Bormioli Rocco Caravelle

Here the size determines the use more than the shape does. The 5 cl shot glass is the classic measure for jenever, liqueur or a shot. The 10 cl tumbler is a juice glass or a small water glass for children. At 15.5 cl you have the format for juice and soft drinks at breakfast, at 20 cl the standard water glass on the table, and at 25 cl the glass that takes ice cubes and a soft drink at the same time. Anyone building a cupboard from scratch gets a long way with twelve of the 20 cl and six of the 25 cl. Alongside this series are the broader water glasses and tumbler glasses.

A tumbler with a solid base takes ice without ringing and stays steady on a tray. Fill a 25 cl glass with ice to above halfway before you add the soft drink: plenty of ice chills faster and melts more slowly than a little, so the drink dilutes less. Fill the 5 cl shot glass to the brim for jenever and take the first sip from the table with your hands behind your back. Recipes for that hour are with the kopstoot and the shots.

The Caravelle is thick-walled soda-lime glass, with most of the mass in the base, and can therefore take daily use. The series can go in the dishwasher on a normal programme. The biggest enemy is not the heat but the stack: glasses wedged inside one another break when you pull them apart. Place them side by side in the basket and let them dry standing up. Limescale on the base comes off with vinegar and a glass brush.

If you want glasses that nest to save cupboard space, look at the stacking glasses. For drinks hour on its own there is the shot glasses category, with sizes from roughly 3.5 to 6 cl. And if you want to see the full Italian range side by side, it is with Bormioli Rocco. If what you really want is tempered glass that survives a fall onto a tiled floor, the French brands set the standard there.