Like beer and wine, which use glasses specifically made to enhance the flavor and aroma, liqueur and spirits glasses are where liqueur and spirits are served. Liqueur and spirits glasses are primarily designed for neat drinking and allow the drinker to analyze the flavors of their drink.
Types of Liqueur and Spirits Glasses
Liqueur and spirits glasses vary in size, shape, purpose, and the drink it intends to serve. Here are some of the most common liqueur and spirits glasses that you should know.
- Cordial Glass. It gives an elegant touch to fine dining settings traditionally designed for. They are small and have a stem, ideal for holding liqueurs often flavored. Cordial glasses can fit an average of 1.5-2 ounces of liqueur, suitable for drinking neat.
- Brandy Snifter. A brandy snifter is short-stemmed and has a wide vessel sitting on top of it with a narrow top. The design of this glass is for trapping aromatics from aged liquors such as bourbon, whiskey, and brandy. Snifters hold 6 to 8 ounces at most and are also used in beers that feature complex aromas.
- Rocks/Lowball/Old-Fashioned Glass. This type of glass is a short tumbler with a thick base and wide brim, which allows muddling other ingredients. Lowball glasses are often used in cocktails such as old-fashioned and on the rocks, and for spirits.
- Shot Glass. Shot glasses are small, simple glasses that hold 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol. Shots go around with this glass as it is for drinking neat.
- Copita Glass. Copita is a spirits-tasting glass that is relatively small and used to sample aromatic spirits such as sherry. It has a tulip-shaped body that traps the aroma and gathers the spirit of the drink.
- Glencairn Glass. This glass is the perfect glass for learning how to swirl whisky. It is slightly similar to the copita but thicker and is meant for appreciating the aroma and spirits.
- Highball Glass. The highball glass is highly associated with one of the best spirits in the world—Scotch. It has more room for drinks over ice because of its tall height and wide top.
- NEAT Glass. This type of glass has a peculiar vessel shape. NEAT stands for Naturally Engineered Aromatic Technology, which is why the glass shape prevents harsh aroma from getting through the nose. The NEAT glass is ideal for beginners who can be pretty sensitive to intense aromas.Besides enhancing the flavor and aroma of liquors, liqueur and spirits glasses also serve as measuring glasses when mixing cocktails. If your glasses are only used for that very purpose, and nobody drinks from them, you can just give your glasses a quick rinse.
If you tend to wash your liqueur and spirits glasses rather than giving them a quick rinse, they may wear faster than expected.
Some of you may own vintage or rare liqueur and spirits glass. They require extra special care. In washing them, pay attention to the designs and not wipe them hard when drying. You may also want to separate their storage area to avoid unnecessary bumping with other glasses.
