Sex On The Beach glasses

Capacity is the first choice you make and straight away the most important one. A Sex on the Beach is roughly fourteen centilitres of liquid, and ice fills the glass to almost the rim on top of that. So count on at least 33 cl, with 36 to 40 cl as a comfortable standard. The Islande by Arcoroc comes in 33 and 36 cl, the Lima by Chef & Sommelier in 40 cl, and if you want to pour really generously you end up at the Diamond of 47 cl or the Cidra of 55 cl. Anything under 31 cl only works if you go easy on the ice.

The shape can be straight or slightly flared, as long as the glass is taller than it is wide; a narrow, tall column shows the colour gradient best because the transition stretches over more centimetres. After that, choose on material. Tempered glass, such as the Norvege by Arcoroc, takes more knocks and is the choice for a terrace or beach bar. Duralex Picardie is tempered as well and stacks on top of that, which helps behind a bar with little shelf space. If you want thinner, more elegant glass, look at the ranges from Onis and Bormioli Rocco.

This cocktail does not belong in a shaker. First fill the glass right up with ice, then pour in the vodka and the peach liqueur, top up with orange juice and only add the cranberry last, letting it run down the inside of the rim. Because cranberry juice is heavier than orange juice it sinks through the drink and the gradient forms by itself. Leave the stirring to the guest, with a straw.

Ice is not a side issue here. Fill above the liquid line, because a half-filled glass melts its ice far faster and within five minutes you are left with a watery drink. Large cubes melt more slowly than crushed ice. Serve with half a slice of orange on the rim and a cherry if you like. The same glass works just as well for a tequila sunrise, which is layered in exactly the same way, and the proportions of the classic are set out in the Sex on the Beach recipe.

Tempered glass is made by cooling the formed glass quickly. The outer layer sets before the core and is therefore placed under compressive stress, which makes the glass considerably more resistant to knocks and to sudden changes in temperature. Behind a bar where ice, hot rinsing water and a full dishwasher rack follow one another, that is the difference between a set that lasts one season and a set that lasts three.

Highball glasses have to cope with plenty of citrus and sugar, and that combination is sticky. Run a short glassware programme and rinse thoroughly, because sugar residue that stays behind forms a dull film. Stand the glasses upright in the rack and keep them from touching each other; on a tall glass the rim is the most vulnerable point because it sits furthest from the heavy base. Polish away limescale streaks with a lint-free cloth.

Looking for the same shape but without the tie to one single cocktail? The highball glasses are the broader category this page grew out of. If you want something curved that looks more tropical, take a look at the hurricane glasses. For the full overview of shapes, start with the cocktail glasses, and the brand supplying most of the tempered models here has a page of its own: Arcoroc. If you want to keep the proportions the same every time, one of the jiggers measures faster than a measuring jug.