NUDE Glass Savage

The coupetini of 17 cl is the working size for shaken and stirred cocktails: big enough for a full portion, small enough to keep the drink cold until the glass is empty. The champagne coupe of 22 cl is wider and deeper, and suits both sparkling wine and cocktails you still want to garnish. The pony glass of 13.5 cl is the smallest of the three, meant for liqueur, a digestif or a small sweet finish after a meal. Anyone setting up a home bar starts with the coupetini and expands from there.

Cocktails in these glasses are served without ice, so the chill has to come from the glass itself. Put the coupe in the freezer for a quarter of an hour before you pour, or fill it with ice and water while you shake and tip that out just before serving. Always strain, so no ice splinters come along to dilute the drink further. A dry martini belongs in the coupetini, an espresso martini just as much, and a french 75 looks good in the wider coupe.

Lead-free crystal glass is clearer and thinner than ordinary glass, and it is precisely that thin rim which is the vulnerable part. The glasses can go in the dishwasher on a glassware programme, but place them apart and let nothing knock against them. Carry them one at a time rather than with three stems between your fingers. Dry with a lint-free cloth and hold the glass by the foot while you do, not by the bowl, because that is where the stem twists.

This maker's full range is at NUDE Glass. If you are looking for other shapes to serve cocktails in, take a look at the cocktail glasses and the champagne coupes; for the small sizes after a meal there is the liqueur glasses category. The tools for shaking, stirring and straining are among the bar tools.