Types of Glassware and Their Uses

From tumblers to champagne flutes, glassware is used to serve water, cocktails, beer, liquor, wine, coffee, tea and other beverages. With a wide variety of sizes and shapes, each one has a purpose.

Alcoholic drinks are often served in specific types of glassware. Common barware include the following:

• Shot glass
• Beer mug
• Rocks glass (for liquor on the rocks)
• Beer goblet
• Snifter (for bourbon, brandy and whiskey, neat)
• Champagne flute
• Pilsner glass (for beer)
• Pint glass (for beer)
• Martini glass
  

A highball glass is a tall, slender crystal glass commonly used for iced or mixed drinks.

• Darice highball glass: A blue glass used to serve a variety of mixed drinks, like the screwdriver, piña colada and Long Island iced tea.
  
• Devonna highball glass: A mouth-blown, hand-cut, cobalt blue crystal glass. It weighs twice as much as a typical glass and is popular for its durability and strength.
  
• Earwine highball glass: Available in azzurro light blue, amethyst purple, dark ruby red, cobalt blue and emerald green hand-cut glasses.
  
• Hathora highball glass: A black crystal glass typically used to serve cocktails.
  
• Luperca highball glass: A cobalt and opal blue crystal glass that's formed by binding together three layers of crystal.
• Marsala Collins glass excelsior: Available in six colors and used to serve alcoholic drinks.

Stemware is a type of glassware that sits on a base and is typically used for formal family gatherings and holidays; the most well-known is the wine glass. Other types include the following:

• Claret glass
  
• Bordeaux glass
• Cocktail glass
• Cordial glass
• Sherbet glass
• Chalice
• Goblet (often used for water) 

Red wine is typically served in stemware that has a wide, open bowl, and white wine is served in stemware with a narrower bowl.