Nachtmann Shu Fa

Choose the tall 36 cl glass if it is mainly for water, soft drinks and mixed drinks with ice, because that model holds the fizz longer and fits under most ice dispensers. The 33 cl tumbler is wider and lower and works better for whisky, stirred cocktails and juice at breakfast. With cut glasses, look at where the pattern stops: on Shu Fa the top centimetre stays smooth, which is nicer to drink from and makes the rim less vulnerable when clearing the table. Six glasses per model is enough at home.

Fill both glasses to about two fingers below the rim, so the smooth band at the top stays clear and the cut can catch the light. A Japanese highball with whisky and cold sparkling water is the drink the tall glass was made for: pour over ice, stir once vertically and leave it at that. For a gin and tonic in the tumbler, use less tonic and more ice than usual. Use large ice cubes, because small ones melt before you have finished pouring.

The crystal glass is lead-free and can go in the dishwasher, provided the glasses do not touch each other in the rack. With curved cuts water stays behind in the grooves more easily, so choose a programme with a good drying phase or go over the glasses with a cloth afterwards. Do not use abrasive cleaners, because scratches running across the pattern show up as soon as light falls through it. Store the glasses upright and not on their rim.

Everything from the brand is under Nachtmann, from cut classics to smooth ranges. Comparing by shape goes through long drink glasses and tumblers, where the sizes from all brands stand side by side. For the dining table the water glasses are the broader entry point, and anyone mixing their own stirs with a bar spoon until the glass mists up on the outside. That way you choose by size and not by the name of the range.