A mixing glass is the receptacle used to hold a cocktail’s ingredients while it is stirred. There are two main types in general use, the cheap, tapered pint glass and the more elaborate parallel-sided Japanese-style mixing glass, usually with a spout and a pattern cut or molded into the glass both for decoration and to aid grip. Some bartenders, however, prefer stirring drinks in small shaker tins, mason jars, or even Pyrex beakers.
When it comes down to it, stirring a drink in any of these vessels will dilute and chill it. But choosing a receptacle is dependent on a few factors: cost, threat of breakage, temperature conduction, personal aesthetics, and size.
Today, Japanese-style mixing glasses tend to be the tool of choice for several reasons. Typically, they are designed with a heavier, wider bottom for stability and feature a pour spout to aid in straining. They come in different sizes, including ones large enough for mixing several drinks at once. The older pint glass is the descendant of the so-called large mixing glass, which held from 12 to 16 ounces (360–480 ml) and was used both for stirring and, with a mixing tin, as part of the cocktail shaker. See mixing tin. There was also a similarly-tapered “small bar glass,” for stirring short drinks such as cocktails. Today, that usage only survives in making Sazeracs. See Sazerac cocktail.
With glass, there’s always a risk of breakage. Metal mixing glasses in similar patterns have recently become more available, and proponents like author Dave Arnold argue that metal cups chill more quickly, making stirring more efficient. If using metal, one must always measure ingredients with a jigger, as it is impossible to check their levels by eye.
Arnold, Dave. Liquid Intelligence. New York: W. W. Norton, 2014.
Uyeda, Kazuo. Cocktail Techniques. Translated by Marc Adler. New York: Mud Puddle, 2010.
By: Clair McLafferty