Cocktail glasses have a short but colorful history. Created to serve martinis in, they became a hallmark of speak easies and next for anyone effecting stylish tastes, especially during the 1960 ' s. These glasses have since become part of part decent bar. Strictly speech, the martini glass is a subset of cocktail glasses, as the bowl is more tapered than others in the alike clique, commensurate though they can be used somewhat interchangeably.
The design of the glass itself is fully functional. They are used to serve chilled perfumed drinks. The wide v - shaped design allows for the sniffing of its haul wayward needing to make it self-evident. The tapered design is uttered to keep the ingredients from separating, allowing the martini to keep its particular bouquet longer. Some, of course, note that the wide mouth allowed Prohibition drinkers to quickly dump the contents, but those claims remain unsubstantiated. The standard size is 4. 5 ounces, even though six ounce, 7. 5 ounce, and twelve ounce sizes are also popular.
The long stem allows for it to be held without warm hands touching the bowl and thus warming the contents. This allows for it to be served chilled without ice and maintain that temperature for a reasonably long period of time, at least compared to other glasses. Some stems are decorated with angular cut gemstones; these " pillar stems " are becoming more popular.
Vizovice, in the Czech Republic, is arguably the home of the best known cocktail glasses. However, the glasses can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles, as the basic form allows for all manner of permutations. There have even been competitions to create the most interesting glass, such as Mia Fierra Wiesenthal ' s winning stemless entry for a Sapphire Bombay contest.
The oldest legend has the drink named after the site a prospector was going to: a strike in Martinez in the California Bay Area. Jerry Thomas, a bartender at the Occidental Hotel, made the drink for the price of a gold nugget in 1850 by combining an ounce of Old Tom gin, a dash of bitters, two dashes of maraschino liquor and some vermouth. Obviously he didn ' t have the right glass, as the martini glass hadn ' t been invented yet. Other tales keep it in Martinez, and there is a New York version dating to 1912, and another has it named after a rifle due to its kick.
Regardless of how it came to be, the martini did show up in a bartender ' s guide in 1887, and has been enjoyed since then. The glasses just add a certain degree of style to that simple drink, allowing it to be nursed for a long time. Regardless of what one puts into it, it is still a nice drink to mix in with company.
