Mai Tai glasses

Reckon on at least 40 cl. A mai tai itself is about twelve centilitres of liquid, but crushed ice takes up the rest of the room and you want space at the top for mint, a slice of lime and a straw. In a 30 cl glass the garnish sits crooked and the ice melts too fast.

After that you choose on character. A heavy cocktail glass or 45 cl tumbler shows off the colour of the drink and suits any bar, including when you pour the rest of the menu from it. A tiki mug in ceramic or worked glass hides the contents instead and turns it into theatre, which was exactly the intention when this drink was created in 1944. The hurricane sits in between: tall, curved and built on a foot, which keeps it stable while still catching the eye.

Watch the wall thickness as well. Crushed ice knocks hard against glass and a thin rim does not survive that long on a busy bar.

Shake the rum, lime, orgeat and curacao briefly with a few ice cubes and pour the whole thing unstrained over fresh crushed ice. Then top up until the glass is full, because a mai tai should rise above the rim with a cap of ice. Push the sprig of mint in right next to the straw, so your guest smells it with every sip.

For dark rum floated on top, pour slowly over the back of a bar spoon. That keeps the layer visible instead of mixing straight in, and your guest tastes the heavier rum first. The same glass works for a dark 'n stormy, where ginger beer takes the place of the ice, and the shorter version with just rum, lime and sugar you know as a daiquiri. The proportions of the classic itself are on the recipe page for the mai tai.

Crushed ice, lime juice and sticky orgeat together make the toughest combination a cocktail glass has to put up with. So rinse straight after use, because almond-based orgeat dries into a layer that survives the dishwasher.

Tempered glass can go on a short glassware programme and copes fine with a daily trip through the dishwasher. Ceramic tiki mugs with glaze and hand-painted details are better washed by hand, because the colours go dull over time in a hot dishwasher and the relief loses its contrast. Put glasses away upright rather than inverted, so the rim rests on nothing. A limescale haze on clear glass comes off with a dash of vinegar in the rinsing water.

If you are after the whole tiki corner and not just this one recipe, the tiki mugs and the hurricanes are already mentioned above and you will also find them separately in the menu. If you want comparable tall glasses for drinks you top up with a soft drink or tonic, look at the longdrink glasses. For an overview of every cocktail shape side by side, start with the cocktail glasses. And if you are still missing the ice bag, the mallet or the scoop to make crushed ice, you will find those under ice tools.