Zwiesel Glas Début

Choose according to what goes in the glass. The 59 cl mocktail glass is the largest and is meant for long, ice-cold drinks where you need room for ice, garnish and a generous pour. The 27.8 cl all-round aroma glass is its counterpart: a compact bowl that holds the aroma together, suited to alcohol-free wine and delicate infusions.

The 31.9 cl savoury umami glass has a wider opening, so savoury and salty notes arrive less sharply. The 28.2 cl aperitif glass is the shape for bitters and herbal aperitifs before the meal. The 25.2 cl drinking bowl is the lowest and widest, and works for drinks you serve without ice and finish quickly.

Do not fill these glasses too full. With a 28 cl bowl, a third is enough; the rest of the space is there to capture the aroma when you bring the glass to your nose. Only the mocktail glass is filled generously, and then with ice first.

The effervescence point makes sure carbonated drinks keep their bead, so bring those glasses out for anything with bubbles. A virgin mojito does well in the large model, with the mint at the bottom and the ice on top. An espresso tonic, by contrast, comes into its own in the all-round aroma glass, because the smell of the coffee lingers there.

Début too is made in Tritan crystal glass, the melt into which Zwiesel Glas works titanium and zirconium. That makes the bowl and rim better able to take knocks and to withstand the alkalis in the dishwasher, so the glass stays clear after long use.

The effervescence point sits in the base and needs no extra attention, but do rinse the glass out if you have drunk something sweet or creamy from it, because sugar residue attaches itself there most easily.

The other series from this maker are with the glasses from Zwiesel Glas. If you are mainly after recipes that suit these bowls, start with the alcohol-free mocktails, where you can see per drink which shape works. For a broader choice of shapes, have a look at the cocktail glasses and the wine glasses, and if it was the drinking bowl that appealed to you, you will find related models with the champagne coupes.