Now that you’ve got all of your favorite lagers, wines, liquors and liqueurs, you may think you’ve got all you need to have the best home bar on the block. But wait, what are you going to serve up those liquids in? You don’t expect people to drink their beers from a can or wine straight from a bottle, do you?
Your classy set-up needs classy glasses, so let’s dive deep into 30 bar glasses that will cover all kinds of connoisseurs across every field of drinks.
Beer Glasses
1. American Pint Glass
A classic glass to hold 16 ounces of one of your favorite comfort liquids is a staple for any home bar. It can serve any kind of beer, from wheats to stouts, and even the occasional sour if you’re adventurous enough. Its simple style with no extra flair makes it easy to clean and even easier to store. Most importantly, it does nothing to affect the overall taste of the beer. If your bar is mainly focused on beers, you can just load up on these kinds of glasses and call it a day.
2. Imperial Pint Glass
If you want your home bar to feel like a classic British pub, then this is the glass that you’ll need in your arsenal. You might have guessed from the name that there are some similarities between this glass and its American cousin. While the Imperial pint glass is considered to be all-purpose, it holds more liquid at 20 ounces and can be distinguished by its slight bulge at the top that makes for an improved gripping experience. The recommended beers to drink in this glass would of course be your favorite British lager or even some Scotch ale.
3. Beer Mug
For some, there is no better way to enjoy a nice cold beer than in a big frosty mug. The great thing about mugs is that they can be found and purchased nearly everywhere, and you can buy a whole set for very cheap prices online. If that wasn’t enough, you can opt to get them personalized. This is a valuable option if you want to add that extra unique touch to your home bar and bring some extra comfort to those who are lucky enough to drink there with you. With its extra-strong material, it can last for many rounds for years to come.
4. Tulip Glass
This glass earns its name from the rounded out bottom culminating into the flared lip at the top. It wasn’t designed this way just to remind you of rolling tulip fields in Amsterdam, but to help bring out the flavor and smell of certain ales. Belgian ales are the popular choice to be used with this glass, as well as any hoppy beers that may hold your interest. In a way, this glass is very similar to a regular tulip, just don’t shove your nose in too far into the reddish center, or you’ll be faced with an ice-cold reality.
5. Stout Glass
This glass can be easily identified by its hourglass shape and is a must-have in your home bar if you are serving any stouts. Similar to the tulip glass, the shape of the stout glass is designed to accentuate the hints of chocolate, coffee, and malts that you’ll smell in your favorite stouts. It not only serves as an interesting way to hold the glass but enhances your overall drinking experience by heightening your different senses. The head of the drink will also be retained so that you will get the best sip every time.
6. Pilsner Glass
For those who have skinny cabinet space that you don’t know exactly what to do with, this glass will fill it just fine. Like similar glasses, the Pilsner glass retains the head of the beer that is special enough to deserve it, and the various aromas get to be locked in tight as well for maximum smelling pleasure. Pilsner glasses can not only hold their namesake beer, but also blonde ales, Vienna lagers, and for the especially adventurous types, Japanese rice lager. With such a big height, there’s nowhere for the rich-colored liquid to hide, thus encasing it and showing it off in its full glory.
7. Weizen Glass
A good way to remember what this glass is used for is to look at the first letter. No, not water or whiskey, but wheat beer! Cleverly designed to show off the gorgeous color in your go-to hefeweizen. This tall, thin and bodacious glass can suffer from mistaken identity with Pilsner glasses. Weizen glasses can hold up to a whopping ⅕ liter of wheaty goodness, and they are designed to give the perfect thickness to the head of the drink. While these glasses aren’t stackable, they will provide your home bar with supple shapes.
Wine Glasses
8. Bordeaux Glass
This glass stands nice and tall, capable of holding red wines that are full-bodied with a bold flavor. You may notice that the bowl itself is designed to create maximum distance from the nose to where the wine is poured. This is so your sense of smell is tantalized to the max as you are sipping your Merlot or your Cabernet Sauvignon. There are glasses in this category that are further broken down into sub-categories like Cabernet Sauvignon glasses. These glasses have been proven to be dishwasher safe, but they can be carefully washed by hand and hung on racks for those who like to provide the best care for their drinking glasses.
9. Burgundy Glass
On the lighter end of the wine spectrum, the best glass to use is the Burgundy glass. The best wines to drink with these include Pinot Noirs, Lambruscos, and Primitivos just to name a few. This glass continues the theme of offering a wider bowl shape of the simmering smells and easy access to the tip of your tongue thanks to the shorter lip. There’s nothing like gently swirling around the wine along the bowl and seeing the color shine. Recommended brands of glasses to use with these wines would be Spiegelau Vino Grande and Zalto.
10. Zinfandel Glass
Compared to the Bordeaux glass, this glass is shorter and boasts a larger rim, though not too thick as it would detract from your drinking experience. The bowl’s shape is right in the sweet spot of being not too small or too large so that the wine can breathe after releasing the tannins. Some may choose to be rebellious and drink Zinfandel wine in a Bordeaux glass, and while that can be done, the experience between using the two is much different as many wine enthusiasts will attest to.
11. Chardonnay Glass
Transitioning to the wine wines, the Chardonnay glass is a staple for a traditional wine bar. While some like to enjoy wines that have been encased for several years or even decades, this glass chooses to highlight younger wines that are just screaming for people to give them a chance. The bowl shape of this glass is smaller than those crafted for red wines, and the reason is to keep the white wine colder so that the taster can enjoy the taste for much longer. They also help to contain certain fleeting aromas before they escape completely.
12. Stemless Wine Glass
For those who may suffer from shaking hands or just general anxiety with holding a precious glass with those thin stems, a safer and more comfortable alternative is within your reach. You can fit more of these glasses in your cabinet than the typical wine glasses, and it’s easy to get them personalized with different engravings or patterns. These glasses aren’t just for one specific type of wine either, rather they can be used to enjoy a wide variety, even champagne. The size and shape can vary depending on who you purchase your glasses from, but the function of all of them is always the same.
13. Champagne flutes
These types of glasses always bring up the feeling of New Year’s Eve, holiday dinners, or other formal functions like weddings. The shape of the bowl in these glasses is quite narrow so that the bubbles within the drink can last longer. That’s why they are always associated with bubbly drinks. These glasses come in a wide array of colors and styles, though the traditional style is usually clear crystal. It’s very important to always keep these glasses clean because they can affect the bubbles as well. Since champagne flutes usually have a rougher exterior, it makes them easier to hold and easier for the bubbles to rise.
14. Zalto Glass
To cap off the wine category, it would be a crime to not mentioned what is considered to be the top brand of wine glasses. Not only is the glass itself very pleasing to look at, but the material is very light so you don’t have to worry about the wine weighing it down. Because the glass itself is so light, however, that means that the utmost care has to be taken whilst washing it and handling it in general. Wine lovers everywhere claim that the glass massively improves the wine-drinking experiences and showcases all of the little nuances and subtle flavors that the wine inside has to offer.
Specialized Bar Glasses
15. Cocktail Glass
Similar in appearance to a martini glass, the cocktail glass is used to serve up cocktails that are either shaken or stirred. Popular drinks to serve with this glass include cosmopolitans, Manhattans, and Negronis. This glass was designed so that the drinker could enjoy cold drinks without affecting the temperature by touching the glass. This is the reason for the stem and why you don’t see ice in this glass in particular. The top part of the glass is more rounded and boasts a shorter stem, making it slightly more distinguishable from the typical martini glass.
16. Tumbler Glass
This particular type of drinking glass is used to serve chilled beverages, and it’s big enough so that you won’t have to rush to keep refilling it throughout the night like you may have to with smaller glasses for specialized drinks. Some people think it got its name because it’s got a heavy and flat bottom, or that it’s not easy to tip over, thus preventing possible spills. It can also be used to serve non-alcoholic drinks, as long as they are cold. These drinks can include different fruit or vegetable juices. If you want to add a versatile glass to your arsenal, then you can’t go wrong with a tumbler.
17. Coupe glass
Originally designed to hold champagne, the coupe glass is now the proud holder of craft cocktails. This glass is a testament that changing times doesn’t mean you have to give up, rather readjust to changing tastes and find an even better fit for your model. Some of the best craft cocktails to use with this glass include daiquiris, sidecars, and aviations. Since it was formerly used with the high society back in the 60s, it gives off a feel of top-tier service so it can add a touch of class to any function or black-tie event.
18. Rocks Glass
On the smaller end of specialized bar glasses comes the Rocks glass. These glasses are essential for every home bar because they are used for drinks that are meant to be very slowly sipped and not contain as much inside the glass itself. They are commonly used for Old Fashioneds, as well as a shot or two of whiskey, bourbon, or scotch. You can establish a high-class cigar bar that lets you and your buddies take part in some pairing along with your drinks. Seeing these glasses usually invoke the image of someone sitting at a bar, deep in contemplation.
19. Martini Glass
Some may scoff at this and claim that the martini glass went out of style years ago and got shown up by the coupe glass. True, they may require a more steady hand to hold even when you haven’t even taken a sip yet. They have, however, evolved into an array of different styles that experts are still raving over as recent as in the past year. These glasses are what you use for your favorite aperitifs as well as your dry martinis. You can relive your dream to be James Bond with a Vesper martini in your hand.
20. Margarita Glass
Did somebody say tequila?! If you plan on having Taco Tuesdays as a weekly event in your home bar, then you can’t be caught dead without a few Margarita glasses on your shelves. They come in so many different colors and shapes that it will feel like a true fiesta whenever you break them out. If you’re into glassware more than the average bartender on the block, you could try your hand at making your own since these particular glasses are made from handblown material. Just don’t forget to keep plenty of salt in stock behind the bar, as well as lots of fresh limes.
21. Collins Glass
This glass also fits in the category of tumblers, and if you’ve got any mojito lovers in your family, they are going to need to drink the minty goodness in it. Most of the glasses in this list will not create the need for straws, however since this particular glass is so tall, a straw most definitely comes in handy. Collins glasses are also used to serve its namesake drinks, specifically Tom Collins and John Collins cocktails. It can be confused with a Highball glass, but a Collins is taller, narrower, and more cylindrical.
22. Irish Coffee Glass
Worldwide fans of Irish coffee typically like to enjoy the drink in a mug rather than in a regular glass, so this mug-shaped product marries the two concepts together. You don’t even have to go all the way to the emerald isle to get one. With a sturdy handle ensuring a firm grip on the glass itself, this glass will make you feel like a king. Cappuccino glasses can be substituted, but if you want to give your bar a real Irish pub feel to it, go with a traditional Libbey.
23. Glencairn Glass
If there are any whiskey fans in the audience, you may want to pay close attention to this one. The Glencairn glass has a tapered mouth, which allows the drinker to take in all of the revolutionary smells that each whiskey has to offer. Order enough of them and you can have a whiskey pairing party right at your home bar. The glass is also a testament to human ingenuity, as it took the leaders of the top whiskey companies around to come together and create an answer to the problem of finding a glass that the masses could use to best experience their product.
24. Highball Glass
Another tumbler to add to your growing collection, the highball glass is used to serve none other than highball cocktails. These cocktails can include vodka tonics, Long Island Iced Teas, and Americanos. Let’s give you three guesses as to how it’s different from a lowball glass and the first two don’t count. If you guessed that it’s taller than a lowball, then you’re correct. Not only that, but it’s also slightly wider than a Collins. After staring at these tall glasses all day, you may start to think that they all just look the same. With a little bit of time and practice, however, you will soon come to distinguish them just as well as the local neighborhood pub.
25. Zombie Glass
If you have never heard of a zombie drink before, what bunker have you been living under all this time? This glass was specifically made so that it could have its own place in the glassware hall of fame, right next to the Collins glass due to the similar shape. It is considered a tropical drink, made of many fruit juices and rums along with some other liqueurs. The glass itself is frosted so that it keeps the drink cold even in the hottest of temperatures. Once you finish setting up your “Tiki Room” themed party, it will be time to break these out and make everyone feel like they escaped to a warm paradise.
26. Poco Grande Glass
More fondly known as the pina colada glass, this is another must-have for any tropical-themed soiree. Whether you prefer a Hurricane or an ice-cold Blue Hawaii, the poco grande glass is the only one that can hold responsibility as the one required to hold it. These can be interchangeable with a highball glass if it’s not in your budget or doesn’t fit in your cabinet space. There’s not much to say about its functionality, rather the wide tulip shape of the bowl is made for optimal viewing of the liquid it contains and so that heavier liquids fall straight to the bottom.
27. Goblets
Also known as a chalice, a goblet is used to house thick drinks, thanks to its sturdy material. No matter if you want to keep a drink warm or cool for as long as possible while you’re drinking it, a goblet can get the job done. They may not be as big as the one you may have seen in a certain tournament, but they make up for size with function. They can be used to house Irish coffee, water, or even tea. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could use them to try sampling mead. It’s unconventional, but it can work.
28. Wobbles
Anyone who visits your home bar who happens to be a whiskey connoisseur will be delighted to see this glass in your cabinets. As the name suggests, this glass can move at the slightest touch when it’s placed by itself on the counter. There is a method to the madness, however, as the convex shape of the glass is tilted so that it can provide enough air to the liquid. Not only is this glass a staple for whiskey, but scotch, cognac, and brandy lovers can also take part in the tasting fun.
29. Shooters
Straight out of the 70s, this glass has the function of a shot glass but has the advantage of being slightly taller. As one might assume, it is designed for people to drink the liquid in one sitting. People typically use these for sake bombs, tequila shooters, and B-52s. One super-cool feature about these glasses is that the top of their contents can be (oh so carefully and skillfully) lit on fire. You may have seen these stunts at various other bars or clubs all around the world. It may be wise to enlist the help of a veteran bartender who is knowledgeable in this area if you want to do it yourself, but once you master it, you will be able to astound your friends and serve them a good-tasting drink at the same time.
30. Shot Glass
Now it is time to introduce one of the favorite pieces of glassware to the younger generation-the shot glass. Most don’t realize that it serves another function besides serving up a liquid that’s to be downed in one go. It can also be used to measure liquid to add to a different drink. While there are many speculations about where and how the glass originated, people all around the world associate it with wild parties and drinking games. Since these glasses are used to serve harder liquor than other glassware, it is important to note how much each person is able to handle.
