Tumbler glasses

The size tells you straight away what a tumbler is for. A low glass of 20 to 30 cl is the classic water or aperitif glass for the table, and that is also the size in which the Bodega and the Picardie sell best. Between 30 and 40 cl you reach the low, heavy glass the bar calls the old fashioned glass, with a thick base that takes one large ice cube without it floating. Above 35 cl the glass gets taller and narrower and is called a highball, which in practice is the same thing as the long drink glasses.

Then look at the wall and the rim. Tempered glass has a thickened, factory-reinforced rim and is made for daily dishwasher cycles. Thin lead-free crystal glass feels more elegant on the lip and shows the colour of your drink better, but asks for a little more care. If cupboard space is tight, choose from the stackable glasses, because a tumbler that does not stack quickly costs twice as much shelf. Count on six glasses per size at home, and in hospitality on two to three times your number of seats, so a clean set is always ready while the rest is going through the wash.

For water and soft drinks you simply fill a tumbler to about two centimetres below the rim. With whisky it is different: a neat pour is four to six centilitres, which looks deceptively little in a 35 cl glass, but that is exactly the point. The space above catches the alcohol vapour, and that is where the aroma sits that you want to smell before you taste.

The low tumbler is also the glass in which you build cocktails rather than shake them. An old fashioned is stirred in the glass itself, with sugar, bitters and one large ice cube that melts slowly and opens up the bourbon gradually. A negroni goes in in equal parts, stirred until cold and then poured over fresh ice. For both, a long bar spoon is more use than a shaker, because stirred drinks should stay clear rather than turn airy. If you work with ice from the freezer, rinse the cube briefly under the tap before it goes into the glass. That way the outside melts a little first and then goes more slowly, which makes your drink less watery.

Thick-walled tumblers are strong against knocks but sensitive to sudden temperature differences. Boiling water in a cold glass, or ice in a glass fresh out of the dishwasher, puts strain on the wall, and that is where the cracks appear. So let glasses cool down a moment before you fill them.

Stackable models are better not forced into each other. If two glasses do get stuck, stand the lower one in warm water and put cold water in the upper one, and they will come apart by themselves. Pulling and twisting both break rims. Beyond that, almost everything in this collection can go in the dishwasher on a short programme. A dull haze on tempered glass is usually limescale and comes off with vinegar in the rinsing water, but on old glass it can also be etching damage from years of washing too hot, and that is unfortunately permanent. Store tumblers upright rather than upside down, because the rim carries weight badly.

If you are mainly after something for the table, the smaller models are together among the water glasses. For whisky, you will find the heavier low glasses with a thick base among the whisky glasses. If you want one recognisable range for the whole house, the Duralex Picardie is the best known, in sizes from small to large in exactly the same shape, so everything matches. If it is the tall, narrow model you want because you mostly top up with tonic or soft drinks, the long drink glasses suit you better. And if you do not yet know which drink is going in it, the menu alongside lists the shapes sorted by cocktail.