Cocktail glasses have a short but intriguing history. Designed to help serve martinis in, they became a hallmark of speak easies and later on for anybody effecting elegant tastes, particularly during the 1960’s. These types of glasses have since become part of virtually any decent bar. Strictly speaking, the martini glass is a subset of cocktail glasses, since the bowl is much more tapered than other types in the same category, though they could be used reasonably interchangeably.
The actual design of this glass itself is completely functional. They’re utilized to help serve cold aromatic drinks. The broad v-shaped style allows for the sniffing of its contents while not having to make it noticeable. The tapered design is believed to keep the components from separating, enabling the martini to maintain its specific bouquet longer. Some, of course, observe that the wide mouth permitted Prohibition drinkers to quickly dump the contents, but these claims are unverified. The common size is 4.5 ounces, although 6 ounce, 7.5 ounce, and twelve ounce sizes are also popular.
The longer stem permits it to be held without warm hands touching the bowl and as a result warming up the contents. This allows for it to be served perfectly chilled with no ice and sustain that temperature for a reasonably long time period, at least when compared to other glasses. A number of stems are adorned with angular cut gemstones; these “pillar stems” have become far more popular.
Vizovice, located in the Czech Republic, is possibly the home of the very best known cocktail glasses. However, the glasses come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and styles, since the standard form permits all manner of permutations. There have even been competitions to develop the most fascinating glass, like Mia Fierra Wiesenthal’s successful stemless entry for a Sapphire Bombay contest.
The oldest tale has the drink named for the site a prospector was travelling to: a strike in Martinez in the California Bay Area. Jerry Thomas, the bartender at the Occidental Hotel, developed the drink for the price of a gold nugget in 1850 by combining an ounce of Old Tom gin, a splash of bitters, two dashes of maraschino liquor as well as some vermouth. Naturally he did not have the ideal glass, because the martini glass hadn’t been developed yet. Different tales keep it in Martinez, and there’s a New York variation dating to 1912, and yet another has it named for a rifle due to its kick.
Regardless of how it was developed, the martini did show up in a bartender’s guide in 1887, and it has been enjoyed ever since then. The glasses just add a certain degree of style to that basic drink, permitting it to be nursed for a long time. Regardless of what one puts into it, it is nevertheless a great drink to mix in with company.
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