L.S.A.

Start with the capacity, because that is where the spread is largest. The tumblers run from 30 cl in the Borough series to 56 cl for Gems and Coro, and you notice that difference straight away. In 30 cl you pour whisky neat or water with a meal; in 56 cl three ice cubes and a generous splash of soft drink fit without reaching the rim. For long drinks you end up around 35 to 42 cl, for beer at 42.5 to 75 cl and for cocktails at 25 to 27.5 cl. For a broader overview of those sizes, have a look at the tumbler glasses as well.

After that you choose by colour. Gems, Peaks and Coro come as assorted sets, handy when you want to see at the table which glass belongs to whom, but less suited to a formally laid table. The clear series give a quieter picture. Finally, note the number per set, because L.S.A. supplies in twos, fours or sixes, and that determines how easily you reorder when one breaks.

Mouth-blown glass is heavy at the base and thinner at the rim, which makes it suited to drinks you sip slowly. A heavy tumbler keeps a large ice cube cool without your hand warming the drink, something you taste with whisky neat and with a negroni poured over ice. The balloon glasses from the Gin series do the opposite: they give the botanicals room. Pour the gin over ice, top up with tonic along the wall and rest the garnish on top rather than in it, and the aroma stays in the upper part of the glass. The ratios are on the gin and tonic page and the matching shapes under the gin and tonic glasses.

Beer goes into the Canopy and Cellar glasses at an angle; only straighten the glass once it is half full, so that the head ends up about two fingers thick.

Mouth-blown glass tolerates the dishwasher, but not every programme. Choose a short glassware programme at a low temperature and do not let the glasses dry at high heat, because it is precisely the shift from hot to cold that causes hairline cracks. Place the glasses apart in the basket: most breakage comes from rims knocking against each other, not from the washing itself.

Glasses with a coloured or smoked finish stay at their best when you polish them afterwards with a lint-free cloth. Limescale marks show up extra clearly on dark glass and disappear with a dash of vinegar in the rinsing water. For the narrower series a glass brush comes in handy, because a sponge does not reach the bottom.

If you are after the same handmade character but in a different shape, you can move sideways. The beer glasses include, alongside L.S.A., hospitality series with a tempered rim, and the cocktail glasses bring together the full spectrum of coupes, martini glasses and hurricanes. If you already have the glassware but lack the tools to mix something in it, have a look at the cocktail shakers, where you will also find bar spoons, jiggers and strainers.