Pina Colada glasses

Start with capacity. Below 40 cl a blended cocktail simply will not fit, because the ice already takes up so much room. The practical standard sits between 44 and 47 cl: that is the size of the classic hurricane glass and of most can models. If you want to serve generously or work with plenty of garnish, 50 to 53 cl gives you the most room to move.

Shape mainly determines the look. The hurricane glass has a waisted, bulbous bowl on a short foot and is the model everyone associates with tropical cocktails. A poco grande looks similar but stands on a longer stem. Can and sling models are straighter and slimmer and also work for other long drinks, which makes them more versatile if you are only buying one set. Pineapple-shaped tiki glasses are purely decorative and most fun when you have a more neutral model alongside them. With stemmed glasses, watch the stability: a wide foot is less likely to tip over on a terrace table.

A piña colada is blended with crushed ice until the drink is thick and creamy, and you pour it over in one go so the texture does not collapse. Do not fill it right to the rim: leave room for the pineapple slice and the straw. Chill the glass beforehand, because a blended drink in a warm glass turns watery within ten minutes.

The same glass works for the rest of the tropical repertoire. A mai tai is built in the glass over ice and finished with a float of dark rum, so a distinct layer forms. An alcohol-free virgin piña colada goes exactly the same way. If you shake by hand instead of blending, strain from the shaker over fresh ice, because the ice you shook with is already half melted and would dilute the drink further. Always garnish last, with the pineapple slice on the rim and the straw beside it, so the guest sees the glass first and the drink second.

Most hurricane and can models are made of tempered glass. That makes them resistant to the temperature difference between an ice-cold drink and hot rinsing water, and to the knocks that are unavoidable on a full tray. For terrace and beach use, that is the practical difference from thin-walled glass.

All the glasses here are dishwasher safe. Coconut cream and fruit pulp do dry quickly into a film that settles in the rounded base of the glass, so rinse briefly with warm water after use before putting them in the machine. Place stemmed glasses separately in the rack rather than against each other, because even in tempered glass the stem is the most vulnerable point.

If you are after the wider overview of glassware for mixed drinks, you will find it with the cocktail glasses. For a straight shape without a foot you end up with the long drink glasses, and for the flared bowl that also suits a frozen drink, look at the margarita glasses. Want to know what else fits in them? The recipes are gathered under cocktails.