As a company who offer bars to hire for a broad range of events, we have a large variety of cocktail recipes at our fingertips - some beautiful and some bizarre but all very tasty! Each of these cocktails comes in a particular shaped glass, and this is not just for aesthetic reasons but also to enhance the flavours and tastes of the cocktail itself as well. Here's our guide to glassware:

Wine Glasses

Many people use the same glass for red and white wine, but there are actually different glasses that you should for each. A red wine glass is round and wide with a shorter stem as red wine needs to breathe - i.e. be in contact with the air so that the flavours and aromas can be released so that the drinker can inhale and smell the wine as they drink it. Therefore,the rounder and wider the bowl for red wine the better.

For white wine, on the other hand, it is best if they have a smaller mouth and bowl in order to reduce the amount of oxygen that can get to the wine. The stem should also be longer as well in order to help prevent people touching the bowl and warming the wine up.

Champagne Glasses

A common complaint we hear about champagne glasses is that they are hard to drink from, but they are set up this way for a reason - and that is the same as white wine - minimal air exposure. You may also have noticed that some flute glasses have a small bead etched into the bottom of them, and this isn't a mistake it is actually there to help focus the bubbles - a process known as nucleation. Again, a flute glass should have a long stem in order for our warm hands to not affect the drink temperature.

Martini Glass

The clue is in the title! Martini glasses are perfect for Martini's and other drinks that are shaken, such as a Manhattan or a Metropolitan. It is important that these glasses have a stem again to keep warm hands away from the drink, as they tend not to be served with ice.

Lowball (also known as a Tumbler)

This is a used for short-serving cocktails which are cocktails that aren't shaken but are mixed in the glass itself - such as Whiskey, Caipirinha, Amaretto and the Old Fashioned. Usually, the drinks served in these glasses are served over ice, and they are designed to be sipped at leisure.

Highball

The opposite of the lowball, this glass is a basic tall chimney shape that is used for tall cocktails or other mixed drinks that are poured over ice. Usually for drinks served over ice, and may include a funky straw or two. If you order a vodka, gin, archers, Malibu, long island, Singapore sling or a Bloody Mary - you should be served them in a highball.

We could go on for hours about the different types of glasses available, but we won't. If you'd like to learn more about bars to hire or our bar equipment packages, then get in touch today on 01925 633 131 or email us at enquiries@bars2you.co.uk.