Know Your Cups

Don't ever try drinking whiskey out of a martini glass. And if you get a bartender who tries to pull such tom foolery on you, you have our permission to splash the drink back in his face. But don't get caught not knowing what kind of glass you should drink your pink cadillac out of (ahem, that would be a martini glass). For instance, say you order a martini, and the bartender asks you if you want that "up". You're not sure what that means, so you just shake your head. Then you get served a martini with ice in a rocks glass. Hey, you asked for it and didn't even know it. To help you prevent such situations, we've provided a brief overview on bar glassware.

The rocks glass. Not just for drinks served on the rocks. Okay, yes, the glass is made for your drinks with ice. Your gin and tonics, gimlets, rusty nails (scotch and drambuie. Drambuie is a licorice flavored liqueur). Also, if you wanted your martini on the rocks, this is how it would be served. A lot of guys who don't want to drink out of the martini glass will ask for it on the rocks instead. In case you've ever wondered, "dirty" martinis are made that way with olive juice so you get kind of a briny taste. Yum.

The highball glass is usually for drinks that involve a liquor and a mixer. So your rum and cokes, vodka cranberry (aka the cape cod). There actually is a "highball" drink which is a mix of whiskey and soda. For these drinks, your bartender should always be pouring the liquor in first. Why? Alcohol is lighter than water, or juice or soda. So when you put it in first, it naturally wants to rise to the top. Density issues. Okay, we won't bore you with details.

The collins glass. Yes, it looks like the highball glass but a bit taller. That's because this baby holds a mixture of liquor, sour mix and soda- layered in the glass in that order. They're generally know as Tom Collins, Jim Collins, Name-a-dude Collins. Slight changes in the beverages, but that's the idea.

The martini/cocktail glass. Now we're getting into familiar territory. There is never to be any ice in these glasses, though if you have a good bartender he/she will fill them with ice and water to chill them in front of you. This glass is home to the beloved cosmo, grasshopper, pink cadillacs...usually anything that's shaken/stirred in mixing cups that you're not downing in one shot.

We're skipping shot glasses because c'mon. We've all been there. Also a note of caution. Say you order a vodka soda and it comes in a big glass that restaurants typically serve water in. You might be getting a LOT more vodka than in your standard drink. We learned that the hard way in a VERY expensive cab ride.