L.S.A. Paddle

The choice comes down mainly to the number and to how you serve. Six glasses is enough for a laid table with two rounds; twelve is the size for a party where people are standing and the board goes round. Also look at the board itself, because it determines whether the set fits on your bar and whether you can lift it with one hand. For the glasses the same rule applies as for any shot glass: small, sturdy and with a flat base, so it survives being set down hard on the table. If you are only after glasses without a board, see the shot glasses.

Vodka, jenever and herbal bitters are served cold, so put the filled set in the freezer briefly or rest the board on ice. Pour to just below the rim, because a glass you have to pick up without spilling is one you do not fill to the top. With jenever, tradition has the first sip taken hands-free, with the glass on the table. If you want to go beyond neat spirits, look at the shots for recipes in the same size, or make a b52 in which the layers stay separated.

A set that includes wood needs two different routines. The glasses can go in the dishwasher, the board cannot: wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it immediately, otherwise the wood warps. Only put the glasses back once both are dry, because moisture trapped between glass and wood leaves rings. Rub the wood with a little oil now and then to nourish it.

If you need larger quantities of loose glasses, the shot glasses collection is a more logical place to start. The rest of this brand's glassware is listed under L.S.A.. To keep the bottle cold while the glasses go round, an ice bucket does the job better than the freezer, because you simply put it on the table. And a classic kopstoot is, in the end, the drink this size of glass was made for.