Why are different glasses chosen for different drinks on a party table?
Often a glass is chosen for its ability to contain an appropriate “dose” of alchohol, depending on the strength of a drink. Historically, a “shot” as we know it was once known as a “dram,” procurable in “dramshops” where liquor was intended to be drunk on the premises (and not in the street) and so was put in a small glass. Sometimes a glass is chosen for it’s ability to increase or reduce the contents’ exposure to oxygen, such as a snifter for brandy, or a bulbous glass for red wine, meant to increase the surface area of the liquid exposed to air, thus allowing some of the tannins to oxidize and become less bitter. With a champagne flute, the glass is designed to keep the liquid “bubbly” as long as possible, and so the top of the glass is narrow to reduce exposure to air.
