TigerChef

What is glass and why in heavens name are there dozens of different shapes and styles to choose from when taking a drink?

Well, for starters, glass is a formless solid (huh?) that has been around in a variety of shapes for hundreds and hundreds of years. The idea of glass being liquid versus solid, has been fiercely debated. To make a long story short, glass is firm and motionless and does not vary molecularly when being melted and then solidified into a shape. Glass is a bizarre object since we can not call it a solid, nor a gas, and is not very much of a liquid either.

Glass is very high up on the list as one of the most multitalented objects on earth ranging from an unadorned clear drinking glass to a tempered and tinted form, with a great deal more in between. Glass is made up of a mixture of silica, soda, and lime. To cloud, frost or color glass, other ingredients are added to spice up the recipe. Glass is heated up to 1800° F (982° Celsius). The liquid is then either poured into forms or it can be blown into a choice of shapes. When it is cooled off, glass becomes strong, stubborn and unsociable and will not interact with anything that comes in contact with it other then heat which will return the glass to a liquid. Yup- that is how glass is recycled.

People prefer glass over plastic for a number of reasons. Firstly, in a health conscience world like ours, it resists chemical interactions. Secondly, it is recyclable. Thirdly, it does not percolate chemicals the way plastics do and last but not least, it can withstand extremes of both heat and cold, but not at the same time.

Now that we got that out of the way----Drinking glasses are made out of glass that is designed to retain fluids until it reaches its destination. There are numerous amounts of different styles of drinking glasses, varying from basic drinking glasses for non-alcoholic beverages such as water, milk, and juice to specialized ones like whiskey glasses. The difference between glass drinkware and mugs is the fact that it's made out of glass (no way!) in addition to a lack of handles. For those of you with slippery fingers, plastic cups are also available- see your local paper goods store for details.

There are three categories that a drinking glass can fall under: everyday, barware or stemware.

Everyday drinking glasses are intended for practical use. They are usually tumblers, being stemless, handleless, or footless, and can be found in many different sizes. Everyday glasses are what you would use on a daily basis for breakfast, lunch and dinner- when you are not trying to impress your guests. They are more durable and will survive regular hard use. Well, at least most of the time. Practical.

Barware is made exclusively for hard alcohol, such as mixed drinks, whilst stemware is more formal and is made for serving wines. The former and the latter are quite different, with numerous designs personalized to specific drinks and liquors. For instance, Mojito glasses are tall, slim and handsome, whereas the brandy snifter is a stemware that is broader at the bottom and slimmer at the top. Wine must be served in long stemmed glasses, since wine has to stay chilled as long as possible and the stem permits the customer to grasp the glass without heating it with his or her palms. Wide, short tumblers are good hostesses for liquors and mixed drinks. Ice cubes are very welcomed into the tumblers since they live together in harmony each making room for the other. Shot glasses allow fans to rejuvenate with hard liquor such as whiskey that could do without ice. Frosted mugs lend a hand to beer drinkers by keeping their beer cold.

CHEERS!

Filed under: History • General

Tags: glass