The glass files

WHISKY GLASS

Believe us, the glass you drink your whisky from can make a huge difference to the overall experience. A whisky tumbler is the most popular glass to drink blended whisky (or whiskey, if you prefer the Irish variety) in.

SINGLE MALT GLASS

Aficionados swear that single malt tastes different in an ever-so-slightly bulbous single malt glass. The inward-tapering tops of these glasses trap the aroma and accentuate the elegance of top-quality single malt. This gives you a far superior drinking experience than the traditional whisky tumbler.

BEER MUG

A traditional German beer mug is made of pewter, silver, wood, porcelain, earthenware or glass and usually has a hinged lid and levered thumb-lift. Most modern beer mugs, though, have done away with the lid.

PILSNER GLASS

A pilsner glass is tall, slender, tapered and generally comes in 250 ml or 330 ml sizes. Wheat beer glasses are often mistakenly referred to as pilsner glasses. The difference: a pilsner glass has an even taper and no curvature.

BEER GOBLET

They are large, stemmed, bowl-shaped glasses for serving mainly heavy Belgian ales and German bocks. Many consider goblets and chalices as synonymous. But the difference lies in the thickness of the glass. Goblets tend to be more delicate and thin, while chalices are heavy and thick-walled.

MARTINI GLASS

A Martini glass typically has a wide shallow bowl and a stem above a flat base. The stem allows you to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink. The double Martini glass is taller and wider at the opening than a standard Martini glass.

MARGARITA GLASS

The best way to serve your margarita is in this glass. Ideally, the bowl of the glass should be 5 inches in diameter-a standard margarita glass can hold between 360 and 600 ml of drink.

RED WINE GLASS

Glasses for red wine are characterised by their rounder, wider bowl, which gives the wine a chance to breathe. Since most reds are meant to be consumed at room temperature, the wider bowl also allows the wine to come to room temperature easily.