Luigi Bormioli Michelangelo

These three belong at the end of the meal, not the beginning, and that explains their sizes. port glass at 19 cl is small because a serving of fortified wine is around seven centiliters, and in a larger glass that looks pathetic. cognac glass at 39.5 cl seems excessively large for three centiliters, but the empty space above the drink is where the aroma collects. The master tumbler of 26.5 cl is the in-between size, suitable for whisky and water.

Cognac should not have a flame. Warm the glass with your palm, not with fire, because alcohol that evaporates too quickly stings the nose and overwhelms everything else. Pour two to three centiliters, tilt the glass until the drink almost reaches the rim, and only then smell it. Serve port cooler than you might think, at around sixteen degrees. A old fashioned, or a godfather made with whisky and amaretto over ice, fits in the tumbler.

Luigi Bormioli tempers the glass after forming, which makes the rim and the stem withstand hundreds of dishwasher cycles. More important still is the treatment against clouding: ordinary soda-lime glass turns milky over time as the dishwasher attacks it, and this series holds on to its clarity for longer. Still, run a short programme and rinse well, because limescale in the water remains limescale.

The brand’s entire range is available at Luigi Bormioli, from wine glasses to decanters. If you search by shape, you’ll find Michelangelo among the whiskey glasses and port glasses, alongside collections from other brands. If you serve whisky at the table more often, a whiskey decanter keeps the bottle out of sight while keeping the drink within easy reach.