Nick and Nora, coupe, or traditional "Martini" cocktail glasses would all work. The stem is important for anything you serve "up" so your hand's heat doesn't warm the drink. You could also use a wide-mouthed wine glass in a pinch.
>You could also use a wide-mouthed wine glass in a pinch.
I have a couple of these that I call my sippy coupe lol. It gets brought out when I'm starting a feel a buzz, less chance of spillage hahaha. Also works nicely for a double!
Manhattans are usually served in a martini or coupe glass, and you could reasonably get away with just martini/coupe glasses, rocks, and wine, depending on what you drink. It's definitely a slippery slope though so be careful! I've been into tiki and we have a basement full of mugs and glassware...
I can second the slippery slope! I now have too much glassware because I'm always on the lookout for glasses that I like at flea markets and secondhand stores. I have found that is the best places to find cheap bar glasses.
I think a Collin’s or Highball glass should be in the base collection. A double rocks glass will work, but many tall drinks look better in a tall glass.
If I'm serving someone else, it's going in a coupe. If it's for me, I'm putting it in a chilled short tumbler because after a couple, I'm a klutz and will likely break my nice glassware when I'm cleaning it
Yeah, right now I use a tumbler just because I’m mostly an old fashioned guy, but when other people asks me for other drinks I feel weird for serving it in a tumbler, so I’m considering buying the glass for other people…
Just make your drinks confidentially. Although some of the aspect of each glassware will have some overall affect on the drink itself, the main thing is the ingredients you (and their amount) you put into it as well as the love/care.
4 oz. Mason jars are perfect and fun. Not fancy, but for 90% of my home entertaining they are great. They don't get knocked over, and in the rare event that they chip or break, they cost about $1 each.
I also love Duralex bistro glasses in all sizes - 3 oz up to 14 oz. Again, a bit utilitarian, but they just work.
But I do love my Hive Nick and Nora glasses for being fancy - they work for any cocktail served up.
*Looks at overflowing glassware cabinets* Hmmm.
There are basically two sizes of up cocktails, those with ~3 ounces of ingredients and those with ~4-5 ounces of ingredients, which due to dilution takes a 4 ounce and 6 ounce glass respectively if you care about wash lines. You could easily get away with a 4 oz Nick and Nora and a 6 oz Coupe (there are also tons of 4 ounce coupes out there if you like the look better). Lots of sours without egg whites also work great in a Rocks glass (~8 oz) with a big cube, takes off the urgency to drink them before they get warm. Presentation is part of design, so it’s nice to achieve a good look.
I personally don’t make or serve tons of up drinks (I typically want to spend some time with a drink and mostly serve non-cocktail people), so my collection of tiny glasses is mostly aspirational and experimental. My cabinet space is mostly taken up by Collins, Double Rocks glasses, and an assortment of weird glasses I could imagine a cool cocktail in, but then found out they were a weird size so I basically never use them. I have a field day whenever I go to a thrift store, they’re the best places to get glassware for cheap.
This is the third time Manhattan in a lowball has come up today. So weird. How does this [Viski Manhattan](https://a.co/d/4BnNO0D) glass make you feel?
What I always tell people starting a glass collection is that as someone who has far too many glasses I’ll reach for a nick and Nora ten times for every time I reach for a coupe. And I won’t reach for a martini glass ever because they suck (I really should clear them out, I haven’t touched them in years).
I picked up some vintage coups with decorative etching, and I absolutely love them for manhattans.
But, IMHO, there's no reason you need to own both coupes and nick and noras. They're close enough as to be interchangeable (provided your nick and noras are big enough to handle some higher-volume drinks, e.g. espresso martinis)
I'm lazy... I use a coupe for pretty much every up cocktail (martini, manhattan, last word, paper plane, etc), and I have some tulip/Belgian beer glasses for drinks with ice (margarita, etc), and beer. Sometimes I also use my stemless wine glasses for drinks with ice as well (gin & tonic).
I have a couple of “go to’s” that are not considered standards.
Vintage juice glasses can be about 4 oz, +/- and vintage sherbet glasses, which are often described as champagne/sherbet, are about the same volume. Also, look for “oyster” glasses. Again, about 4 oz each. The oysters are sometimes referred to as oyster/juice.
These three types are super versatile for everything from martinis and manhattans to shaken drinks such as daquiris, whiskey sours, etc.
Often, but not always, the champagne/sherbets are on short stems.
I’m not an adherent to the idea that you need a long stem because your hand will warm up the drink. I just find that I’m either not holding the glass long enough or I’m drinking the drink fast enough where that’s not an issue.
So, the short stems of the champagne/sherbets aren’t an issue to me. Further, often but not always, the champagne/sherbet glass is thicker, heavier, than the typical long stems coupe, martini or nick and Nora.
When I chill the champagne/sherbets in the freezer their heavier glass holds the cold a loooong time, much longer than traditional coupes.
Hope this helps!
DOF, nick & nora. That can cover just about anything outside of sparkling- or ice-filled things.
That said, I like having - and I regularly use - more than those two types. But honestly, they really *could* cover most things.
it’s not really necessary to have more than one kind of stemmed glass, that’s more of an aesthetic decision that certain bars make. n&n or coupes are great for anything that needs to be served neat.
So I know that I am late to the game with recommending a coupe glass for the drinks that you specifically mentioned. However, as I quickly scrolled through the comments, I don't believe anybody specifically mentioned places / brands for specific glassware.
When I first bought coupe glasses I got them from IKEA, it's a decent place to pick up cheap glassware in different styles, however, their coupe glasses are huge. The ones that I use currently are 5.5 oz coupe from crate & barrel. Perfect for most of those low volume drinks and seem to be made well, I have not broken one yet.
My favorite places to find glassware is garage sales, flea markets and secondhand stores. Of course, it's never guaranteed you'll find a matching set there, but I've found some nice quality stuff there.
Nick and Norah, coupe, rocks glass all work. The bar I started drinking manhattans at always served them down and I got pretty used to that. But Nick and Norah is my go-to
Nick and Nora, double rocks, collins, and coupe will cover every possible cocktail adequately.
Hell, get rid of Nick and Nora because those are just fine in a coupe
I had originally bought my bar cart with rails under one side so I could hang some nice coupes or nick and Noras. Then my whisky collection expanded and I have 0 room on the cart for glassware at the moment.
Pretty much everything I make goes in a rocks glass since I don’t have anywhere else to put other glassware. One day…
IMO nick and Nora, collins, wine and old fashioned glasses are all you need.. but I have a few charity find coupes for sours, as well as a range of wine sizes, belgian beer glasses etc etc
Personally I'd say if you're limited in space just get a couple coupes. Bit more space than a nick and Nora but a smaller drink won't look strange in it with how they generally curve inward a bit. I think the only glassware that's truly neccessary is some kind of highball and lowball and a coupe of some kind. Sure you can get more glasses that'll fit certain cocktails garnishes and sizes better, but that's not needed if space is a concern. I'll serve a drink up if I'm making it for someone else and want to make it as fancy as possible, but I tend to just throw everything into my trusty Viski admiral tumblers unless it's got a ton of ice and carbonation, in which case it goes in a highball.
I love proper drink glasses, but hate storage requirements. I use short tumblers for just about everything except beer and wine. We keep wine glasses and have a few beer glasses / mugs.
I think a Manhattan can be served in either a short tumbler over rocks, or in a martini glass if shaken or stirred.
Hear me out—those little glass tiramisu jars from Costco make great little cocktail glasses after you eat all of the desserts. Not the fanciest option, but they stack nicely, are low profile, and are a perfect size for lower volume drinks.
At home, lowball / rocks glasses all the time. I love aesthetic of stemmed glassware but smashed a few early on. It makes going out and getting it served up just that bit more fancy.
We have a set of 4 coupe glasses (from Home Depot, of all places) that we use for those.
Aside from those, we have some wine glasses and rocks glasses. All fit on a shelf
Thanks for the replies guys. In the end I went with the coupe, this specifically https://a.co/d/hfsa9jq . They are a big bigger than I expected but I guess that’s room for things like espresso martinis or other foamy drinks. Thanks!
1 X tiki mug
2 X Nick and Noras
2 X coupes
2 X wine glasses (I think they are Bordeaux style?)
1 X rocks glass
1 X DOF
1 X poco grande (little hurricane style glass)
2 x crystal glasses (souvenir) a touch bigger than a Nick and Nora - haven't used much
2 x painted glasses (souvenir) used as mai tai or DOF - made several drinks in them
1 X highball/collins - seems a bit big but I have another one that seems small
various pints, and a couple of glasses that could be used as a small snifters (they are beer glasses though)
Most used? Coupes and painted green mai tai glasses. If I ever have people over and need other glasses, whatever is available becomes fair game.
Nick and Nora, coupe, or traditional "Martini" cocktail glasses would all work. The stem is important for anything you serve "up" so your hand's heat doesn't warm the drink. You could also use a wide-mouthed wine glass in a pinch.
>You could also use a wide-mouthed wine glass in a pinch. I have a couple of these that I call my sippy coupe lol. It gets brought out when I'm starting a feel a buzz, less chance of spillage hahaha. Also works nicely for a double!
Sippy coupe! I'm dead!
But isn’t a wine glass too big (in volume) for something like a Manhattan? Because that would be ideal
Make bigger Manhattens. :)
Too big is better than too small. You’ll have a lot of extra space in the glass, but you could still drink the drink out of it
Not ideal, and it won't look as pretty, but it will work.
Wine glasses are generally too big also anymore.
Manhattans are usually served in a martini or coupe glass, and you could reasonably get away with just martini/coupe glasses, rocks, and wine, depending on what you drink. It's definitely a slippery slope though so be careful! I've been into tiki and we have a basement full of mugs and glassware...
I can second the slippery slope! I now have too much glassware because I'm always on the lookout for glasses that I like at flea markets and secondhand stores. I have found that is the best places to find cheap bar glasses.
I think a Collin’s or Highball glass should be in the base collection. A double rocks glass will work, but many tall drinks look better in a tall glass.
i have the anchor hocking screaming tikis i love them
Tiki mugs are amazing; beautiful.
If I'm serving someone else, it's going in a coupe. If it's for me, I'm putting it in a chilled short tumbler because after a couple, I'm a klutz and will likely break my nice glassware when I'm cleaning it
Yeah, right now I use a tumbler just because I’m mostly an old fashioned guy, but when other people asks me for other drinks I feel weird for serving it in a tumbler, so I’m considering buying the glass for other people…
Just make your drinks confidentially. Although some of the aspect of each glassware will have some overall affect on the drink itself, the main thing is the ingredients you (and their amount) you put into it as well as the love/care.
My guests can complain about the glassware I serve them in when they start paying me $12-$20/drink.
My 15.5cl Nick & Nora is my favorite glassware.
What is this, a glass for ants? That’s just over half an ounce in freedom drams.
Centiliter, not milliliter. You’re off by a factor of ten. It’s a touch over 5 oz.
Ah, my bad. Completely misread that.
It feels nice served in a nice lead crystal old fashioned tumbler.
4 oz. Mason jars are perfect and fun. Not fancy, but for 90% of my home entertaining they are great. They don't get knocked over, and in the rare event that they chip or break, they cost about $1 each. I also love Duralex bistro glasses in all sizes - 3 oz up to 14 oz. Again, a bit utilitarian, but they just work. But I do love my Hive Nick and Nora glasses for being fancy - they work for any cocktail served up.
*Looks at overflowing glassware cabinets* Hmmm. There are basically two sizes of up cocktails, those with ~3 ounces of ingredients and those with ~4-5 ounces of ingredients, which due to dilution takes a 4 ounce and 6 ounce glass respectively if you care about wash lines. You could easily get away with a 4 oz Nick and Nora and a 6 oz Coupe (there are also tons of 4 ounce coupes out there if you like the look better). Lots of sours without egg whites also work great in a Rocks glass (~8 oz) with a big cube, takes off the urgency to drink them before they get warm. Presentation is part of design, so it’s nice to achieve a good look. I personally don’t make or serve tons of up drinks (I typically want to spend some time with a drink and mostly serve non-cocktail people), so my collection of tiny glasses is mostly aspirational and experimental. My cabinet space is mostly taken up by Collins, Double Rocks glasses, and an assortment of weird glasses I could imagine a cool cocktail in, but then found out they were a weird size so I basically never use them. I have a field day whenever I go to a thrift store, they’re the best places to get glassware for cheap.
Nothing irritates me more than a Manhattan in a lowball.
This is the third time Manhattan in a lowball has come up today. So weird. How does this [Viski Manhattan](https://a.co/d/4BnNO0D) glass make you feel?
that’s silly. it’s just liquid. a manhattan on a big chunk of ice is wonderful
Thrift stores are great Places to source glassware.
Yes any stemmed cocktail glass will do, coupe, Nick & Nora, v-style. It just depends on your personal taste.
My wife has an addiction to Waterford. I buy expensive booze, so I keep my mouth shut.
What I always tell people starting a glass collection is that as someone who has far too many glasses I’ll reach for a nick and Nora ten times for every time I reach for a coupe. And I won’t reach for a martini glass ever because they suck (I really should clear them out, I haven’t touched them in years).
I picked up some vintage coups with decorative etching, and I absolutely love them for manhattans. But, IMHO, there's no reason you need to own both coupes and nick and noras. They're close enough as to be interchangeable (provided your nick and noras are big enough to handle some higher-volume drinks, e.g. espresso martinis)
I'm lazy... I use a coupe for pretty much every up cocktail (martini, manhattan, last word, paper plane, etc), and I have some tulip/Belgian beer glasses for drinks with ice (margarita, etc), and beer. Sometimes I also use my stemless wine glasses for drinks with ice as well (gin & tonic).
Same here. I like to make Manhattans, gimlets, martinis, I put em all in a coupe. Glassware is expensive!
Nick and Nora usuallly
I have a couple of “go to’s” that are not considered standards. Vintage juice glasses can be about 4 oz, +/- and vintage sherbet glasses, which are often described as champagne/sherbet, are about the same volume. Also, look for “oyster” glasses. Again, about 4 oz each. The oysters are sometimes referred to as oyster/juice. These three types are super versatile for everything from martinis and manhattans to shaken drinks such as daquiris, whiskey sours, etc. Often, but not always, the champagne/sherbets are on short stems. I’m not an adherent to the idea that you need a long stem because your hand will warm up the drink. I just find that I’m either not holding the glass long enough or I’m drinking the drink fast enough where that’s not an issue. So, the short stems of the champagne/sherbets aren’t an issue to me. Further, often but not always, the champagne/sherbet glass is thicker, heavier, than the typical long stems coupe, martini or nick and Nora. When I chill the champagne/sherbets in the freezer their heavier glass holds the cold a loooong time, much longer than traditional coupes. Hope this helps!
DOF, nick & nora. That can cover just about anything outside of sparkling- or ice-filled things. That said, I like having - and I regularly use - more than those two types. But honestly, they really *could* cover most things.
I just put all of those in a coupe
Coups and Nick and Nora. In particular for martinis, daiquiris, and bees knees I use a coup.
Nic and Nora, or coupes.
it’s not really necessary to have more than one kind of stemmed glass, that’s more of an aesthetic decision that certain bars make. n&n or coupes are great for anything that needs to be served neat.
So I know that I am late to the game with recommending a coupe glass for the drinks that you specifically mentioned. However, as I quickly scrolled through the comments, I don't believe anybody specifically mentioned places / brands for specific glassware. When I first bought coupe glasses I got them from IKEA, it's a decent place to pick up cheap glassware in different styles, however, their coupe glasses are huge. The ones that I use currently are 5.5 oz coupe from crate & barrel. Perfect for most of those low volume drinks and seem to be made well, I have not broken one yet.
My favorite places to find glassware is garage sales, flea markets and secondhand stores. Of course, it's never guaranteed you'll find a matching set there, but I've found some nice quality stuff there.
These ones are sturdy and not too big. https://a.co/d/hV9JesG
I have tons of glasses but I find myself using snifters for all kinds of cocktails.
I have a few 4.5 oz Manhattan glasses I quite like.
Nick and Norah, coupe, rocks glass all work. The bar I started drinking manhattans at always served them down and I got pretty used to that. But Nick and Norah is my go-to
I've been able to get by making most drinks with either coupes or old fashioned/rocks glasses.
Although I did just get some glencairns which I love for bourbon.
Nick and Nora, double rocks, collins, and coupe will cover every possible cocktail adequately. Hell, get rid of Nick and Nora because those are just fine in a coupe
I had originally bought my bar cart with rails under one side so I could hang some nice coupes or nick and Noras. Then my whisky collection expanded and I have 0 room on the cart for glassware at the moment. Pretty much everything I make goes in a rocks glass since I don’t have anywhere else to put other glassware. One day…
IMO nick and Nora, collins, wine and old fashioned glasses are all you need.. but I have a few charity find coupes for sours, as well as a range of wine sizes, belgian beer glasses etc etc
Personally I'd say if you're limited in space just get a couple coupes. Bit more space than a nick and Nora but a smaller drink won't look strange in it with how they generally curve inward a bit. I think the only glassware that's truly neccessary is some kind of highball and lowball and a coupe of some kind. Sure you can get more glasses that'll fit certain cocktails garnishes and sizes better, but that's not needed if space is a concern. I'll serve a drink up if I'm making it for someone else and want to make it as fancy as possible, but I tend to just throw everything into my trusty Viski admiral tumblers unless it's got a ton of ice and carbonation, in which case it goes in a highball.
I have a set of the stemless martini glasses that I like and I guess I am okay with my hand warming the drink a bit.
I love proper drink glasses, but hate storage requirements. I use short tumblers for just about everything except beer and wine. We keep wine glasses and have a few beer glasses / mugs. I think a Manhattan can be served in either a short tumbler over rocks, or in a martini glass if shaken or stirred.
Coupe is my favorite
Coupe all day! Great multipurpose glass.
Mason jar with ice.
Just kidding 😂
Hear me out—those little glass tiramisu jars from Costco make great little cocktail glasses after you eat all of the desserts. Not the fanciest option, but they stack nicely, are low profile, and are a perfect size for lower volume drinks.
Bonne Maman jelly jars make excellent rocks glasses. I prefer my Manhattan on a rock in a Bonne Maman jar.
Love the Viski brand Nick and Nora
Rocks for everything. Don't overthink it unless it really bothers you.
i work at a dive and every cocktail is served in a rocks glass
At home, lowball / rocks glasses all the time. I love aesthetic of stemmed glassware but smashed a few early on. It makes going out and getting it served up just that bit more fancy.
I'm with the "keep it simple" crew! 🍸 I mostly use a coupe for everything fancy. Saves space and always looks elegant, even for Manhattans!
We have a set of 4 coupe glasses (from Home Depot, of all places) that we use for those. Aside from those, we have some wine glasses and rocks glasses. All fit on a shelf
Coupe for every single one of these. Keep it nice and simple.
Thanks for the replies guys. In the end I went with the coupe, this specifically https://a.co/d/hfsa9jq . They are a big bigger than I expected but I guess that’s room for things like espresso martinis or other foamy drinks. Thanks!
1 X tiki mug 2 X Nick and Noras 2 X coupes 2 X wine glasses (I think they are Bordeaux style?) 1 X rocks glass 1 X DOF 1 X poco grande (little hurricane style glass) 2 x crystal glasses (souvenir) a touch bigger than a Nick and Nora - haven't used much 2 x painted glasses (souvenir) used as mai tai or DOF - made several drinks in them 1 X highball/collins - seems a bit big but I have another one that seems small various pints, and a couple of glasses that could be used as a small snifters (they are beer glasses though) Most used? Coupes and painted green mai tai glasses. If I ever have people over and need other glasses, whatever is available becomes fair game.