Bormioli Rocco Slot

The choice is mainly about height. The 29 cl tumbler is the glass for water, soft drinks and a drink on ice; it sits low and steady and is not easily knocked over on a garden table. The 39 cl long drink glass is narrower and taller, with room for a good layer of ice plus tonic or cola. If you want one set that does everything, take the tumbler. If you often lay a fuller table, the two sizes together work more comfortably. The blue and pink are coloured right through the glass and do not fade.

Fill a tumbler right up with ice first and only then pour: a glass full of ice stays cold longer than a few loose cubes in a half-full glass, so your drink waters down more slowly. For a cuba libre the long drink glass is the right size, with a slice of lime wedged against the wall so it does not float up. A mojito is built in the tumbler by first bruising mint and lime in the bottom and then spooning crushed ice on top. Always stir from the bottom upwards.

Slot is machine-pressed soda-lime glass, thicker and heavier in the base than a blown glass. That is exactly why the range copes with daily use and can simply go in the dishwasher. The ribs do catch limescale if you have hard water, so rinse aid makes a visible difference. Place the glasses apart in the rack, because pressed rims can chip when they knock together.

If you want the same idea in crystal or in a different shape, take a look at the rest of Bormioli Rocco. For a plain glass without relief the water glasses are a quieter choice, and anyone after a set for every day can turn to the glassware sets. If you mainly pour gin and tonic, a balloon glass works better than this straight shape. Building a long drink also calls for a bar spoon.