Zwiesel Glas Destille No. 1 Basic Bar Classic

Look at what you pour most often. The 37 cl old fashioned glass is the workhorse: low, wide and heavy, suited to whisky neat, to a negroni over one large ice block and to the cocktail the glass is named after. The 31 cl highball glass is the narrower shape for everything with tonic, cola or ginger beer.

The 20 cl cocktail glass is for drinks you strain and serve without ice. The 75 cl whisky decanter takes over from a bottle, with the 50 cl jug beside it holding water. The three-piece whisky set combines glass and decanter in one package.

Stir anything made purely of spirits, such as an old fashioned or a negroni, and only shake when juice, cream or egg goes in. In the old fashioned glass use one large ice block instead of four small cubes: less surface means slower melting and so a drink that keeps its strength.

Pour water beside a whisky from the jug, not into it. A few drops open up the aroma, a splash wipes it out.

This series is made of crystal glass with a thick, solid base and a thinner wall above it. That combination feels substantial in the hand, but the rim remains the vulnerable part: store the glasses upright and never upside down on the rim.

The glasses can go in the dishwasher at up to sixty degrees. The 75 cl decanter is better washed by hand, because water sits in the narrow neck and leaves limescale marks there.

The rest of the brand is at Zwiesel Glas. If you are looking by shape rather than by series, you will find separate old fashioned glasses, highball glasses, cocktail glasses and carafes from other brands. If you want to start pouring straight away, the recipes for an old fashioned and a negroni are close at hand, and the tools you need for them are gathered under bar tools.