Pasabahce Modern

The right size follows from how you use it. The 0.1 litre is the little jug for milk with coffee or a single serving of juice, and it comes in twelves precisely because you rarely need just one. The 0.32 litre is a carafe for two people or for a batch of homemade lemonade. The 0.5 litre is the table size that fills four water glasses without topping up. The litre goes on a long table, or you use it to chill a jug of wine with fruit before the guests arrive.

With a carafe that has no stopper, pour with the spout low over the glass, because from a height the water splashes over the rim. Never fill a carafe right up to the rim: leave a couple of centimetres and you can carry it without spilling. If you are putting together a sangria, use the litre and let the fruit steep in the wine for an hour before you pour. For ready-made mixes that you prepare in advance and chill, you will find the proportions on the cocktail pages.

The carafes are made of clear soda-lime glass and are dishwasher safe. Stand them upside down in the rack so the water runs out, otherwise a puddle stays at the bottom and leaves limescale rings. A sponge does not reach far enough into the larger sizes; a long-handled brush is the right tool there.

More from this brand can be found at Pasabahce. If you are looking by shape, all the carafes are gathered together, and the models with a handle sit with the water jugs. If you want to let wine breathe rather than simply pour it, take a look at the decanters. For stirring a mix in the carafe itself, a long bar spoon is more practical than a kitchen spoon.