Whether you just bought a bar cart or you’re looking to upgrade the home bar that you’ve had for a while, having a nice variety of glassware is one of the most important parts. After all, what’s a tasty cocktail if you don’t have the right glass to drink it out of?
There are so many different types of glasses for wines, cocktails, mocktails and spirits that figuring out which ones you truly need can be a bit overwhelming. If you’ve been to a bar or ordered a drink at a restaurant, you’re probably familiar with a few common glasses, like highball and coupe glasses. But when it comes to stocking your home bar with multi- or all-purpose glassware, there are just a few that will be super useful.
The type of glass you use for certain cocktails makes all the difference in the temperature of a drink and how strong its aromas come off. For instance, Tiffanie Barriere, an Atlanta-based cocktail educator and consultant, recommends stemmed glasses, like the Nick and Nora glass, for stirred or shaken drinks you want to keep cold without ice (like martinis or cosmos). This is because when you hold it by the stem, it keeps your hand away from the bowl, reducing the amount of heat contact.
In addition to the Nick and Nora glass, there a couple more that were recommended by bartenders we reached out. Below, we rounded up 6 cocktail glasses that bartenders believe are essential for any bar cart or home bar.
