HOLDING YOUR OWN

The first step to more-enticing cocktails? Serve them in nicer glassware. Here are three styles to own, plus one to splurge on.

COUPE The coupe has replaced the martini glass as the carrier of choice for stirred drinks. It’s also popular for champagne and prosecco. Our favorite is Cocktail Emporium’s Cross-etched Coupe (at left, upside down), which is elegant enough for even royal affairs. $8 each OLD-FASHIONED The flat, heavy base of rocks or old-fashioned glasses is designed for drinking spirits neat or with a big chunk of ice. The Dorset Crystal Double version from Williams Sonoma feels hefty in the hand and even lends itself to muddling if you’re making a cocktail. $16 each COLLINS The collins is your go-to glass for highballs, swizzles, and all variety of tall mixed drinks. Aim for narrower versions around 12 ounces, like Cocktail Kingdom’s Buswell Collins glass, which closely matches the proportions of most cocktail recipes. $20 for a set of six DECANTER Decanters were once used to carry whiskey home from a distillery. Today they’re mostly decorative, but a model like Simon Pearce’s Woodstock Decanter (at left, on top) lets you take in a bourbon’s hue in all its glory. $185