The Types of Glasses for Drinking and How They Are Used
Bar and restaurant owners know that a table setting is key to creating the right ambiance and style. Knowing the types of drinking glasses that work best for your establishment's beverage and bar service is part of creating a great dining or drinking experience.
Creating a no-frills atmosphere with plastic, disposable, or mismatched cups can work for certain bars and restaurants, but many establishments opt for glassware. If you want to create a sophisticated environment, glassware is a must. Serving your drinks in glassware signals quality to your customers, which may allow you to raise the prices of your drinks. When customers are served a drink in the appropriate glass, it immediately makes the restaurant or bar feel more upscale.
You have already put in the work to create a popular menu with great beverages and alcoholic drinks, but restauranteurs and bar owners know that it takes more than that to stand out. Delight your customers with the ideal glasses for each drink option on the menu.
We have you covered with our guide to the types of glasses for drinking the industry's most common beverages. We stick to the basics. Specialized drinks will require specialized glassware. Suppose you have a beverage and alcoholic drink menu that caters to wine enthusiasts, beer connoisseurs, craft cocktail lovers, or coffee snobs. In that case, you may need additional types of glassware to allow imbibers to enjoy every subtlety of whatever you're pouring fully, but you probably already knew that.
Guide to the Types of Drinking Glasses
Restaurant Edition
Coffee Mugs and Cups
For coffee and espresso drinks, the right mug makes all the difference. A cup of joe in a comforting diner mug or a custom cappuccino in a stylish cup will immediately put your customers in a good mood.
Tea and Water Glasses
Designed for easy drinking, glasses for tea and water are smooth and footed. You can find versions made from tempered glass for added safety.
Cooler Glasses
Designed to accommodate large amounts of iced beverages, cooler glasses come in a greater range of sizes than the standard 12-ounce water glass. If your restaurant wants to serve up tall glasses of soda, iced tea, lemonade, or water, these glasses are ideal.
Juice and Milk Glasses
These glasses typically hold between 5 to 7 ounces of liquid, making them the ideal size for a serving of juice or milk.
Bar Edition
Wine Glasses
Some establishments may want to purchase an all-purpose wine glass. Others may need different glasses for red and white. A winery or wine bar may want to use more specialized wine glasses.
Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine means celebration, whether it's a significant career achievement or making it through a tough day. You need a special champagne flute or glass to meet the occasion.
Beer Pilsners and Mugs
It would help if you had the right glasses and mugs for your beer menu. American pint glass or pub glass can be great choices if you want an all-purpose glass for your bar's beer selection. You can even put your bar or restaurant's logo on these glasses. Bar services with a more sophisticated menu of beers will need to determine the right glass for each beer on the menu to get the best taste.
Cocktail and Martini Glasses
Elegant premium cocktails start with the proper glassware. A martini glass is perfect for everything from dirty gin martinis to whatever custom cocktails your mixologists are serving up.
Margarita Glasses
Customers love margaritas! A margarita doesn't feel the same if it isn't served in a margarita glass. The right margarita glasses can help your establishment stand out.
Mixing and Highball Glasses
If you want to create a sophisticated atmosphere at your bar or restaurant, serve your fine drinks in fun highball or Collins glasses. Mixing glasses are great for making stirred cocktails.
Rocks Glasses
Rock glasses are the perfect vessel for a classic Old Fashioned or whiskey, or other liquor served on the rocks.
Shot Glasses
Whatever shots you are pouring will make your guests happy with the right shot glasses. They present another opportunity for featuring your establishment's logo.
Those are the basics of the types of glasses that most establishments need to serve their thirsty customers' tasty drinks. Whatever drinks you are serving up, make sure to serve them in the right glasses. It immediately elevates the customer's experience and is more likely to bring them back for more of your bar or restaurant's thirst-quenching creations.
