What is a Highball Glass?
A highball glass is a drinking glass noted for its tall but slim appearance.
They usually hold about 8 to 12 fluid ounces and are used to serve highball cocktails like a Mojito.
People love them for at-home use because they hold a bit more than the standard lowball glass, but they still have an elegant appearance.
What is a Lowball Glass?
A lowball glass is also sometimes called an old fashioned glass or a rocks glass.
This is because it is a glass that a typical old fashioned would be served in, along with whiskey over ice, which is referred to as “on the rocks.”
These glasses typically hold 6 to 8 fluid ounces. In contrast to a highball glass, a lowball will be much shorter, about half the height of a highball, but will be a little bit wider.
They do serve what is often referred to as a “double old fashioned glass.” These are a larger alternative that usually holds 12 to 16 fluid ounces.
Features To Consider Before Buying a Drinking Glass
Weight
The weight of a glass that you enjoy is a personal decision, but they can differ greatly.
Since these glasses were originally used to make mixed drinks, some of them have extremely thick bases so that you can muddle your ingredients right in the glass.
These thick bases ad a lot of weight, and some people don’t like the feel of a heavy glass.
You’re also more prone to dropping a heavy glass, especially if you’re serving cold drinks in them that may sweat.
Thickness
The thickness of the glass also tends to be a more personal choice, but most high-end glasses will have a very thin lip.
Generally, people prefer a rim lip because it feels better on the lips. Especially when you are serving something fancy like an expensive liquor in the glass, but if you have children or know that you are accident-prone, then a thicker, more durable glass may be a better fit.
Just remember that thicker will also mean heavier.
The only way to get around this is to find a glass that has a hybrid crystal. These use metals embedded in the glass that allows the glass to be blown thin while remaining strong.
Rim
In the same way that the weight dictates if you enjoy holding the glass. The rim will determine whether or not you enjoy drinking from it.
We all know the feel of a thick rim on your lips versus a thin glass.
The thin rim is subtle, fragile, and elegant. If these are glasses that you will be serving expensive cocktails out of, then you want to go with a thin lip.
Type of Glass
The type of glass used to blow your glassware will allow you to skew all of these figures.
What I mean by that is that standard glass, called a soda-lime glass, makes up 90% of all glass made in the world. It is super cheap to produce; it has medium clarity and medium strength, so it is usually blown quite thick to make of for its lack of strength.
Despite this fact, it is mass-produced because it is so cheap.
Crystal comes in leaded and lead-free forms. Lead was originally used because it made the glass much stronger and allowed it to be blown thin while retaining its strength and crack resistance.
The lead also increased the clarity and refractive index or “sparkle” of the glass, making for a more refined high end looking glass.
Today people don’t like lead, so we created lead-free glass. With modern technology, we have figured out how to make lead-free glass that is just as clear and strong as its leaded brother.
We have even figured out how to swap the lead for something like magnesium, zinc, and titanium to make glasses with the same clarity but strength that is multitudes above anything else out there.
These are crystal metal hybrids where the metal is embedded in the glass in the same way lead is.
Pattern
The pattern on the glass is only limited by the imagination of the creator.
But it should be remembered that when you get a really crazy pattern, you’re going to disrupt the view of whatever is in your glass.
If you are going to use these drinking glasses to serve things like fine whiskeys, you don’t want anything on the glass that will impair your ability to see the spirit’s color and body.
Durability
Durability is always a huge factor when picking a glass set.
Should you get something thin and elegant? Should you buy something thick so that it is durable and lasts? Or should you go with a plastic or metal cup so that it can be taken outside without the worry of it breaking?
Whatever you decide, we’re going to cover all of the different styles of drinking glasses below.
Price
Drinking glasses vary significantly in price. They can go from a dollar per piece all the way up to 50+ dollars for a really refined glass.
But you want to make sure that the features justify the price.
A glass that was made by a well-known brand isn’t enough for it to justify a ridiculous price; it needs to have the proper features as well.
OUR FAVORITE GLASSES FOR EVERYDAY USE!
Best Set
These glasses, the Le’raze 16 Piece Drinking Glass Set, is our pick for the best set of everyday drinking glasses.
They are stylish and elegant in their simplicity. They are made from 100% recycled, blown, lead-free glass. This allows them to be blown thin while retaining their strength.
As stylish everyday drinking glasses, these were designed to be durable. They can safely be clinked for a toast and can avoid cracking when spilled.
They also have a thick base for added durability—the base adds a good weight but not so much that the glass feels heavy in your hand.
The thin rolled lip is elegant and lends itself to a soft touch on your lips.
This set includes 16 glasses in total. Eight 21 ounce highball glasses and Eight 12 ounce lowball glasses.
This is also a feature we loved because they hold quite a bit more volume than a standard glass. So it was easy to add a bunch of ice and still get a good-sized drink.
And as any set of everyday drinking glasses should be, these are dishwasher safe.
Premium Lowball
The best lowball glass that this world has ever created is the Riedel H2O Classic Bar Old Fashioned Whiskey Glass.
Riedel is a family company that is hundreds of years old and is one of the world’s most well-known glassmakers.
This old fashioned glass is the perfect representation of how they came to gain that notoriety.
This glass is made from 100% non-leaded crystal and is one of the thinnest glasses that I have ever used.
It doesn’t have a thick base or thick walls. It is paper-thin the whole way through. This makes the glass extremely light and gives a very delicate feeling on the lips.
Despite it being so thin, it is still durable and able to withstand a few spills. It is also top-rack dishwasher safe, so it is a glass that you can use every day.
Perhaps my favorite feature of this glass is that because it is so paper-thin all the way through.
It holds a massive volume of liquid. The glass can hold a little over 15 ounces!
That’s over 50% more than a traditional old fashioned glass, yet it’s not any taller or wider than a traditional glass. It still fits perfectly in your hand.
My suggestion is to buy these glasses and thank me later. They are my go-to glass for water and whiskey, and they never cease to impress every guest that comes over.
Premium Highball
These are the Borosil Vision Highball Glasses. These drinking glasses are made from borosilicate glass, which is some of the most durable glass out there.
This is great because these glasses are quite thin and lack a thick base. Despite this, they are very sturdy, with a lightweight feel in your hand and a thin rim on your lips.
Borosilicate glass is also thermal shock resistant, so it can go from the freezer to the stove without cracking.
I’m not sure why you would ever do that with a drinking glass, but it’s nice to know that it is durable.
Borosilicate is also a nonporous glass, so it can go in the dishwasher without getting cloudy, and it will never absorb any colors or odors.
The glass holds 16 ounces, so you can fill it to the top with ice and still fit in a proper mojito.
Budget Lowball
These lowball glasses are cheap; they’re durable, and they’re elegantly simple.
The Bavel Rock Style Old Fashioned Whiskey Glasses aren’t just for whiskey but are a fantastic drinkin’ glass for everyday use as well.
These are made from non-leaded crystal and have a sleek modern shape.
They have a thick base for added durability and weight. The rim isn’t thin, but it doesn’t have a thick feel on the lips either.
It is definitely a good glass that shoots right down the middle as far as features.
It’s not extremely thin or extremely lightweight, but it is not overly thick or heavy either. This glass sits right in the middle ground, which gives it the ability to appeal to everyone.
These glasses hold 11 ounces and are dishwasher safe. They make the perfect everyday lowball glass.
Budget Highball
These Paksh Novelty Italian Highball Glasses actually managed to become an amazon best seller in the highball glass category. They are sturdy, they have a very clean look, and they are an excellent price.
These glasses are high quality lead-free Italian glass. But they are not crystal, which would lead me to believe that they are probably made of soda-lime.
They have a tall slim figure that makes them easy to hold.
The thicker walls and base do make this glass a good bit heavier than the others but are not unpleasant to hold.
The rim is thicker than some of the higher-end glasses, but for the price, it is common, and this is a glass that will probably have a straw in it most of the time anyway.
This drinking glass holds 13 ounces and is 100% dishwasher safe.
Insulated Lowball
This lowball tumbler isn’t just ultra-durable, but it’s practically indestructible. It is the RTIC Lowball Tumbler.
This drinking glass isn’t made of glass at all but rather 18/8 surgical and food-grade stainless steel. It’s non-toxic, non-leaching, BPA free, and it will never make your drink taste like metal.
This tumbler is vacuum-insulated and double-walled, so it allows it to keep your drink cold or hot for long periods of time. And the double-walled construction keeps the outside temperature moderate so the cup will never be hot or cold when you go to pick it up.
This design also means that these glasses never sweat.
The double-walled design and rugged construction may make this seem like a cup that you would only use outside, but let me tell you that you would be wrong.
These cups are now a staple in our everyday glassware.
The rugged construction means that if the kids drop these, there’s never a problem, and when they set them down on the wooden furniture, there are no more rings left behind from the glass sweating!
Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t bring these out for company or when we sit down for dinner. But for a drinking glass that you’re going to walk around the house with, these work perfectly.
These also come with a completely leakproof lid. The hole is big enough to fit a straw if you’d like, and it closes with a sealed gasket so that if you’re outside and moving around, you don’t have to worry about spilling.
Insulated Highball
The BruMate Highball Glass is the most durable drinking glass out there. This thing is vacuum-sealed and triple-walled to maximize the insulation and keep the cold or heat inside the glass.
That also makes the tumbler practically indestructible. And it has a slip-resistant matte finish that comes in many different colors.
Like its lowball brother, this tumbler won’t ever sweat and keeps the outside of the glass at a consistent temperature so that you’re never pick up a cold or piping hot cup.
The inside of this highball is coated in what BruMate calls their patented BevGuard technology. BevGuard ensures that your drink never tastes like metal.
These also come with a splash-proof lid that is big enough to fit a straw and closes off for extra protection from spilling if your glass will be moving around a lot.
Best Plastic Glasses
This beautiful design shows 8 US Acrylic Tritan Plastic Drinking Glasses. The lowball glasses are 12 fl oz, while the highball glasses are 16 fl oz making them the perfect size to fit any cocktail comfortably.
They are made of patented Tritan plastic, so they are crystal clear and extremely hard to resemble real glass and give a solid feel in the hand.
They are also 100% dishwasher safe, never clouding or etching like standard plastic glasses due to the Tritan plastic’s patented tough plastic.
This toughness also means that they are shatterproof.
