Travelling Bartender

As a devotee of Martinis, gin of course, and an author of a cocktail book, I have been disgruntled over the ever-growing sizes of Martini glasses. Riedel has managed to maintain an elegant look in their line of Martini glasses, but they have an attached stem to the bowl. Bormioli has been making beautiful glasses, with a single-blown stem and bowl for years, but they have always been too big for my taste. Perhaps you prefer larger portions, but I find that even when you chill a larger glass in the freezer, it will still gradually lose that chill much too soon–and there is nothing so pathetic as a lukewarm Martini. Moreover, like President Roosevelt, I enjoy my two Martinis before dinner, but I also want to remember my dinner. With the new series, Bormioli has created a thoroughly manageable and perfectly styled glass. It’s also the right size particularly for entertaining, since you don’t want your guests to get too snookered too soon.

Classic gin martini purists are, in the 21st century, a rare but, we hope, not vanishing breed. Myself and my companions who comprise the California Gin-O-Cological Society, for example, are flourishing, and the consumption of classic gin martinis bears a not inconsiderable amount of the credit. We get together most Friday evenings cocktail-hourish for heavy hors d’oeurves and three or four rounds of martinis, each featuring a different premium or super-premium gin.

In order to avoid stupefaction or worse, doses must be carefully titrated, and the Bormioli 4.5 oz. Ypsilon glass is the perfect vehicle. Even the most delicious 2 oz. “single” martini in one of those 10 or 12 oz. conical punch bowls looks both a little ridiculous and a little pathetic at the same time. The small glass restores proportion and evokes the aura of more civilized times — Mencken, Churchill, Bogart, FDR.

I’ve owned 6 of these glasses for about 10 years, and I swear by them. They are the perfect size for a 2 to 2 1/2 oz. drink (with plenty of room for an olive), they have a classy look without being fancy crystal, and If one happened to be overcome by the urge to cast one into a fireplace, no irreparable loss would ensue. I’ve been looking for more at a good price for quite some time, and was pleased to find them in stock at Amazon (though definitely not at a good price).

I ordered a dozen, and they showed up in two or three days in perfect condition — thank you, Amazon.

A caveat: These glasses are billed as “dishwasher safe,” but that is delusional. The Ypsilons are sturdy without the ponderous clunkiness of commercial barware, but the dishwsher would be a mos-def no-no. Similar to that reviewer with the kinetic eyeballs, I inexplicably chipped the rim of one myself. Stricken, I fired up a MAPP gas torch, carefully flame-healed the wound and kept the glass in service. Greater love hath no man.