How important is the size or shape of the glassware used to serve a drink? Surely the quality of the liquid in the glass is paramount?
The two go hand in hand, according to Jamie Stephenson, former World Bartending Champion.
A great drink is just as much about the quality of the drink – selecting the right glassware is very important. In a bar, the customer is paying a premium for their drinks and wants to know its being made with real care and attention.”
Imminent changes to Weights & Measures regulations mean it will soon be perfectly legal to serve beer & cider in a two-thirds of a pint measure. Traditionalists may shudder with horror at the thought of people walking into a bar and ordering ‘two-thirds of a bitter’ instead of the standard pint or half-pint but there is a reason for the changes.
One hope is that the two-thirds measure will encourage brand owners to develop stemmed glassware and other designs which will help beer appeal to a wider range of customers, including women. Currently, women account for only 13% of beer sales in the UK, significantly lower than the US and other European countries – providing more choices in UK pubs and bars should help reduce this issue.
The changes will also allow operators to serve smaller measures of wine, which must currently be sold in measure of 125ml or 175ml or a multiple of either. Under the changes, specified quantities will no longer apply to servings of wine below 75ml. The smaller wine glasses will work well as part of wine tasting an sampling events, which are increasingly popular.
