The Home Bar Glassware Cheat Sheet for Guys Who Only Own Coffee Mugs

The types of bar glasses worth knowing are the rocks glass, highball, coupe, martini, copper mug, Nick and Nora, wine glasses, brandy snifter, tulip, margarita glass, and shot glass. Each one suits a style of drink. A beginner can cover most pours with a rocks glass, a highball, and one wine glass.

What is a rocks glass, and what goes in it?

A rocks glass is a short, wide, heavy-bottomed tumbler for spirits served neat, on ice, or in stirred drinks. It is also called an old fashioned glass or a lowball, which is three names for the same thing. Your coffee mug has been doing this job badly.

• Goes in it: whiskey neat or over ice, an Old Fashioned, a Negroni, a White Russian
• Beginner verdict: Buy this first. If you only get one glass, this is the one.

What is a highball glass used for?

A highball glass is a tall, narrow tumbler for a spirit topped up with a mixer and ice. The height keeps the bubbles in the drink longer. It is the glass for any order that sounds like “a whiskey and ginger.”

• Goes in it: gin and tonic, rum and Coke, vodka soda, Paloma
• Beginner verdict: Yes. It is the second glass you need, and it doubles as your water glass on a long night.

Do you need a coupe glass?

A coupe is a stemmed glass with a shallow, rounded bowl, used for cocktails served up, meaning chilled and strained with no ice. The stem keeps your hand from warming the drink. The wide bowl is also easy to slosh, so pour like you mean it and walk like you’re carrying a trophy.

• Goes in it: Daiquiri, Manhattan, Sidecar, Gimlet
• Beginner verdict: Optional. Pick it up once you start making drinks that are served without ice.

Martini glass: stylish or just wobbly?

Both. The martini glass is the V-shaped stemmed glass everyone recognizes, and it looks great on a bar shelf. The wide, sloped bowl also spills easily, which is why many people now pour martinis into a coupe instead.

• Goes in it: martini, Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini
• Beginner verdict: Skip it at first. A coupe handles the same drinks with fewer wet sleeves.

Most of these drinks are stirred or shaken with a few basic tools, and our guide to cocktail making tools covers what you need for that.

Why do Moscow Mules come in a copper mug?

The Moscow Mule is served in a copper mug because that is the tradition, and the metal gets very cold to the touch, which suits a drink built on ice, ginger beer, vodka, and lime. It is the one glass on this list that is not glass. It also makes a drink look like it came from a real bar.

• Goes in it: Moscow Mule, Kentucky Mule, Dark and Stormy
• Beginner verdict: Only if mules are your thing. A highball glass will make the same drink, just with less swagger.

What is a Nick and Nora glass?

A Nick and Nora is a small stemmed glass with a deep, rounded bowl, used for the same chilled, strained drinks as a coupe. The deeper bowl makes it harder to spill than a coupe or a martini glass. It is named after the fictional couple in The Thin Man, who were famously fond of a drink.

• Goes in it: Martini, Manhattan, Martinez, Vesper
• Beginner verdict: Nice to have, not essential. If you are choosing one stemmed cocktail glass, choose this or a coupe and stop there.

Which wine glasses belong behind a man cave bar?

One all-purpose wine glass with a stem is enough to start. You can pour red, white, and rosé into it, and it works for a spritz when someone asks for something other than whiskey. A stemless version is sturdier, but it picks up fingerprints, and warm hands warm the wine.

• Goes in it: red, white, rosé, sparkling wine in a pinch
• Beginner verdict: Buy a small set of four. Guests will ask for wine eventually, and you will want to have an answer.

What is a brandy snifter for?

A brandy snifter has a wide bowl that narrows toward the rim, so the aroma collects at the top while you swirl the drink. You cup the bowl in your palm, and the warmth of your hand helps the spirit open up. Do not fill it to the brim; a small pour is correct.

• Goes in it: brandy, cognac, Armagnac, some aged rums
• Beginner verdict: Only if you actually drink brandy. If you are unsure what it is, start with our explainer on what type of alcohol brandy is considered.

What is a tulip sipping glass?

A tulip sipping glass is a stemmed or stemless glass with a bowl that flares out and then narrows at the rim, shaped like the flower. The narrow mouth concentrates the aroma, so you smell more of the whiskey before you taste it. Whisky tasting glasses such as the Glencairn follow this shape.

• Goes in it: single malt Scotch, bourbon, rye, aged tequila, aged rum
• Beginner verdict: A strong upgrade for anyone who sips whiskey neat. Think of it as a rocks glass for people who like to smell things.

Which glass for a margarita?

A margarita is classically served in a wide-rimmed, stemmed glass with a broad bowl, which makes it easy to salt the edge. You can also pour one over ice into a rocks glass, and nobody at your bar will complain. The right glass comes down to whether you want the salt rim to be a feature.

• Goes in it: margarita, frozen margarita, Daiquiri
• Beginner verdict: Skip the special glass unless margaritas are your signature drink. A rocks glass does the job. If you are choosing the tequila, our guide on what tequila is and how it is made is a good place to start.

Do shot glass sets earn their shelf space?

Sometimes. A shot glass is a small, thick glass that holds a standard U.S. pour of 1.5 ounces, which makes it a decent measuring tool as well as a party prop. Many sets come in a size that makes the pour look larger than it is, so check before you trust one for cocktails.

• Goes in it: shots, tequila, small tastings, layered drinks
• Beginner verdict: One small set is plenty. Buy a set that is easy to wash, because you will wash them often.

Which glass is which at a glance?

This table sums up all eleven. Use it when you are standing in a store aisle with a phone in your hand.