Cocktail glasses have a short but very colorful history. Developed to help serve martinis in, they became a hallmark of speak easies and later for anyone effecting stylish tastes, in particular in the 1960's. These glasses have since grown to be part of almost any good bar. Strictly speaking, the martini glass is a subset of cocktail glasses, because the bowl is much more tapered than other types in the very same category, though they could be employed fairly interchangeably.

The structure of this glass is completely functional. They're employed to help serve chilled aromatic drinks. The broad v-shaped design makes it possible for for the sniffing of its contents while not having to make it obvious. This tapered style is said to prevent the components from separating, permitting the martini to keep its particular bouquet much longer. Some, not surprisingly, observe that the wide mouth permitted Prohibition drinkers to quickly dispose of the contents, but those claims remain unsubstantiated. The standard size is 4.5 ounces, though six ounce, 7.5 ounce, and 12 ounce sizes are additionally popular.

The long stem allows for it to be held without warm hands coming in contact with the bowl and as a result warming the contents. This allows for it to be served perfectly chilled without ice and maintain that temperature for a fairly extended time period, at least when compared to various other glasses. A number of stems are adorned with angular cut gemstones; these types of "pillar stems" are becoming far more popular.

Vizovice, in the Czech Republic, is possibly the home of the best known cocktail glasses. However, the glasses can come in an extensive variety of shapes, sizes and designs, because the simple form allows for all types of permutations. There have even been contests to develop the most fascinating glass, like Mia Fierra Wiesenthal's successful stemless entry for a Sapphire Bombay contest.

The earliest tale has the drink named for the site a prospector was going to: a strike in Martinez in the California Bay Area. Jerry Thomas, the bartender at the Occidental Hotel, designed this drink for the price of a gold nugget in 1850 by combining an ounce of Old Tom gin, a splash of bitters, two dashes of maraschino liquor plus some vermouth. Of course he didn't have the appropriate glass, since the martini glass hadn't been developed yet. Other tales keep it in Martinez, and there's a New York version dating to 1912, and yet another has it named for a rifle due to its kick.

No matter how it came to be, the martini did appear in a bartender's manual in 1887, and it has been enjoyed since then. The glasses simply add a certain amount of style to that basic drink, allowing it to be nursed for a very long time. No matter what an individual puts into it, it's nonetheless a nice drink to blend in with company.

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