Bormioli Rocco Lounge

The choice here mostly comes down to how many you need. Four suits a table for two with a second round to follow; six is the usual size if you have people over regularly and a couple are always in the dishwasher. Also look at the thickness of the base: a weighted base means the glass is less likely to tip over while you stir with a bar spoon, but also that it holds less than its outer dimensions suggest. Keep that in mind if you want to fill the glass to the rim with ice. Feel free to compare with the wider choice at tumblers.

For this size, use one large ice block rather than four small cubes. Large ice has less surface area per volume and dilutes more slowly, which with spirits is the difference between a second and a third sip. Stir a negroni for thirty seconds in a mixing glass and pour it over the ice; an old fashioned, by contrast, is built in the glass itself, with sugar and bitters at the bottom. Finish by squeezing a strip of citrus peel over the glass so the oils land on the surface.

The glasses are made of tempered soda-lime glass and are dishwasher safe. What they do not appreciate is a sudden temperature swing: a glass fresh out of a hot cycle that is filled with ice straight away can crack. Let them steam off on the worktop first. Limescale streaks come away with a cloth and a little vinegar in lukewarm water.

For tall drinks with plenty of mixer you are better off with the highball glasses, which take ice plus a whole bottle of tonic or ginger beer without you having to stop halfway. The full overview of glasses cut for a specific cocktail shape is at cocktail glasses. And the other series from the maker, from wine glasses to carafes, can be found at Bormioli Rocco.