Arcoroc Hot Shot

The small 3.4 cl size is the classic shot format: one mouthful, downed in one go. That is the measure for jenever, tequila, vodka and most shot recipes, where the standard serving is around three centilitres, so you fill to just below the rim. The 6.4 cl leaves room for layered shots with two or three ingredients, for an espresso, or for an amuse-bouche.

Look at the base as well. On the Hot Shot it is deliberately heavy, so the glass does not tip over when you set it down and absorbs the impact instead of passing it on. Anyone who often serves by the tray notices that difference within one evening.

Serve cold shots from a bottle that has been in the freezer, not from a glass with ice; ice waters down a three-centilitre serving within a minute. For layered shots, pour the heaviest ingredient first and let the next layer run over the back of a spoon, so the layers stay separate.

For hot uses, warm the glass through first with hot tap water. That way the glass heats evenly and not only on the inside. Recipes that work well in this size are on the page with shots, among them the B52 and the kamikaze.

Hot Shot is made of tempered soda-lime glass. Tempering puts the surface under tension, which makes the glass better at taking knocks and rapid temperature changes than ordinary glass. The glasses can go in the dishwasher and hold up well in a short hospitality cycle too. Put them in a compartment rack upside down, because loose in a basket twelve small glasses will inevitably knock together.

If you want more choice in small glassware, look at the shot glasses or at the slightly more elegant liqueur glasses. For jenever and herbal bitters the schnapps glasses are the place to start, and the rest of the French hospitality range is at Arcoroc. If you want larger glasses that take the same treatment, the catering glasses give you the broader overview of what survives the wash-up.