If you can think of a drink, there's probably a specific glass for it out there! However, choosing drinkware & barware for your home is a balance between having a few different types of glasses and… not taking over your cupboards.
Here are the most popular glass types:
An everyday glassware set is for water, juice and other soft drinks. Because it involves the glasses that you'll use the most, it must feel comfortable to hold, be durable, preferably dishwasher-safe, and easy to store. These glasses are usually tumbler-style and follow a simple design, although quirky glass mason jars have risen to popularity over the past few years;
A stemware set includes glasses for wine, and can either be purchased as an all-purpose set or as one that includes specific glasses for each type of wine;
There are many different types of glasses for liqueurs and spirits. The most versatile are short-stemmed liqueur glasses with a rounded body, tumbler glasses for a drink on-the-rocks or a small cocktail, thicker shot glasses, and taller highball glasses for mixers and larger cocktails;
There are also individual cocktail glasses for specific types. The most popular are the iconic Martini glass with a long stem and a wide mouth, bowl-shaped Gin balloons, the Margarita glass with a wide rim for salt, and the more versatile Hurricane glass that, with a long curved bowl and a short stem, is perfect for piña coladas as well as many other cocktails;
As for beer glasses, you can choose among the traditional bar-style pint glass, a slimmer pilsner glass if you mainly drink lagers, a continental glass with a larger bulbous body for craft beers, or the bigger, classic tankard glass with a handle.