Royal Leerdam Cocktail

Start with the drinks you make most often. Tropical cocktails with lots of juice and crushed ice need plenty of volume: the 49 cl tiki glass or the 50.5 cl pineapple glass. A 44 cl hurricane glass has the classic curved shape associated with rum drinks. For anything with lots of tonic or soda, choose the 65 cl copa glass or the 41 cl highball glass. Shaken drinks without ice go in the 26 cl martini glass, the 30 cl margarita glass, or the 24 cl coupe. For spritzes, there is the 62 cl glass, and the 35 cl tumbler is used for anything served over ice. See also the cocktail glasses and the margarita glasses.

Build a tropical cocktail in the glass rather than in the shaker: start with crushed ice, then the juices, then pour the rum over them so a color gradient forms. A piña colada or a mai tai will look their best this way. Never fill a margarita glass to the rim, as the wide bowl spills easily. Put salt on the outside of the rim, not the inside, otherwise it will fall into the drink. Always garnish on the side you do not drink from.

Royal Leerdam machine-makes these glasses in soda-lime glass with a reinforced rim, the same construction that makes the brand's glasses last so long in hospitality. All of them are dishwasher safe. Sugar and syrup are the worst enemies of clear glass, so give a glass a quick rinse after a sweet cocktail before it goes into the machine. Place the stemmed glasses loosely in the rack so the rims do not knock together.

If you want to see what else the brand makes, take a look at Royal Leerdam, where you’ll find wine and beer glasses alongside cocktail glasses. If you’re specifically looking for tropical shapes, you’ll find them in the tiki glasses. And without tools, nothing gets into the glass, so be sure to check out the cocktail shakerstoo. If you’re not sure which shapes you need yet, start with the tumbler and the highball glass.