Brandy is a wine-based spirit and so has many flavours and scents that together create an experience that is best discovered when the brandy is warmed in the hand. That’s why it’s important that the brandy glass or snifter has a short stem – so you can cup it in your hands – and a narrow top to concentrate the aroma. Most glasses will hold a volume of between 180ml to 240ml but when serving, should only fill up to around 50ml. This will provide enough for you to swirl it when warming without spilling.

Used to serve whisky neat (without ice), the whisky glass should be held from the base. Unlike the brandy glass, whisky does not need to be swirled, as the drink is already concentrated so you want to channel that, which is why the glass has a slightly flared rim to direct the flow of the whisky. You can also ‘open up’ the whisky by using a pipette to drop 1-2 small drops of water into the spirit. I recommend purchasing a clear glass so it doesn’t compete with the colour of the whisky – the colour can tell a lot about its age and barrel.

The highball is the most versatile of barware so I recommend choosing one that’s aesthetically pleasing to the eye and accentuates the drink. The most important thing about the highball is that it has enough volume to give a good ratio for the spirit vs the mixer.

Also known as a Rocks glass, the tumbler can be used to serve spirits and is great for sours, negronis and stirred drinks that don’t need a lot of ice or modifiers – you would use a highball for that. The tumbler also needs to be capable of holding the whisky ice ball, a slow melting ice sphere we use at the MO Bar to serve whisky on the rocks. Avoid using one or two ice cubes as this will not chill the drink, it will only dilute it – unless this is the effect you may want to have.