If you love martinis, cosmos or lemon drops, then the cocktail glass (also called a martini glass) will be an essential ingredient of your home bar. How can anyone forget Carrie Bradshaw downing Cosmos in the iconic martini glass on Sex and the City? Thanks to Sex and the City, Cosmos arguably become the most popular (and talked about) drink of the 1990s.
The cocktail glass is the conical-shaped bowl that sits atop a stem. The cocktail glass starts at approximately four ounces, averages roughly four and a half ounces and goes much larger. True martini purists insist that the perfect cocktail glass is four ounces. The benefit of the conical-shaped bowl is threefold. First, the ingredients in the cocktail don’t separate. Second, the cocktail’s aromatics are presented to the drinker. Third, the shape discourages drinkers from holding the cocktail by the coupe, thereby helping to ensure that the cocktail stays cool.
At DOTW, we use cocktail and martini glasses interchangeably. However, there are some people who swear cocktail and martini glasses are two separate glasses with the martini glass having a slightly less tapered bowl to better cradles the olive.
When whipping up your favorite martini, remember that there is no ice in the glass to dilute the drink. Cocktails are strained into the cocktail glass, almost to the top (but leave enough room so that you don’t slosh liquid over the side before you have an opportunity to take a few sips). I prefer using the four-ounce glass for drinks, like martinis, that are pure booze. I like using the larger cocktail glasses for drinks where that use juice, soda or water.
Use the cocktail glass the next time you throw an Oscar Party to evoke the glamour of 1920s and 1930s Hollywood (which helped make this glass both glamorous and iconic). Or, whip up some Cosmos for a Sex and the City with your girlfriends!
