Cocktail Glasses

Private Lives Martini Glass — Celebrated playwright Noel Coward would never have been caught dead without a full Martini glass and a tailor-made tuxedo. Maybe that's why he always ended up at "marvelous parties."

Start with these elegant, swellegant 6-ounce Martini glasses (props in the Broadway revival of Private Lives), add shaker, jigger, ice, gin and vermouth — and turn the cocktail hour into an occasion, the scene from a Noel Coward play.

Peppermint Lounge Twist Martini Glass — The Peppermint Lounge, or The "Pep," on West 45th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in New York City, was the site where youth culture crossed generational and social boundaries in the early 1960s. They twisted to the music of the house band, Joey Dee and the Starliters, who had a number one record with Peppermint Twist and starred in the movie, "Hey, Let's Twist."

The dance craze inspired a tall, 9¼-ounce martini glass, as quirky as the Peppermint Lounge itself. The top of the glass has a classic and traditional design, but halfway down the stem, a “Z” pattern gives the glass a unique "twist." (These glasses are made thick and sturdy to survive the rigors of a Twist Party).

Anchor-Hocking Manhattan Glass — It's rumored that the first Manhattan Cocktail was shaken in 1846, by a Maryland bartender trying to revive an injured duelist. He mixed rye whiskey, sugar syrup and bitters. No word on the duelist, but one can assume he had a fighting chance. From there, the drink traveled to Manhattan, where, in the Gay Nineties, vermouth was substituted for syrup, paving the way for today's recipe.

The Manhattan pattern is made up of concentric ribs, influenced by the signature skyscrapers of New York. These ribs are pointed so that if you rub your fingernail across them, it will catch on each one and you can hear a little "ting." The 9-ounce Manhattan pieces are heavier than most cocktail glasses because of all the glass that goes into making the ribs. You'll be less nervous about using them around clumsy friends.

Pin It!

It is a very good cookbook and I have yet to find a recipe that didn't turn out as it was supposed to.—Norm Peterson, Arizona
My hubby keeps looking in the cookbook, and asks "when will you cook this recipe?"—Lori Hamby, Florida