Tall glass
 Mojito served in a Collins glass | |
| Type | Tumbler |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Introduced | 1870s |
A tall glass is a variety of tumbler intended for bubbly mixed drinks, particularly long drinks. A traditional bar glass, it is flat-bottomed with a thin, minimally tapered or perpendicular wall. Large and small tall glasses are called a Collins glass and highball glass respectively, for their respective eponymous cocktails, the Collins and the highball (the latter as opposed to a lowball glass). The fizz glass is an archaic, further smaller tall glass for fizzes.
A tall glass of 10–12 US fluid ounces (300–350 ml) can be used interchangeably as a Collins glass or highball glass: a Collins glass typically holds about 10–14 US fluid ounces (300–410 ml), whilst a highball glass may hold about 8–12 US fluid ounces (240–350 ml).[1] In some bars, a tall glass may be replaced with the readily available pint glass.[2] The tall Collins glass or chimney glass is a larger 16 US fluid ounces (470 ml) glass used for large cocktails like the Singapore sling or Zombie.[3]
History
[edit]The tall glass was introduced in the 1870s to keep carbonated mixed drinks fizzy for longer, owing to its narrow shape. The larger Collins glass and the 6 US fluid ounces (180 ml) fizz glass came about first, with the highball glass arriving as a go-between size in the 1890s.[2]
The gin and tonic is typically served in a tall glass in the Anglosphere. In early 21st century Spain, the tall glass has been increasingly swapped for a large balloon glass (Spanish: copa de balón) for gin and tonic (gintonic); the alternate choice of glass has been introduced to Britain from British tourism to Spain.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ↑ Baggett, Slyvie (2025). "Glass Act: In barware, it's not just what's on the inside that counts". Virginia Living. Vol. 23, no. 6. p. 101. ISSN 1543-9984.
- 1 2 Wondrich, David, ed. (2021). "Glassware". The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199311132.
- ↑ Herbst, Sharon; Herbst, Ron (1998). The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide. New York: Broadway Books. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7679-0197-0.
- ↑ Iseman, Courtney (February 7, 2025). "The Glass You Should Really Be Drinking Gin And Tonic Out Of". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2026-09-14.
- ↑ Punch. "The Balloon Effect". PUNCH. Retrieved 2026-09-14.
