In this guide, hopefully as comprehensive as possible, I want to help you get to know the name of glasses for the different types of spirits. Based on the assumption that there are so many different glasses and that you reasonably cannot buy them all, if only for reasons of space, I will try to fit the various types of wine, beer and spirits into 'just' 15 types. For issue 1 of the January 2020 print magazine 'CosediCasa', I had already helped journalist Alma Dainesi identify the glasses indispensable for enjoying a good glass of wine. Today I have decided to extend this discourse already started to two products that commonly enter our homes: the beer and the distillates.
Name alcoholic beverages: let's try to streamline...
Wine, beer, spirits, cocktails... the possibilities when it comes to glasses are much broader than I am about to describe. Moreover, choosing the right glass allows you to best savour the liquid it contains. If you don't believe us, try drinking the same wine in a universal tulip goblet or in a stemless water glass (like this tumbler) and then taste the difference yourself! My aim today is not to show you all human knowledge about glasses, goblets, cups! I would like to give you the opportunity to choose from these macro-types I am presenting 4/5 types of glasses to buy so that you can enjoy the spirits you drink most frequently. That is why I have grouped wines, beers, spirits and cocktails within the same type of glass. I have also made you a small selection of glasses that I like and that you can conveniently buy on Amazon, 2 in each category. If you have other glasses to recommend to me or want advice on which glasses to use, scroll down the page and leave me a comment.
1) Charmat method sparkling wines, dry beers with abundant foam such as pils, delicate lagers
Flûte glass. I am not a great fan of flutes, but it is also true that I drink few charmat method sparkling wines and lager or pils even fewer. The flûte concentrates the bubbles making them sometimes even unpleasant and is too narrow to appreciate the aromas. For me, buying flutes makes absolutely no senseand then everyone throws their money where they want... of course! My advice is to leave these glasses where they are: for sparkling wines and beers with plenty of foam choose a nice tulip glass, you'll thank me!
2) Young white wines, aromatic beers such as Belgian abbey beers, IPAs or pilsners
Tulip glass. The universal glass par excellence, any liquid here never goes wrong. Its flared shape enhances the aroma of wine and beer, and therefore enhances aromatic wines and beers. It is no coincidence that if you choose a fairly wide one, you can consider it your universal glass. That is to say, if you have 6 of these for me you have 1/3 of the made in glasses theme... but I will write down my choices and advice once I have analysed all the glasses! 😉 The tasting glass is described as follows:
- Base = Serves to hold the glass correctly and firmly
- Stem = Thin and long, it serves both to move the hand away from the goblet (avoiding heating the glass and altering the aromas) and to rotate it easily
- Chalice = Slightly pot-bellied, with a smaller rim diameter than the wider [tulip shape]. Serves to concentrate scents towards the nose.
3) Structured white wines, large sparkling wines, young red wines, red beers
Rhine glass. I really like these glasses in a modern version as I suggested, however I would not buy them because I prefer a slightly wider tulip.
4) Medium-bodied red wines, full-bodied and robust beers (strong ale, double malt...)
Ballon glass. The ballon is a very pot-bellied glass - or very pot-bellied in the case of the grand baloon - and tall, with an opening just below the belly. Its conformation should be designed to better express the aromas while oxygenating the liquid. For beer, it has a large surface area that favours heat exchange and a belly with a close shape that enhances aromas and foam. For wine I don't like it and so I have never used it, but since many consortia still like it I will mention it for the record. For me, however, you can do without buying it, except to use it with beer... but in my opinion, despite what they say, it doesn't enhance that either.
5) Structured and evolved red wines, abbey beers and IGAs
Burgundy glass. A splendid glass that if you have space I absolutely recommend you buy. The Zalto ones, then, are orgasmic! The Burgundy goblet was created to accentuate the nuances of the most expressive and powerful wines by increasing the surface area of the wine and thus allowing it to breathe. This glass is perfect for wines such as Amarone, Barbaresco, Barolo, Brunello, Californian Chardonnay and all Burgundy-style wines.
This glass is also perfect for abbey beers and IGAs (Italian Grape Ale), which are normally characterised by a high alcohol content, great olfactory complexity and strong taste.
6) Sweet and aromatic sparkling wines, particularly aromatic beers
Cup. Famous is the phrase that portrays the perfect woman's breast as the one capable of filling a Champagne glass. But why was the cup traditionally used for Champagne when today it is only reserved for sweet aromatic sparkling wines? Simple: historically, Champagne was a sweet and aromatic wine! Today, Champagne has become a great sparkling wine made from semi-aromatic vines (chardonnay) or non-aromatic vines (pinot noir, pinot meunier...) and therefore cannot be served in the cup to be appreciated. Perfect instead for this type of glass are Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG, Colli Piacentini DOC Malvasia Spumante Dolce...
7) Sweet mild wines, dessert wines, delicate and fragrant beers
Sauternes. Its shape is specially designed to bring out the aromas and enhance the acidity of the wine so as to balance its sweetness. I have always loved this glass and I confess that I have one (that very C&S I mentioned!) just for me that I use with my beloved Alsatian wines, but also with Port and Sherry, as well as Sauternes and more generally with passiti and vin santi of all sorts. If you have a little place left over....
8) Alt and weizen beer glasses, alcoholic and non-alcoholic long-drink glasses
The glass for weizen beers widens just before closing to control the abundant foam. Together with the long straight glass for alt beers, it is also perfect for preparing alcoholic (Mojito, John Collins, Ramos Gin Fizz, Cuba Libre, Long Island Ice Tea, Sex on the beach...) and non-alcoholic (San Francisco...) long drinks.
9) Universal beer glass (Märzen, export...)
Mug. Il vetro spesso conserva la temperatura mentre la superficie liscia evidenzia lo scarso perlage. Adatto alle birre Ales, soprattutto alle Pale Ales.
Boccale tedesco. Il vetro è spesso per conservare la freschezza e lavorato per valorizzare il perlage, mentre la forma cilindrica dà un effetto neutro sulla schiuma. Nato per le Märzen e per le Export è considerato il bicchiere universale.
Oltretutto è perfetto per servire il Moscow Mule e per altri cocktail… anche se – per fortuna – non è in rame!
10) Bicchieri da whiskhy, molti rum
Glencairn. Il bicchiere ideale per il whiskey che si esprime bene anche con la stragrande maggioranza dei rum. Ha una pancia a tulipano più ampia e alta dello standard e una base spessa e alta senza stelo. Può comunque essere sostituito con un bel calice tulipano.
I piccoli tumbler erano una vecchia moda che non valorizzano questo distillato. Se proprio ci tieni a comprarli, mettici una goccia di grappa giovane, di gin o vodka.
11) Bicchieri da grappa giovane, bicchieri da grappa invecchiata/barricata
Non tutte le grappe sono uguali! Io ad esempio apprezzo tantissimo le grappe barricate, mentre quelle giovani ritengo vadano bene giusto per scaldarsi quando fuori le temperature sono sotto lo zero. Per questo ti mostro un bicchiere universale, sia per grappe giovani o aromatiche, sia per le sfumature delle barricate. Tu che grappa bevi?
12) Bicchieri da cognac, armagnac, calvados, alcuni rum, porto, sherry, marsala, madeira, birre scure strutturate e tostate (stout)
Bicchiere Napoleon / Snifter. Questo per me è in assoluto il bicchiere da avere, insieme al tulipano e al borgogna. Irrinunciabile, si presta per esaltare distillati, vini liquorosi, birre strutturate e tostate tipo stout. Si può utilizzare anche con alcuni cocktail come la Piña Colada…
13) Bicchieri da vodka e gin
Cicchetto liscio. Due estremi, la vodka e il gin. La prima asciutta, poco profumata. Il secondo ricchissimo. Forse perchè per la prima c’è poco da sentire e per il secondo c’è anche troppo, un bicchierino piccolo – da cicchetto per capirci – andrà benissimo. Occupa anche poco spazio e lo puoi utilizzare se ti piace il caffè in vetro.
14) Bicchieri da aperitivo alcolici e analcolici
Martini. Un bicchiere sacro e nostalgico che per l’aperitivo va bene sempre! Praticamente tutti i cocktail pre-dinner sono perfetti per lui, solo per citarne alcuni: Alexander, Aviation, Boulevardier (un delizioso Negroni ma più fighetto), Cosmopolitan, Daiquiri, Espresso Martini, Martini Dry, Porto Flip, White Lady…
Margarita. Entrambi in casa secondo me non ha senso averli, quindi urge fare una scelta: qual è il tuo cocktail preferito? Per me non ci sono dubbi: assolutamente Martini! Questo sombrero è comunque perfetto anche per gli analcolici… e come alzatina per le orchidee! Giuro, ne ho due comprati per questo! 😄
15) Bicchieri da cocktail: moscow mule, julep cupe
Boccale in rame. Adoro i cocktail serviti in metallo, ma qui bisogna stare molto molto attenti. Il bicchiere tradizionale di tutti i “mule” sono in rame, metallo che reagisce con il PH acido conferendo uno sgradevole sapore metallico e – peggio peggio peggio – rilasciando particelle cattivissime che possono darci reazioni tossiche come diarrea, vomito o mal di pancia. Nel lungo periodo consumare alimenti acidi conservati o cotti nel rame può addirittura provocare la morte! La Food and Drug Administration sconsiglia di utilizzare recipienti in rame per questo cocktail e per questo ti consiglio di comprare questi splendidi boccali perchè sono molto scenografici e mantengono la temperatura, ma preferisci l’interno in acciaio inossidabile alimentare e fa sì che il rame sia solo una placcatura esterna!
Bicchieri alcolici: Consigli finali
Di tutto sto quaqquaraqua di bicchieri alla fine ti consiglio di comprarne tre. E ringraziami: chi vive con te non sognerà di fartici camminare sopra… 😇😇😈
- Bicchieri Tulipano da utilizzare in modo universale per vino e birra
- Bicchieri Napoleon per vini passiti, vini liquorosi e distillati
- Bicchieri Martini per gli aperitivi alcolici o analcolici che si possono servire qui (direi la maggior parte) con la consapevolezza che tutti gli altri cocktail li servi nell’universale
Sei più che a posto… per i cicchetti vanno benissimo le tazzine da caffè, che tanto son tutti liquori trasparenti e la misura è quella…
Cheers 🍷
Chiara