Which Glass for Which Drink?

There is a specific glass for each type of drink, and it’s not just for the sake of aesthetics. There is a scientific reason to be choosy about your glass. The shape and design of glasses can enhance your drink’s flavour and has the ability to change the colour and aroma of your drink. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of glassware and how the shape, size and design complements the drink, to give yourself and your customers a finer drinking experience.

Glasses that bring out the best in your beer

Willy beer glass

The most common glass used for beer in South African taverns and restaurants. It has a wide enough rim to allow the head to spread just enough to release its aromas. It holds 340 ml. Perfect for commercial lagers.

English pint glass

It holds an impressive 570 ml of your favourite beer, as it is tall and has a slight outward curve just below the rim. Perfect for English lagers and stouts.

Pilsner glass

With a tall, slender and tapered shape, this beer glass can hold approximately 355 ml and helps to maintain the carbonation of your beer while showcasing the colour and allowing a foamy head to form. Perfect for pilsners.

Wheat glass

These glasses are similar to the shape of the pilsner glass. You will notice a display of colour and taste the locked-in sweet, fruity aromas of your beer, thanks to the glass’s tall and thin walls, which can hold approximately 500 ml of your beverage. Perfect for pale ales and dark ales.

Beer mug

Due to its ability to hold a large volume of beer, along with a convenient side handle, the beer mug is a popular style of beer glass. Your beer stays colder, as it is insulated by the wide shape and thick walls. Perfect for lagers and any beer with deep flavours.

Wine glasses

Red wine glass

Red wines should be served in larger, bowl-shaped glasses to increase surface area and allow for more aroma release and swirling, as these are bigger and bolder wines than whites.

Tulip or white wine glass

White wine is served in slender, tulip-shaped glassware. Smaller glasses help slow down any rise in temperature from the chilled beverages, keeping the white wine cooler for longer. The stem of the glass allows you to hold your drink without your hands heating it up.

For cocktails and anything ‘on the rocks’

Lowball glasses

The short and wide lowball glass, also called a rocks glass, is used for simple drinks with a limited number of ingredients served over ice. Lowball glasses are ideal for stronger cocktails or for spirits, such as brandy served on the rocks.

Highball glasses

The highball glass has a wide base that tapers to a tall glass. It is ideal for fizzy cocktails with lots of ice, as the narrow rim prevents the bubbles from escaping too quickly. Order a gin and tonic or an anythingand-soda combination, and you’ll often find yourself holding a highball glass.

For your brandies, whiskies and cognacs

Snifter glass

Also known as a brandy snifter, cognac glass or balloon, a snifter is a short-stemmed glass with a wide bottom and relatively narrow top. The wider base allows room for swirling to release aromas, which then get trapped at the narrow top. A rounded bottom makes it easy to cup in your hand, simultaneously warming the liquor. Perfect for brandy, cognac and whisky.