Mixology 101: What Drinks Go in What Glasses–And Why it Matters

I have a friend who has been a bartender in Tyler, Texas for many years. He recently shared with me why we utilize different types of glasses for different drinks.

He also said it isn't about how it looks for the most part. There's a REASON we pour beverages into different glasses.

Let's brush up on our mixology skills, shall we? Another important bit that's often overlooked by any aspiring bartender: glassware. It's not just about how it looks. There's a reason for it.

If you are an uber-sophisticated connoisseur, please feel free to add further thoughts in the comment section below. ;) Admittedly, I am no expert. However, for those who are still seeking to make the transition from "put everything in a red solo cup and down it" mode to something a bit more refined, this may be useful.

When it comes to all of the different beverages available for imbibing, you may have noticed there's quite a variety of glasses in which those liquids are served.

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If you've ever wondered if they were just to create differentiation between all of the drinks the waiter is serving atop that little beverage tray, they are not.

There's a good reason why each type of alcohol is housed in its own particular glass--well, for the most part.

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Wine. This is one most people are familiar with due to its popularity. I mean, it's a bowl and a stem--what's to know? Well, here's something you may not know. Next time you're at a shindig and notice someone is holding wine by the bowl, that's not correct. (I wouldn't necessarily feel compelled to tell them that, though, if you want to remain friends.)

The stem on the stemware is there to hold. Wine tends to be best served at varying degrees of cool, so the goal is to not warm up the wine with your hand. That being said, I'll probably still hold my mind by the bowl if I'm also trying to teeter around a room on heels. Cuz, stability, y'all.

What about beer, though? Interestingly, the glasses and mugs used to serve beer are often used out of a sense of tradition or were chosen based on what was easiest to store. However, there are certain glasses used for particular types of beer that are thought to make them taste better--such as the pilsner glass for German wheat beer, for example.

When it comes to whiskey, the goal seems to be to NOT water it down. So, despite the fact that stout glasses are designed to make room for lots of ice, experts say, if you want your whiskey chilled, it's best to have one giant cube rather than a bunch of smaller bits of ice. So, a wide glass that would accommodate the aforementioned huge cube is best.

One of my best friends adores champagne, which is, of course, served in those elegant flutes. In this regard, the tall glass is mainly employed to make sure there is continual bubbling going on, to make sure the champs haven't gone flat. However, if this isn't concerning to you at all, feel free to drink it out of that plastic red solo cup--or straight from the bottle. Though, I wouldn't advise that either.

Cheers!