Types of Glassware for your Home Cocktail Station

The last thing you want to do when you have invested so much in to your home bar is to end up having to serve wine in a coffee cup (we've all had it that way before, haven't we?).  Picking out glassware for your home cocktail station seems like it would be an easy thing, but there is a huge variety of types and styles to choose from.  The types of glassware you need depends on the types of drinks you like to make.     Bar None Drinks put together an excellent overview of the types of home bar glassware to consider.  They suggest getting at least some of the glasses in the basic section for minimal service, and for a little more style, consider expanding into the optional section. If you can afford it, try to buy quality glassware that makes a nice "ping" when you tap it.

Basic Home Bar Glassware

	Highball Glass: You can use this for mixing almost any drink. A good stand-in for similar looking glasses.
	Old Fashioned Glass / aka. Lowball or Rocks: For shots of alcohol over ice primarily, also for smaller drinks.
	Red Wine Glass: Use for red or white wine (if you don't have a white wine glass), or water.
	Shot Glass: Guess we don't really have to explain this one. Might buy a few extra of these, people tend to get a bit rowdy after continual use...

Optional Home Bar Glassware

	Beer Mug: For beer or beer-shot combinations.
	Beer Pilsner: This is traditionally for beer, but works well for serving large margaritas and the like.
	Brandy Snifter: What can we say?
	Champagne Flute: The best way to serve champagne. The bowls allow the fizziness to escape too quickly. Nothing worse than flat champagne...
	Cocktail Glass: You can use this for serving many different cocktails. In a pinch, you can also use it for serving martinis, but you should really get true martini glasses (no picture available).
	Collins Glass: For drinks that require something a bit larger than an old fashioned glass. These look good when frosted before serving.
	Cordial Glass: Generally for concentrated liqueurs...
	Irish Coffee Glass: This makes almost any coffee or other hot drink look good. Generally garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or cinnamon.
	Parfait Glass: Similar to the irish coffee glass, is generally used for drinks with ice cream or fruit in them.
	Pousse Cafe Glass: Usually used for layered drinks.
	Sherry Glass: Again, what can we say...
	Sour Glass: use for sours
	White Wine Glass: A bit smaller than red wine glasses with a slightly different shape to the bowl.

Check out the Guide to Choosing a Home Bar Design.  The objective of this paper is to guide you through the process of choosing a home bar that suits your budget and meets your unique entertainment needs.