The Essential Guide to Every Type of Cocktail Glass You Need

Clear your mind—and your cupboards—for info on our picks for the best types of drink glasses for all kinds of cocktails and boozy blends. Let's cover the function, purpose, and perks of different glass shapes that will elevate the experience of cocktail hour at home.

Highball vs. Collins

Highball cocktail glasses are those tall, narrow glasses that are perfect for rum and Coke, scotch and soda, and other mixers with carbonation. It's the narrower brim on this one that creates the magic for not losing carbonation. We're completely obsessed with a gorgeous highball set that has you covered for all the classic "casual" cocktails when company comes for a cookout or charcuterie-and-a-movie night.

The highball has a "cousin" cocktail mixing glass named the Collins. While a Collins glass is easily mistaken for a highball glass at first glance, it's actually a taller, narrower, and more cylindrical glass that generally holds 10 to 14 ounces. As the name suggests, it's the go-to for serving John Collins and Tom Collins (combinations of gin, whiskey, or bourbon with simple syrup, lemon juice, and club soda). Of the two, the Collins is considered the better choice for mocktails because its taller, narrower shape preserves the carbonation of sparkling beverages a little better. The same holds true for spritzers.

Rocks or Old-Fashioned

This short, sturdy classic is made for drinks served best in smaller quantities. We love rocks or old-fashioned glasses for neat pours of single-serving distilled spirits. While 6-ounce to 8-ounce glasses are good for neat pours, we recommend 10-ounce to 14-ounce versions when serving spirits over ice or layering beverages. The thick, broad base of this glass style also makes it ideal for muddling mint, lime, berries, and more. For a classic, elevated look, this old-fashioned glass has our complete attention.

Martini & Coupe

The iconic martini glass was first introduced to the world during the 1925 Paris Exhibition as an updated take on the more bowl-shaped coupe glass that people favored at the time. While it's hard for most of us to picture this glass without its signature olive-through-a-toothpick garnish, the martini glass was originally used as a champagne glass. Today's version is updated with a larger stem and wider brim to minimize heat transfer and enhance aroma. Of course, the steep sides serve the purpose of holding toothpicks and skewers used for signature martini garnishments. Meanwhile, the coupe glass is generally more adored by vintage lovers.

Commonly used for cocktails with foam or egg whites, the shallower, rounder bowl of the coupe glass holds foamy toppings and hugs aromas more tightly while also reducing the spill factor of the wide-brim martini glass. While martini glass sizes are 3 ounces to 10 ounces for standard and 6 ounces to 12 ounces for oversized, coupe glasses are generally available in 4-ounce to 8-ounce sizes. Why feel forced to choose between modern glam and vintage elegance when form and function come together so perfectly with this martini/coupe hybrid?

Double Old-Fashioned

Typically capable of holding 12 ounces to 16 ounces, the double old-fashioned is ideal for double pours, large-format drinks, or layered drinks. If you like more ice, we say go ahead and upgrade to this option to avoid the hassle of spillovers. For anyone who likes a generous pour in general, we love an engraved double rocks glass as a thoughtful gift idea.

Here's where cocktail glass types get fun—we're talking about the kinds of drinking glasses you could once only find at trendy bars or ultra-luxe resorts. While the classic bar glasses shared above are non-negotiable in any at-home bar, we also swear by a few trendy and specialty types of drink glasses for rounding out and spicing up your drinkware hutch.

Nick & Nora

The Nick & Nora glass was named after the main characters in a 1934 comedy-mystery film called "The Thin Man." Designed with a signature bell-shaped bowl atop a long stem, this glass was introduced to replace champagne saucers. While it looks like a wine glass, the Nick & Nora should be used for drinks that are shaken or stirred. It can also be used for anything that would be appropriate for a martini glass.

Margarita & Hurricane

We’re convinced that everyone needs a few fluted margarita glasses and classic hurricane glasses tucked away for parties or themed nights. We love a dreamy set of margarita glasses for casual chips-and-salsa nights with friends. Meanwhile, hurricane glasses create that vacation-resort feeling at home with rum or gin cocktails like piña coladas, Singapore slings, and mai tais.

Copper Mule Mug

A copper mug's high conductivity allows it to rapidly chill a drink upon contact with liquid ingredients and ice, especially when making a classic Moscow mule with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. Wait for that notable temperature shift as soon as you get your mule in your hands. Honestly, we weren't expecting to love copper mule mugs as much as we do, but a gorgeous, shimmery copper mule mug also looks great on display.

Snifter, Cordial, Sour Glass

These specialty glasses are where you get to show off your cocktail know-how.

Also known as brandy or balloon glasses, snifter glasses are meant for aged spirits like brandy, cognac, rum, and whiskey because their wide bowl and narrow top concentrate aromas and gently warm spirits to release flavor.

Meanwhile, cordial glasses work best with sweet, after-dinner liquors like amaretto, limoncello, or port and sherry wines. The shape of the cordial glass brings aromas and flavors into focus for a rich sipping experience.

Finally, the sour glass enhances the enjoyment of a whiskey sour or similar drink using a flared lip and long stem that directs flavors toward the tip of the tongue for the best appreciation of sweet and sour notes. The stem on this glass is also essential for preventing heat from your hand from altering the drink's temperature.

No need to hold a tag sale just to make room for bar glasses. We recommend building a bar efficiently by focusing on three to four core drinks you commonly make.

We also love purchasing just a few types of alcohol glasses that are optimal for several drink types. For example, a martini glass is technically fine for serving whiskey sours because it keeps your hot hands on the stem instead of the body of the glass. In general, martini and Nick & Nora glasses can also be universally used for any drink you'd serve in a stemmed glass. For non-stem glasses, highball glasses and mule mugs are great for maintaining coolness or carbonation.

Here's our cheat sheet for a space-efficient, minimalist bar cart that's still ready for any drink:

• Start with a glassware trio of three versatile glasses for neat pours, on-the-rocks requests, and temperature-sensitive drinks. Think Nick & Nora glasses, highball glasses, and mules. We also recommend a pre-curated beginner bar glass set.
• Use modern stackable glasses or nesting glassware sets for easy, safe storage.
• Buy glasses in sets of four to six instead of 12 for versatility.
• Take advantage of two-in-one cocktail/wine hybrids that look elegant regardless of what you're serving.