Bormioli Rocco Dedalo

Choose between the single tumblers and the set based on what you already own. The pack of six 26 cl glasses tops up an existing cupboard or replaces exactly the glasses you reach for most. The set is the logical choice if you want a complete look in one go, or if it is meant as a gift.

The 26 cl size is deliberately modest. That is the classic measure for whisky with ice or for water with a meal, not for a long drink. With a facetted glass, pay attention to the grip as well: the ridges give wet fingers something to hold on to, which makes a glass with ice in it noticeably nicer to drink from than a smooth wall.

For whisky, pour four centiliters and add one large ice cube instead of a handful of small ones, so the drink gets cold without becoming diluted. The faceted pattern helps too: the cut surfaces refract the light passing through the ice, making the glass stand out on the table.

The same tumbler is used for a cocktail built over ice. A old fashioned or a negroni belongs in exactly this size, with a strip of citrus peel squeezed over the rim. For water with the meal, simply fill it up; the facets also make still water visually lively.

Dedalo is pressed glass, not blown glass: the pattern comes from the mould rather than being applied by hand, which makes the glass thicker and sturdier than it looks. Soda-lime glass copes with the dishwasher perfectly well. The one thing to watch is limescale, which likes to settle in the grooves of the facet pattern and is harder to polish out of there than off a smooth wall. A rinse aid with a descaler prevents that.

Looking for the same size without a pattern? Then the tumbler glasses and the water glasses offer the broader selection. For whisky in a shape that concentrates the aroma, see the whiskey glasses, and for cocktails on ice, see the old fashioned glasses. The complete Italian range is available from Bormioli Rocco, where the coloured and simple series can also be compared side by side.