Mammoet Rose

Three centilitres of difference says little, so choose on height instead. The 36 cl long drink glass is narrow and tall and holds its carbonation better, which makes it the size for soft drinks, beer and mixed drinks. The 33 cl tumbler is wider and lower, stands more steadily on a tray and fits under most taps and dispensers. With heavy use, keep a generous reserve of each size, because with plain glassware it is precisely the missing half of a set that leaves the rest no longer matching.

For soft drinks and beer, pour along the wall and finish the last centimetres straight down, so the head comes out right. For mixed drinks, fill with ice first: a glass half full of ice chills faster and dilutes less than a glass with three cubes in lukewarm liquid. A Cuba Libre shows well in the tall glass, and a Mojito with mint and lime needs the 36 cl to fit everything in.

Plain glassware without cut decoration is the easiest to keep clean: smooth walls and no grooves for limescale to settle in. Put the glasses in the basket separately rather than stacked inside one another, because glasses that suction together often only come apart by breaking one. If the glass turns cloudy over time, that is usually a film of limescale and detergent; soaking in vinegar water works better against it than a hotter programme.

Compare by shape and size through long drink glasses and tumblers, where the ranges from every brand stand side by side. Look specifically at water glasses if the glass is mainly for the dinner table. If you want to fill a whole cupboard in one go, look at the glassware sets, and for bases that turn cloudy there is a glass brush ready. That way you top up everything that is missing in one go.