Best coupe glasses

A coupe is a wide, shallow bowl on a stem. That geometry does two useful things: it gives foam somewhere to sit, and it presents a large surface of the drink to your nose as you lift it. Both suit a shaken drink - a daiquiri, a sour, anything with a head.

The same geometry does two unhelpful things. A large surface exposed to the room warms fast, so a coupe is a poor vessel for a drink you intend to sip slowly. And the wide mouth means a full one is very easy to spill - the classic sacrificial sip before you dare walk anywhere.

So the coupe is a fast-drink glass. Shaken, bright, finished in fifteen minutes. For a Manhattan you will nurse for forty, the bell-shaped Nick and Nora is a better tool - covered in Nick and Nora vs coupe.

Selections on published specification and construction, not on test results. Our criteria:

• Bowl capacity. Too small and a shaken drink with foam overflows; too large and it looks under-filled and warms faster. Around 7 to 9oz is the working range.
• Stem construction. A pulled stem is drawn from the same piece of glass. A joined stem is welded, and the join is where cheap stemware breaks.
• Rim. Laser-cut where available, for feel and chip resistance.
• Base diameter. Stemware tips. A wider foot is a meaningful stability improvement.
• Replaceability. Sold in ongoing production so a breakage is one glass, not a set.

There are two ways to attach a stem to a bowl. In a pulled stem, the glass is drawn out from the bowl itself in one continuous piece. In a joined stem, the bowl and stem are made separately and welded together while hot.

Both are legitimate, and joined stems are used on plenty of expensive glassware. But the join is a discontinuity, and on cheaper glassware it is the point that fails - typically when someone grips the bowl and twists while washing it.

For a glass you intend to use rather than display, a pulled stem is the more forgiving construction. It is also the reason the Libbey lines keep appearing on this site: they are machine-made to a specification that includes it.

Every drink served up benefits from a chilled glass, and a coupe benefits most because it warms fastest. A room-temperature coupe measurably shortens the window in which the drink is at its best.

The fastest method is the freezer: leave the glasses in for ten minutes and they come out frosted. If freezer space is scarce - and if you are also making clear ice, it will be - fill the glass with ice and cold water while you build the drink, then dump it just before straining.

Do not chill crystal in a freezer and then pour something at room temperature into it. Thermal shock is a real way to crack a glass, and it happens most often with thin-walled fine glassware.

Four is the working minimum and six is the number that lets you serve a table without washing between rounds. Stemware also breaks more often than tumblers do, which argues for buying from an ongoing production line rather than a one-off set - a broken glass should be a replacement, not a reason to rebuy four.

The other reason to prefer a staple line: coupes are the glass most likely to be used for something other than cocktails. Sparkling wine, dessert, a float of cream on top of something - they get pressed into service, which means they see more use and more washing than the specification suggests.

• Hold the bowl, not the stem, while washing. Most stem breakages happen in a sink, from a twisting force applied to the stem.
• Never twist a cloth inside the bowl. That is the other classic sink breakage. Push the cloth in gently and rotate the glass, not the cloth.
• Dishwasher: stems up and not touching. Glass-on-glass contact during a cycle is what chips rims.
• Air dry upright on a rack. Upside down on a towel traps moisture and leaves a stale smell in the bowl.
• Do not stack coupes. They nest just enough to jam, and freeing them cracks them.