Barware is basically the equipment that one uses to mix and serve alcoholic drinks. Having these equipments makes the jobs of bartenders much easier. Although there are countless numbers of barware that a bar uses, the top 5 glassware items that you WILL find in bars are, shot glasses, martini glasses, beer mugs, wine glasses, and last but not least, the old-fashioned glasses. One may think, why use so many different glasses when at the end of the day, you are just drinking the liquid? That is because there is an art to mixing drinks and drinking it.
Shot glasses are normally really small glasses made of thick glass and it is used to hold around an ounce of concentrated liquor, tequila or vodka. It can also be used for mixing drinks behind the bar. The reason why shot glasses are made of thick glasses is so that it can withstand the slamming of the glass on the table which usually happens after a person consumes the alcohol in a single gulp. If the bartender serves shots in a champagne or wine glass, and the glass is slammed on the table, it is very likely that the glass will shatter into pieces. Champagne or wine glasses are not built to be slammed on bar counters.
Martini glasses, also known as cocktail glasses, have a stem on a flat base and a flat bowl with a wide brim on top. The reason why martini glasses are built that way is so that the glass can be held from the stem. Drinks served in these glasses do not use ice. So, holding the glass from the stem will not allow the drink’s temperature to be affected by the person’s body heat.
A bar should not even call themselves bars if they do not have beer mugs. Beer mugs are just as essential as red wine and white wine glasses. There are numerous types and each type affects the drink. Some beer bugs gives the beer a better foam head, some enhances the aroma, while others enhances the aromatic volatiles of the beer.
To experience the fine art of drinking wine, only wine glasses can be used. There are even different types of wine glasses for white wine and red wine. Wine glasses consists of three parts, the bowl, stem and foot. Just like the martini glass, the stem is designed to ensure the wine’s temperature is not affected by heat from our hands. It is also to avoid finger prints on the bowl, this way wine enthusiasts can see the colour of the wine clearly.
Lastly, every bar is surely to have the most commonly used glass, the old fashioned glass, also known as rocks glass or lowball glass. Lowball glasses are used for drinks like liquor, whiskey or any other drinks which are usually served with ice. The reason why lowball glasses are the most common to be found in bars is because it can also be used for non-alcoholic drink and it holds larger amount of liquid compared to the others.