RCR Cristalleria Italiana

Start with the range, not with the single glass. RCR builds ranges you can keep adding to for years, and the cut sets the character. Melodia is the broad middle ground with a fine diamond pattern and runs from a 5 cl liqueur glass to a 65 cl gin and tonic bowl. Timeless and Adagio are sharper and more modern, while Opera and Brillante have a classic cut. Etna and Alkemist have a heavier base and are built around spirits. If you want colour, look at Gipsy, Maori or Pedro & Rosa, where the tumblers come in a set of different shades.

RCR is generous on capacity. Tumblers run from 21 to 42 cl, long drink glasses from 34 to 44 cl, and the wine bowls go well beyond 50 cl. For whisky neat, a tumbler of 30 to 35 cl is pleasant, because a large ice cube fits without filling the glass straight away. For a gin and tonic with plenty of ice and botanicals you want that 65 cl bowl instead.

Cut crystal calls for a drink that has something to look at. Pour whisky to just below the cut, so the pattern catches the light and the colour of the spirit plays through it. The same goes for a decanter from the Opera or Timeless range: it is meant to stay on the table after dinner, so fill it to about two thirds and leave the rest of the bottle in the cupboard.

Behind the bar the range is wider than the name suggests. The Mixology tumblers have enough weight in the base for an old fashioned served over a single large ice cube, and the 65 cl bowl is exactly what a gin and tonic needs to let the botanicals rise. Chill the glass first and pour only once it has misted over.

Luxion is lead-free crystal glass, reinforced with titanium and zirconium. That makes the rim harder and the bowl more scratch-resistant than classic lead crystal, and it is the reason RCR calls its glasses dishwasher safe. Even so, the glassware programme still applies: shorter, cooler and with glasses that do not touch.

What usually goes wrong is thermal shock. A glass straight out of the freezer that goes into hot suds will crack at the base. So let glassware come back to room temperature before you wash it. Limescale marks show up far more on clear crystal than on tempered glass, but a dash of vinegar in the rinsing water and a lint-free cloth remove them without polishing.

If you are after RCR for a particular purpose, you can carry on from the shape. The complete wine glasses are together on one page, as are the whisky glasses from every brand and the gin and tonic glasses with their balloon bowl. If you want a decanter, look at the decanters and carafes, where whisky decanters sit alongside water and wine carafes. If tools are still missing behind your bar, the cocktail shakers page also holds bar spoons, jiggers and strainers. And if you want a mixed package rather than single glasses, the complete glassware sets have a page of their own.