocktails into. So, to make life just a tad bit easier we have smashed our brains together to develop a restaurant glassware guide that will make your toes curl with joy.

Wine Glasses:

White Wine Glass: Sizes range from 5-10 ounces, but the most practical size for a white wine glass is 6-8 ounces. Forms vary from balloon shaped to straight sided to tulip shaped.

What to Drink:
Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Muscat / Moscato, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier

Red Wine Glass: The large size of this balloon glass allows wine to breath. Sizes typically range from 8-14 ounces.

What to Drink: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Syrah, Shiraz, Sangiovese, Malbec

Sherry Glass: The smallest of the wine glasses holds from 4-6 ounces. It can also be used for liqueur-based drinks.

What to Drink: Sherry, Port, Aperitifs, Liqueurs, Layers Shooters

Flute: The Champagne Flute is a tall, thin, tapered glass that holds between 7 and 11 ounces and is perfect for Champagne Cocktails. The purpose of the flute design is to keep the bubbles in the flute longer; with less surface area exposed to the air, the bubbles can’t escape as fast.

What do Drink: Champagne, Sparkling Wines, Bellini’s, Prosecco’s, Mimosa’s, Asti, Champagne Cocktails

Cocktail Glasses:

Old Fashioned: Sometimes called lowball or rocks glass, the Old Fashioned Glass is a squat tumbler with a heavy base that holds approximately 5 – 10 ounces and is the most versatile. Typically used for short mixed drinks and anything on the rocks.

What to Drink: Scotch, Whisky, Old Fashioned, Black/White Russians, Mai Tais

Collins Glass: An optional addition to the bar as it is interchangeable with the highball glass. Used primarily for any Collins drink, it is a narrow tumbler that holds between 8 and 12 ounces.

What to Drink: Collins, Fizz, Zombies, Long Islands, Sours, MojitoA rocks glass

Highball Glass: Highball Glasses are large tumblers with heavy bases that hold between 8 and 12 ounces and can easily replace a Collins glass. This glass is generally used for mixed drinks.

What to Drink: Bloody Marys, Vodka Cranberry, Gin & Tonic, Scotch & Soda, Bourbon & Coke, 7 & 7, Moscow Mule, Fuzzy Navels, Screwdrivers

Cocktail Glass: The familiar conical shape of the Cocktail Glass makes most of us think of Martinis and so it should. Nowadays, Cocktail glasses range from a 6 ounce glass to a huge 16 ouncer (too much of a good thing?)

What to Drink: Martinis, Manhattans, Cosmopolitans

Snifter: A Snifter comes in a variety of sizes and is the traditional vessel for brandy and cognac served neat. Its large bowl is cupped in your hand to warm the contents. Snifters can also be used for some cocktails.

What to Drink: Brandy, Cognac, Whisky, Barleywine

Margarita Glass: While most margarita glasses have a narrow neck, some are balloon shaped. Capacity ranges from 12 – 16 ounces.

What to Drink: Margaritas, Daiquiris

Shooter: This 1 1/2-2 ounce glass is used for drinking shots but can also be used as a measuring tool when mixing cocktails.
What to Drink: Tequila, Whisky, Mixed Shots

Hurricane Glass: Typically used for blended and frozen tropical cocktails. The distinct pear-shaped curve of this glass is reminiscent of vintage hurricane lamps and holds between 10-12 ounces.

What to Drink: Piña Coladas, Rum Punch, Coco Coladas, Tropical Fruit Drinks, Daiquiris

Irish Coffee Glass: The Irish Coffee Glass replaces the average mug for good-looking hot cocktails. This footed glass mug holds between 8 and 12 ounces and is made of heat-resistant glass.

What to Drink: Hot Toddy, Irish Coffee

Cordial Glass: Small and stemmed glasses used for serving small portions of your favorite liquors at times such as after a meal.

What to Drink: Amaretto , Grand Marnier, Cordials

Beer Glasses:

A beer glass

Pint/Pub Glass: Cylindrical glass with a slight taper and a wide mouth. There are two standard sizes, the 16-ounce (US Tumbler) or the 20-ounce Imperial (Nonic), which has a small ridge towards the top, a grip of sorts and helps in stacking them.

 What to Drink: Pale Ale, IPA, Porter, Brown Ale, Red Ale, Stout, Amber Lager

 Pilsner Glass: Typically a tall, slender and tapered 12 ounce glass, shaped like a trumpet at times, that captures the sparkling effervesces and colors of a Pilsner while maintaining its head.

What to Drink: Pilsner, Dortmunder, American Lager, Bock, Pale Ale

Mug/Stein: Heavy, sturdy, large and with handle, the mug is a fun and serious piece of glassware that comes in many shapes and sizes.

What to Drink: Oktoberfest, Munich Dunkel

 Weizen Glass: These classy glasses, with their thin walls and length, showcase the beer’s color and allows for much headspace. Most are 0.5L in size.

What to Drink: Witbier White Ale, Bavarian Weizen/Weissbier, American Wheat Ale

About Molly Patterson

Molly is a former Online Marketing Strategist at Tundra Restaurant Supply where she specialized in promotional strategy, email marketing, social media, online merchandising and, of course, content creation for The Back Burner. When Molly isn't putting her creative mind to work, she likes to journey out with her black lab pup, Winnie, explore Colorado’s great outdoors, travel and try new restaurant’s in the Boulder/Denver area.

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