The Simple Trick To Making Alcoholic Drinks Taste Their Best

“It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!” they say as they crack open a beer can and take a sip. “Ahhhhh”. We all know that feeling of finally taking a sip of that delicious, boozy beverage. Especially after a long day of work, that first sip has a way of taking all your worries from the day away. But what if I told you there was a way to make that first sip all the more satisfying?

It can easily be done! All you have to do is……

USE THE RIGHT BAR GLASS! That’s it.

Many may not know but there are at least 65 different types of bar glasses, that come in all shapes and sizes, that are meant to be pared with certain drinks. There are glasses for different wines, different beers, a variety of cocktails, and even glasses meant for drinking spirits (liquor) straight. Let’s go through the different categories.

WINE

The most obvious difference between red and white wine glasses is the size of the opening. Red wine glasses are usually wider with a larger opening which allows more air to come in contact with the wine. This helps it release more aromas and keep it room-temp. White wine glasses tend to be thicker and have smaller opening so as to help keep the wine at a cooler temperature, as white wines are served chilled. There are also a variety of shaped wine glasses that are meant for dessert wine, with each shaped to enhance the sweetness and lessen the bitterness.

BEER

Beer glasses come in almost as many different types as there are different kinds of beer! The craft beer industry has grown immensely in recent years, and with it, the beer glass collection. I’ll highlight a few of these glasses here, to learn more about all of the beer glasses (and other bar glasses on this list) and you can check it out here.

Dimple Mugs — while I always thought it was just meant to be a funky design for a beer glass, the dimples are actually designed so that one can see how much beer they’ve drunken already.

Snifter — while this glass looks like a squat wine glass, it was actually meant to drink brandy from, but with the rise of craft beer these have become more popularly used to sample aromatic IPAs from. Next time you head to a restaurant that specialises in craft beer, order a small size and see if it comes in a snifter. I promise you’ll feel fancy drinking from it.

Fun fact about the Thistle glass, its meant for heavy scotch ales and was designed to look like the national flower of Scotland!

SPIRITS

The snifter makes another appearance, as mentioned before it’s meant for brandies. It is even referred to as a brandy bowl by some. Many of these glasses are meant for drinking spirits straight and the shape can help add to the body, aroma, and ultimately taste of the spirit you choose. Which is not always a bad thing when you’re drinking it straight. That’s too strong for my blood!

COCKTAILS

The cocktails section is the winner when it comes to the wide variety of shape and sizes that the glassware comes in. While some of these glasses were made for a specific taste purpose, many of them were designed just to make cocktails look better. Expensive drinks should look their best! Let’s look at a few of them (and as mentioned before, you can find the full list and explanations for each glass here.)

Sling — commonly used for Long Island Iced Teas, this tall glass is meant to hold ice and reduce condensation.

Moscow Mule mug — one of the few that’s actually designed with a purpose as the copper is suppose to enhance the unique flavors in a Moscow Mule.

Julep Cup — this one was new to me, created because Mint Julep is suppose to be drunk from a pewter or sterling silver cup.

How often do you try to drink your boozy beverage from the correct glass? If the answer is never, well, which one will you be trying first!?