Bormioli Rocco Lyon

Choose on the basis of what you pour into the glass, not on how it looks. The 16 cl holds a glass of water or a small juice, with barely room for ice. The 20 cl has space for two cubes and still leaves around 13 cl. Anyone who wants these on the dinner table often takes both sizes: the small one for water, the larger one for soft drinks. They share the same base height, so they line up neatly side by side. For roomier models in the same style, have a look at the tumblers or the water glasses.

When setting the table, place the glasses to the upper right of the plate, slightly inside the knives, so they are not knocked over while pouring. For a short drink on ice the 20 cl works well: a caipirinha in which you crush the lime against the side of the glass with a muddler rather than pounding it, or an americano with equal parts bitter and red vermouth. Add the soda water last, pouring it along the side, so the bubbles do not disappear straight away.

Lyon is made from tempered glass, which makes it suitable for places where a lot of washing up is done. The glasses are dishwasher safe and withstand the temperatures of a commercial glasswasher. Small tumblers do tend to get stuck inside one another; do not pull them apart, but hold the lower one under cold water and the top one will come free by itself.

For drinks that take more mixer, the long drink glasses are a better size, because they hold plenty of ice and a full bottle without the glass overflowing. If you work in hospitality and are mainly after sturdiness and stackability, have a look at the catering glasses. The manufacturer's other ranges, including wine glasses and carafes, can be found under Bormioli Rocco. That is also where the ranges supplied in twelves are listed.