Duralex Picardie

The range runs from 9 to 58 cl, and that is where the choice becomes difficult. The 9 and 13 cl sizes are for espresso and aperitifs. The 16 and 20 cl sizes are for juice or children. The 25 cl size is the standard water glass and also the glass that serves as a wine glass in French bistros, as it easily accommodates a 12 cl serving. The 31 and 36 cl sizes are for soft drinks and mixed drinks, and the 50 and 58 cl sizes are long drink glasses. Colour is the final choice: besides clear, there are navy, grey and yellow, and they simply stack with one another.

The glass can handle both hot and cold drinks, which is not a given with thin glass. Tea, coffee with milk, and hot chocolate fit in it without any problems. A sangria is poured into the 36 or 50 cl version, with fruit that is kept from floating to the top by the waist. A cuba libre works better in the 31 cl version than in a tall glass, because the lime stays in the middle. Do not fill hot drinks to the brim, as the top then becomes too hot to hold.

Duralex is made to stack, and that is also where it most often goes wrong. Two glasses jammed into each other come apart if you stand the bottom one in warm water and fill the top one with cold water. Do not stack more than four or five high and put them away dry, because moisture in between is what causes the jamming. Everything can go in the dishwasher, even on a normal cycle.

De Picardie is one shape from a broader range. If you want the same tempered glass in a sleeker, straight shape, take a look at the other series under Duralex. If you are searching purely by size rather than brand, all the low models are grouped under tumbler glasses , and under stackable glasses you will find everything that fits inside one another. For the hospitality industry, the latter is often the real selection criterion.