The Best Martini Glasses, According to Bartenders with Very Strong Opinions
“The martini’s origins are woozy,” Alice Lascelles writes in her new book, The Martini: The Ultimate Guide to a Cocktail Icon. But while the drink’s provenance is the subject of much debate, one thing is not: When it comes to a martini, glassware is key. And amid a boom in the classic cocktail, which has been growing in popularity for the past few years, a rise in interesting glassware has followed. Bartenders are selecting ultra-specific glasses to set their drinks apart.
“The glass does a very important job of setting the tone,” Lascelles explains. “It can make the drink seem old-fashioned, futuristic, whimsical or utilitarian.” It can also play into the drinking experience in important ways, from the impact on temperature and aroma to the feel in the hand and ease (or lack thereof) of moving around with it or bringing it up for a sip.
To survey today’s martini glasses of choice, we headed to Manhattan—one of the drink’s possible birthplaces—and asked bartenders and beverage directors around town about how they’re serving martinis of all stripes. Keep reading for their thoughts on why shape and size matter (and when they don’t) and what else a good glass can do.
The Timeless V-Shaped Martini Glass
There’s just something about it. Popularized by the 1925 Paris exhibition, the iconic V-shaped silhouette remains the glass of choice at many of New York’s martini institutions. That includes Bemelmans Bar, the iconic lounge at the Carlyle on the Upper East Side.
“Choosing the right martini glasses for Bemelmans Bar was a huge project,” explains general manager Dimitrios Michalopoulos. Finely etched crystal martini glasses from Urban Bar are used for most classic variations — the espresso martini is an exception, “because of the foam” — which also arrive with a small sidecar over ice.
“Because [the glasses] are so aesthetically pleasing, most guests love a quick photoshoot with them,” Michalopoulos says. But it’s not just about appearances: The broad-mouthed conical bowl “enhances the drink’s aroma by increasing air exposure” and provides elegant support for any garnishes.
Michalopoulos prefers crystal since it offers more clarity than regular glass and can be molded more thinly while still feeling substantial in the hand.
“I’d like to say that the martini is the finest creation among cocktails,” he says. “The smallest details can elevate it from good to exceptional.”
The Classic Cone, Revisited
Small tweaks can add something modern to the classic V silhouette. At Oiji Mi, the contemporary Korean restaurant in Flatiron, you’ll find hand-blown glasses from Kimura — shipped directly from Japan, with a swooping, slightly flared cone tapering to a super-thin stem.
The striking glass is used for only one drink: the Martini Royale, Oiji Mi’s take on a Vesper, made with two kinds of soju.
“Every sip should feel seamless with a super thin lip,” says beverage director Chris Clark, who prefers the lightness of hand-blown glass to crystal alternatives: “Most I’ve seen emphasize weight and ornate designs, the opposite of what we are trying to achieve.”
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Bar Bonobo, in Chelsea, sticks with crystal for its glasses, which have narrower cones and distinctive ribbing meant to mimic the wood paneling wrapped around the bar.
“Our martini glass demands attention,” says bar director Patricia Verdesoto. All variations—including some infused with ingredients like charred scallions or peperoncini—arrive in the same vessel.
“I think the more traditional cone shape gives a more nostalgic experience,” Verdesoto explains. “While I agree that glassware is important for all cocktails, I think more important than that is the feeling a martini evokes. Drinking a martini should be a sigh of relief after a long day.”
The Delicate Coupe
“The Martini’s essential purpose,” argues Bryan Schneider, creative director for the Quality Branded restaurant group, “is to showcase the aromatics of gin and vermouth”—making the wide shallowness of a coupe a compelling choice.
At San Sabino, the group’s new seafood spot in the West Village, it’s a shallow, 7.5-ounce coupe from Steelite’s collaboration with bartender Remy Savage.
“There’s a large expanse of surface area that the drinker is faced with,” Schneider explains, which is especially advantageous for highly aromatic variations like the Scottie’s Martini, made with garlicky, butter-fat-washed vodka and a chile-spiked brine. Plus, with a long stem and wide mouth, “It’s a little precarious, almost dangerous, to hold, which adds to the thrill.”
Sebastian Tollius, beverage director at the new Clemente Bar above Eleven Madison Park, agrees that a coupe gives an aromatic drink room to shine. A spiraling coupe from the British crystal manufacturer John Jenkins is the glassware of choice for the bar’s Clemente Martini, fragrant with saffron and green curry.
“We really wanted a special vessel for the bar’s signature drink,” Tollius explains. “It was important to choose something with a wide mouth that allows the drinker to experience the flavors imparted by the aroma,” and the super-thin lip and distinctive swirl make the handmade glass a stunner in its own right.
A Coupe With ‘Flare’
At La Mercerie and the adjoining Guild Bar, in SoHo, the house martini is served in a coupe from the Austrian producer J. & L. Lobmeyr made with ultra-fine, mouth-blown muslin glass.
“It’s almost as if the glass disappears in a way that brings more focus to the drink itself,” says beverage director Gregory DeVico. But it’s also distinguished by the delicate flared lip, which subtly influences the drinking experience and “adds a tactile element that you don’t always find in martini glasses,” DeVico notes—“allowing the martini to flow in a more smooth and natural way to the mouth.”
NoHo’s Jac’s on Bond also highlights a lipped coupe for its limited-run Golden Martini, a collaboration with the crystal manufacturer Baccarat. The drink arrives in a lavish crystal coupe designed by Philippe Starck, an update on Baccarat’s Talleyrand collection and its signature flared-rim designs, which are meant to hug the lip of the drinker. At $1,500 a set, the glasses are a grand match for the decadent drink (priced at $38).
“The elegance and weight of the glass make it feel like you are tapping into the opulence within the mind of the designer,” explains head bartender Alberto Nieto. “It translates perfectly.”
Takes on the Nick & Nora
Named for the main characters of Dashiell Hammett’s The Thin Man, a Nick & Nora glass has a long stem topped with a small, narrow-mouthed bowl.
Mario Alejandro Castro, bar director at the new Passerine in Flatiron, likes it for the Forest Wagtail—Passerine’s reinterpreted martini, which involves verjus and smoked mushroom brine—because of its elegant shape and lower splash factor.
“The Nick & Nora also keeps the cocktail colder,” Castro says, “as there is less surface space for temperature to exit than in coupes or cone-shaped cocktail glasses.” There are practicalities for this glass’s popularity too. “Also, for efficiency purposes, [it’s] easier to store, and in higher quantities,” he adds.
The Lesser Key Martini at Paradise Lost, in the East Village, is also served in a Nick & Nora, a flat-bottomed version that’s more angular than the typical silhouette. Kitty, Paradise Lost’s bar babaylan (a k a bar manager), serves this “sturdy yet sophisticated” glass with a sidecar “to supplement for the lack of volume,” they say.
In the case of the Lesser Key Martini, which pairs gin and vermouth with plantain brandy and coconut- and pistachio-washed rum, the entire drink arrives in a glass vial inside an ice-filled coconut shell. You can pour a bit and drink immediately for something crisp, or let it sit in the glass “so the oils warm up and add a velvety texture,” they add.
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…Or Something Completely Different
Of course, no martini need be entirely bound to tradition. Eel Bar, on the Lower East Side, serves its martinis in a short, chunky goblet. At Mimi, in the Village, it’s more of a small, rounded tumbler. Harry Cipriani, on the southeast corner of Central Park, sticks with the Cipriani vessel of choice: an ice-cold cylindrical shot glass.
One of the many martini variations at Midtown’s Madame George is the Breakfast for Dinner, a take on the signature breakfast martini from legendary Italian bartender Salvatore Calabrese. Inspired by a bite of toast, Madame George’s version involves an eau de vie distilled from whey and a gin infused with Bonne Maman marmalade. It’s also served in a repurposed marmalade jar.
“I am a big fan of repurposing glassware,” says Marshall Minaya, Madame George’s beverage director. “The jar is a great glass, honestly. It holds just like a rocks glass, and we serve [the drink] over a large, hand-cut ice cube.”
It also makes for a somewhat Proustian experience, more about memory than form or function. “It takes your senses to that specific marmalade,” Minaya explains. In the process, he says, “I hope it sparks some joy.”
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In the Shop
Savoy Nick & Nora Coupe Glasses (Set of 2)
In Stock | $95
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