Bar and Restaurant Glassware Buying Guide
Serving your drinks in the most suitable glasses will add to your customers' experience and show you're serious about getting things right. This means you need to ensure your bar or restaurant is stocked with the right glassware to suit your drinks menu. However, there are so many beer, wine, spirit, and cocktail glasses available that it can be difficult to work out exactly what you need.
Here, we'll outline what kind of glasses are available, what they're used for, and whether you need them behind your bar. We’ll cover:
Read on to learn everything you need to know.
What is glassware?
The term "glassware" may refer to any articles made from glass. If you run a restaurant or bar, your collection of glassware will consist of various glasses (beer, wine, cocktail, and liquor) that you serve your customers' drinks in.
Beer Glasses
Regardless of whether you have beer on tap or typically sell it by the bottle, you need the right bar glassware to serve it in. You might be tempted to bulk buy simple pint glasses and be done with it but, if you want to establish your venue as a hotspot for beer lovers, that won't cut it. Certain lagers and ales are best suited to particular glasses — that much is a fact. But what are the different types of beer glasses?
American Pint Glasses
Your bar should be equipped with American pint glasses at the very least. These have a simple cylindrical design that's slightly wider at the top than at the bottom, and they work well with a whole host of lagers and ales.
If you offer particularly popular beers, you might want to invest in some branded glasses. This can give the drinks you serve a more professional and polished feel.
Nonic or Imperial Pint Glasses
Imperial pint glasses are traditionally used to serve British ales and lagers. They have a protruding band that goes around the glass, which encourages a substantial head to form on every pint that's poured. They're perfect for helping your staff to serve perfect pints each and every time.
Shop for nonic beer glasses.
Tulip Pint Glasses
As the name would suggest, these glasses are tulip-shaped — they come with a stem and open up at the top to support a beer's foamy head. They're best for serving beers with a strong flavour, such as Belgian beers, fruit beers, and red ales.
Shop for tulip beer glasses.
Pilsner Glasses
These glasses are tall and skinny, with very little curvature. Pilsner glasses are best for serving light beers, as they're designed to showcase their colour and clarity. Their shape also helps drinkers to truly appreciate the taste and aromas of their beer.
Shop for pilsner beer glasses.
Goblets or Chalices
Goblets have a bowl shape and a short, thick stem. In terms of beer glasses, they're considered to be on the more sophisticated end of the spectrum, and are available in a range of different sizes. They're a great choice for serving heavy, malty beers, as they have a wide opening that allows beer drinkers to truly appreciate the aromas and overall flavour.
Shop for chalice beer glasses.
Beer Mugs or Tankards
A favourite among beer drinkers, beer mugs are robust and easy to handle. And, they can hold a lot of beer. Their thick glass walls help to insulate ales and lagers so they stay cool for longer, and their handles will help to stop your customers' hands from unintentionally warming their drinks.
Shop for beer tankards.
We offer a huge range of wholesale beer glasses that would work wonderfully behind your bar. So, if you're looking to update your glassware, make sure you check out our selection.
Wine Glasses
It's important that you serve wine to your customers in the most suitable bar and restaurant glassware, as this will add to the experience. It's easy to think all wine glasses are one and the same, but this isn't the case. Here, we'll outline the different types of wine glassware and their uses.
Red Wine Glasses
Drinking red wine is all about the aromas, which is why it's best served in a glass with a large opening at the top. Red wine glasses should also have a bowl shape to them, as this will allow the drink to have more contact with the air.
If you serve heavier red wine, such as Carbernets and Merlots, you might want to present them in Bordeaux glasses. These are taller and their bowls aren't as large, which means the wine can flow directly to the back of the mouth to maximise the flavour.
White Wine Glasses
The bowl of a white wine glass should have more of a 'U' shape to it, as this will help to keep the wine cool once it’s been poured. The opening at the top of a white wine glass should be quite wide, as this will allow your customers to dip their nose in and smell the aromas created by the wine.
Rosé Wine Glasses
Rosé wines are typically served in two types of glasses: stemmed glasses with a short bowl and flared lip, or those with a short bowl and slight taper. Glasses with a flared tip are designed to be used for young, crisp varieties that are less sweet than older vintages. Tapered glasses, on the other hand, tend to work best with more mature, full-bodied rosé wines.
Sparkling Wine or Champagne Flutes
Sparkling wines like cava, champagne, and prosecco are typically served in champagne flutes, which are narrower than most other wine glasses. These work best, as they do a great job of retaining the carbonation and capturing the flavour of the drink.
Champagne Saucers
Champagne saucers are sophisticated and elegant. They're most commonly seen in high class establishments, and are a great choice if you host a lot of events. As they'll allow your customers to drink champagne in the traditional way, they're sure to impress.
If you're populating your bar or are updating your glassware, make sure you browse our ranges of champagne and wine glasses.
Liquor or Spirit Glasses
It's wise to invest in a range of spirit glasses for your bar, and you should choose these depending on the kind of crowd your venue tends to attract. Here, we'll outline what glass you should choose for what drink when serving your customers.
Snifters
Used to serve aged brown spirits like bourbon, brandy, and whisky, snifters are short-stemmed glasses that are wide at the bottom and narrower at the top. Because of the design, any spirit that's poured into these glasses will have a large surface area. As a result, it can evaporate quite easily, and the narrow opening helps to trap the aroma this creates. The round bottom also allows the liquor to be warmed by the drinker's hand, which can add to the experience.
Shot Glasses
If you run a club or bar with a party atmosphere, you're going to need some shot glasses. These simple, short, cylindrical glasses are used to serve spirits such as tequila, Sambuca, and flavoured vodka. They're also commonly used to make Jägerbombs, which tend to be particularly popular among party-goers.
Liqueur or Cordial Glasses
Most commonly seen in particularly upmarket venues such as banquet halls or ballrooms, cordial glasses are designed to serve strong, neat liqueurs that are meant to be sipped. While they hold a similar amount of liquid to shot glasses, they typically have a stem that helps to keep the drink cool, and adds to the sophistication of the glass.
If you're interested in adding any of these glasses, make sure you browse our ranges of wholesale brandy and liqueur glassware, as well as our shot glasses.
Cocktail Glasses
If your bar or restaurant serves cocktails, they're probably among your most popular drinks. Your customers will expect a lot from these, so it's not enough for them to taste great: they need to look amazing, too. Accessories and garnishes will play a part in this, but it's vital that you use the right glasses for the drinks you're offering as well. Here, we'll outline what kind of cocktail glasses you should have behind your bar.
Balloon Glasses
Spanish-style balloon glasses have been hailed as the best for serving gin and tonics in. They're perfect for giving your customers an exceptional gin-drinking experience, as they do a great job of trapping the beautiful aroma that the drink creates.
Serve a gin and tonic in a balloon glass with plenty of ice and a lemon wedge to create the best possible drink for your customers.
Cocktail or Martini Glasses
With their long stems and conical shapes, martini glasses are iconic, and shouldn't be reserved for their namesake cocktails: they're ideal for serving the likes of Cosmopolitans and Manhattans too.
Martini glasses are best suited to short drinks that are served without ice. This is because their long stems help to keep cold drinks away from your customer's warm hands, but they can tip over quite easily if they're overfilled.
Margarita Glasses
As the name would suggest, these are typically used to serve Margaritas. They come in a variety of sizes, but always have that distinctive double-bowl shape they're known for.
Large Margarita glasses are great for serving frozen drinks, or those that come with a lot of ice. Just make sure you add a rim garnish like sugar or salt to complete the Margarita-drinking experience for your customers.
Hurricane Glasses
Suitable for serving almost any kind of long drink, hurricane glasses are great all-rounders. They're curvy and oversized, which means they're perfect for creating show-stopping drinks. And, they have plenty of space for garnishes and decorations. A bonus is that hurricane glasses tend to be much sturdier than they look, so they're likely to fare quite well, even when your venue is at its busiest.
Hurricane glasses are typically used to serve frozen or ice-heavy cocktails such as Piña Coladas and daquiris. These can be dressed up to look very impressive.
Highball Glasses
Because of their versatility, highballs tend to be the most widely used cocktail glasses. They're simple tumblers, which are perfect for serving juice or mixer-based long drinks with ice and a straw. While they can be used in many situations, they're most commonly used for cocktails such as Mojitos and Screwdrivers. They're also great for serving less traditional drinks, such as Zombies and Collins cocktails.
Rocks or Old-Fashioned Glasses
Also known as "lowball" glasses, these are short tumblers that are often used to serve short cocktails over ice. Drinks often served in rocks glasses include White Russians, Rusty Nails, and Old-Fashioned cocktails.
If your bar is missing any of the cocktail glassware we've mentioned here and you would like to change that, make sure you check out our selection of cocktail glasses. Make a bulk order today to receive free delivery.
Glassware Brands
When you’re shopping for new bar and restaurant glassware, you’ll only want to invest in high-quality products that are going to give the best possible impression of your business. So, it's a good idea to purchase pieces from reputable glassware brands. At Alliance Online, we only stock the best possible brands of glassware so, when you buy from our range, you can be sure that you're paying for quality. Here are just some of the fantastic companies we stock restaurant and bar glassware from.
Arcoroc
Arcoroc offers an extensive selection of bar and restaurant glassware, which means you should have no trouble kitting out your entire establishment with this brand. Whether you're looking for classic wine glasses with a slight twist, or you're in the market for some sturdy tumblers, you'll find just what you need in our collection of Arcoroc glassware.
Artis
Artis is known for its wide range of kitchen and restaurant essentials, which are all made to a very high standard. Plus, they offer a huge array of bar glassware, including everything from traditional wine glasses to ornate tumblers. Whether you're stocking up on basics or are after some show stopping bar supplies, you'll find just what you need in our range of Artis glassware.
Chef & Sommelier
Chef & Sommelier is a brand that cares a lot about providing your customers with the best possible drinking experience. The wine glasses and champagne flutes from the brand are a favourite among high class establishments that wish to give their visitors an experience to remember. If you want to ensure wine lovers come back to your bar or restaurant time and time again, our Chef & Sommelier glassware will certainly help with that.
Coca Cola
Coca Cola is one of the most recognisable brands in the world and, when someone orders a pint of this fizzy drink from your bar, they'll expect it to be served just right. Offering them their drink in a branded Coca Cola glass will really help with this. Not only do these have the iconic logo everyone knows and loves, but they're also the ideal shape for a comfortable drinking experience.
Kronenbourg
We also stock toughened Kronenbourg glasses, which are ideal if your bar, pub, or restaurant serves pints of this premium beer. Again, as this glassware has been designed by the brand behind the drink, it has been created to offer the best possible drinking experience. So, when you serve your customer's order in some Kronenbourg glassware, you can be sure you're giving them the perfect pint.
Schott Zwiesel
Are you looking for simple but sophisticated wine glasses that will help you to serve the perfect drink each and every time? If so, our Schott Zwiesel glassware will suit your needs. The brand is best known for supplying the hospitality sector with high-quality titanium crystal drinking glasses for a whole host of occasions. So, we guarantee these products will be a great fit for your business.
Steelite
We also stock a wide range of Steelite glassware, which includes everything from wine glasses and champagne flutes to pint glasses and tumblers. Whether you have a high-class restaurant that's in need of some elegant drinkware or your restaurant is running low on sturdy glasses for everyday use, this range will have you covered. There are some fun coloured options that might interest you, too!
Utopia
If you want to kit your bar out with glasses for every occasion, Utopia is the brand for you. It offers everything from stylish cocktail glasses to sophisticated tumblers, and a whole host of different glasses for every type of wine you can imagine. So, we guarantee you'll be able to find just the products you're looking for in our selection of Utopia glassware.
Villeroy & Boch
Villeroy & Boch is best known for its home essentials, but the brand also designs and makes high-quality products for bars and restaurants. In our collection of Villeroy & Boch glassware, you'll find gorgeous stemmed glasses for different types of wine, water goblets, and even some brandy and liqueur glasses. If your establishment is on the more sophisticated side, you'll find the perfect glasses to suit in this range.
WMF
WMF are experts in creating understated glassware that's sure to give your bar or restaurant an extra dash of sophistication. Our range of WMF glassware includes an array of different wine glasses, as well as champagne flutes, tumblers, and even a cooling carafe for water. If you're on the hunt for elegant and stylish glasses that are sure to impress your customers, you'll find just what you need from this brand.
It's important that you serve drinks in the most appropriate glasses that come from high-quality glassware brands, as this will help them to look and taste fantastic. If you're interested in adding to your collection, we offer a huge selection of wholesale glassware that has everything you'll need. Shop online today with free delivery when you spend more than £30 (excluding VAT).