Why Do We Serve Drinks In Different Shaped Glasses?
A large number of people would be happy drinking every beverage they consume out of the same glass and not worry about the many different shapes and sizes available. Not many people think that a drink can’t be changed very much by what it is drunk from? Interestingly they can, so lets take a look at some of the more common glass shapes and how they came to be this design.
Whisky Glasses. There is a very good reason why people consume whisky from large-diameter glasses rather than the tall thin variety. Because whisky is often consumed ‘straight’ and not diluted with a mixer (although it can be), the volume of a serving is often quite small. The result of this means that if whisky was served over ice in a narrow and tall glass, the area of the drink in contact with the ice would be quite small as the ice would be stacked up the glass. As ice is necessary to chill the whisky and release its deeper flavors, it’s best to serve the drink in a wide shallow glass where the ice can move around and have more contact area with the liquid, thus chilling the whisky more.
Champagne Glasses.Champagne is traditionally served in a tall, thin flute and there is an interesting reason as to why. As champagne contains lots of little bubbles, it releases a constant flow of powerful gas into the glass as they float up and reach the surface. If the glass had a wide rim then your nose would be situated within the glass when drinking and the powerful gasses would effect flavour by numbing the sinuses.
Red and White Wine Glassware. You will find that red wine glasses tend to have a large, deep-bowled body. The wine can really be thrashed about in this shape of glass and this mixing effect not only enhances certain flavours but releases many more aromas into the glass.Further more, your nose can comfortably fit into the body of a wide glass, meaning you can breath in more of the wine’s aromatic offerings. White wine glasses are generally smaller and thinner. The reason for this is that white wine tastes better when the flavours are condensed in the glass and the aromas not absorbed so much via the nasal passage.
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