How to Choose a Mixing Glass
A good mixing glass is essential to any home or professional bar. But what should you know before you buy one? Of course, you should pick the one that fits your personal style, but beyond aesthetic appeal, there are a few other considerations that can drastically affect your success at making your next stirred cocktail. Here's a guide to mixing glasses, along with a breakdown of all the mixing glasses (and mixing tins) we carry to help you narrow down the best mixing glass for you.
When to use a mixing glass:
For stirred cocktails made entirely or mostly of spirits, liqueurs, and fortified wines, e.g. a Martini or Manhattan. You would not build something like a Margarita or a Daiquiri in a mixing glass. Cocktails with lots of fruit juices need to be shaken in a Cobbler or Boston shaker, not stirred in a mixing glass. For further reading on when to stir or shake a cocktail, read Happy Hour: What's a Mixing Glass?
A good mixing glass:
- Has a wide + heavy base so it doesn’t tip over
- Has a wide mouth; larger working space + less splash pouring ingredients over ice
- Is durable + won't break easily
- Is large enough to hold the drink + a good amount of ice
- Sits flat; doesn’t wobble when stirring
- Has a spout for precise pouring
- Has straight walls for a smooth and fast stir with a barspoon
A guide to our mixing glasses:
First, check out this chart that highlights the best features of each of our mixing glasses.
Now, take a deeper dive, one glass at a time.
Seamless Plain Mixing Glass
The Umami Mart’s Seamless Plain Mixing Glass is our most popular mixing glass. Like all our mixing glasses, it's made in Japan, but this particular glass was designed FUBU (for us, by us). It checks all the boxes for a good mixing glass – a wide mouth, straight walls, heavy base, and a beaker spout – but it goes above and beyond in all departments. The Sweethome named it Best Mixing Glass and said, "The Umami Mart’s Seamless Plain Mixing Glass might look basic, but of the 13 mixing glasses we considered and the five we tested, it outshone the competition in stirring, straining, and pouring. The Umami Mart is expensive, but its overall balance and ease of use make it worth the extra dollars."
Diamond Cut Mixing Glass
If someone were to ask for "the standard" of mixing glasses, we'd have to point to our Diamond Cut Mixing Glass. Featuring the classic diamond cut cross-hatched pattern, it's a favorite amongst professional and home bartenders. Its wide mouth, heavy base, straight walls, and beaker spout all add up to a great all-around mixing glass. And, those deep diamond cuts means a more grippable mixing glass!
Seamless Diamond Cut Mixing Glass
The Seamless Diamond Cut Mixing Glass is another mixing glass that we designed. It's a more elegant and elevated version of the Diamond Cut Mixing Glass above. Handblown and handetched, you won't see a seam on this glass! It's also slightly larger in capacity than the standard Diamond Cut Mixing Glass.
Short Mixing Glass
The Short Mixing Glass is one that we started to import from Japan because our friend, bartender Chris Lane at Ramen Shop, loves them so much. “They have a shorter profile with wider sides, so you could fit more ice in them,” he explains. The unique shape is a good choice for someone who wants something a little different than the standard, but because it has no etchings, it's easy to fit with any decor. One thing to note, because it doesn't have straight walls, you may have to adjust your stir for its flared walls.
Stainless Steel Mixing Cup
If you're a klutz, the Stainless Steel Mixing Cup could be your best friend – you'll never fear of dropping or cracking it. But aside from it being break-proof, its stainless steel body means drinks get cold faster as your stir, and ice dilutes slower within. If you need to quickly chill ingredients, you can even pop this mixing cup into the freezer (something we don't recommend for our mixing glasses). Although the Stainless Steel Mixing Cup is the smallest of all our mixing receptacles, it actually has the largest capacity!
Double Walled Stainless Steel Mixing Cup
And finally, the Yukiwa Double Walled Stainless Steel Mixing Cup is a step up from the Stainless Steel Mixing Cup mentioned above. Its insulated double walled construction keeps drinks colder even longer and prevents condensation on the outside of the tin. This cup has more heft than the Stainless Steel Mixing Cup, so that it's less likely to tip over while stirring.
