Bar Glasses
The effervescent spritzers, hearty warmers, and sophisticated coolers that ring in the special events of your life are as unique as your guests, as diverse in spirit as the holidays and festive occasions you celebrate, and as exotic as the many countries that make up the world of taste sensations. Serving them in anything but the appropriate glasses, without a taste-enhancing garnish or a flavorful ice would steal a bit of the luster from your gala. Take the time to present these elegant punches, zingers, and ales in a festive way-garnished, iced, and sparkling-and you’ll bring out the best in these unique libations, your guests, and your party.
Raising the Right Glasses
The best glassware for the colorful, flavorful, alcohol-free drinks you’ll be stirring, mixing, and shaking is clear glassware. The lush, sherbety hues of tropical coolers are meant to be seen; the savory vegetable blends are a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. The potency of these heady concoctions is in their freshness. Let your guests drink it in with all of their senses.
The following glasses have sizes and shapes that will show off the drinks they contain to their best advantage. Some can do double duty for more than one type of beverage.
10- to 14-0unce Tumbler or Tall Glass:
A showcase for iced coffees, teas, tall coolers, summertime fizzes, and splashy spritzers. Also apropos for long fruit drinks, from purees to nectar blends.
8- to 1O-0unce Rocks Glass:
Fill your “low bailer” with savory specialties made to be served over ice, from spicy vegetable crushes to light-but-lively aperitifs. For added elegance, choose rocks glasses with short, stubby stems.
8-0unce Oversized Martini Glass:
Broad at the rim, tapered at the stem, this is the best choice for ices, slushes, and frozen delights. Reach for it when mixing up elegant oversized “mocktails,” as well.
8- to 10-0unce All-Purpose Wine Glass:
As versatile as they make them! A large balloon stem elegantly accommodates anything from tall slushes to alcohol-free fizzes to blends based on the latest “dry” wines. A must to make the most of aromatic drinks.
6- to 8-0unce Champagne Tulip:
For a bit of the bubbly (alcohol-free, of course’). Capture the effervescence of sophisticated sparkling drinks in a tulip. A champagne flute glass can also be used. An elegant glass for elegant drinks.
6- to 8-0unce Punch Cup:
Planning drinks for a crowd? Pre-chill these handy, inexpensive sippers, supply a bowl of cheer, then relax. Your guests will serve themselves.
8- to 10-0unce Heatproof Glass, Mug, or Cup:
For warming fall and winter delights, mulled ciders, spiced coffees, and bracing teas. Preheat by rinsing with hot water.