pony glass is a designation for glassware of various volumes, all noted for their relatively diminutive sizes (hence the name). Although the term may be older as a general descriptor for a small glass, in mid-nineteenth-century America it came to mean the smallest glass in which liquor was customarily served. In American bars, this meant a narrow, stemmed glass with a slightly flared rim that held anywhere from two thirds of an ounce (20 ml) to an ounce (30 ml). This was used for liqueur or cordial service (it was also known as a “cordial glass”), as well as serving as a measuring tool for mixing drinks. Once jiggers were adopted, later in the century, the pony came to be defined as half a jigger—thus either three-quarters of an ounce (22.5 ml) or an ounce, depending on whether the jigger’s nominal capacity was one and a half ounces or two. But quantities in American bars were never legally defined, and there has always been a great deal of variation in the sizes of various glasses, which means that—confusingly—a pony glass may occasionally measure up to as much as three ounces (90 ml). On a standard two-sided jiggering tool, however, the smaller cone is traditionally called a pony.
See also jigger.
Curtis, Wayne. “Mixopedia: The Pony Glass.” Imbibe, September 26, 2018. https://imbibemagazine.com/pony-glass-mixopedia/ (accessed March 31, 2021).
By: David Moo