Stemmed, Coupe or Hand-Blown: The Best Margarita Glasses

The glass is the first thing anyone notices about a margarita, and it does more than look the part. A wide rim holds the salt, a stem keeps a warm hand off a frozen drink, and a short, heavy tumbler stands up to ice and a busy patio table. Pick the wrong shape and the salt ends up in the drink, the frozen margarita melts in your palm, or the glass tips over the first time someone reaches past it.

This guide explains the shapes worth knowing, from the classic stepped margarita glass to hand-blown Mexican glass, coupes, rocks glasses and shatterproof sets for the pool, and names the sets worth buying for each.

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Quick verdict: which margarita glasses to buy

The rest of this page explains why, and which shape suits the way you serve.

Five sets of margarita glasses compared

Our five standout sets side by side, one for each way of serving, with the capacity and count each maker states. All seven sets are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacity and count are as stated on each maker’s listing; check the listing before you buy.

Stemmed, coupe, stemless or rocks: margarita glass shapes explained

There is no single correct margarita glass. Bars serve the drink in at least four shapes, and each suits a different way of making it.

• The classic margarita glass is the stepped, wide-rimmed bowl on a stem that most people picture. The wide rim gives plenty of room for salt, and the stem keeps your hand away from a frozen drink. It is the natural home for a blended margarita.
• A coupe is a shallow, rounded bowl on a stem. It suits a margarita shaken hard with ice and strained “up”, with no ice in the glass, and it holds a smaller, more measured pour.
• A rocks glass (also called an old fashioned glass) is a short, heavy tumbler. It is the everyday choice for a margarita on the rocks: stable, easy to fill with ice and easy to salt.
• Stemless margarita glasses keep the wide, salt-friendly rim but sit on a flat base. They are harder to knock over and easier to store, at the cost of a warm hand closer to the drink.

Which you choose depends on whether you serve your margaritas frozen or over ice, which our guide to frozen versus on-the-rocks margaritas explains in full.

Our picks for the best margarita glasses

These seven sets cover every common way to serve a margarita: classic stemmed glasses for frozen drinks, hand-blown Mexican glass, a crystal coupe, short rocks glasses, stemless and novelty styles, and a shatterproof set for outdoors. Each review gives the specifications the maker lists, who the set suits, and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose margarita glasses for the way you serve

Five things decide which set suits you. Start with how you make the drink.

1. Frozen or on the rocks

Frozen and blended margaritas belong in a stemmed glass with a large bowl, 9 to 16 ounces, so your hand stays off the cold drink and there is room for the slush. A margarita on the rocks suits a short, heavy rocks glass. A shaken margarita served without ice suits a coupe.

2. Capacity and the size of the pour

Bigger glasses invite bigger pours. A 16-ounce bowl filled to the brim can hold well over one drink’s worth of tequila; the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines a US standard drink as 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Use a jigger, and if you like large glasses, fill them with more ice or slush rather than more tequila.

3. Stem or stemless

Stems keep a drink cold longer and look traditional. Stemless glasses are harder to knock over and easier to store. If children, dogs or a crowded patio are involved, stemless or a rocks glass is the calmer choice.

4. Handmade or machine-made

Hand-blown Mexican glass from makers like Dos Sueños and MexHandcraft is made from recycled glass and varies from glass to glass, which is part of its charm. Machine-made sets from Libbey and Zwiesel Glas match exactly and go in the dishwasher without a second thought. Many households keep one of each: a matching set for parties and a few handmade glasses for themselves.

5. Where you drink

Indoors, glass is best. Around a pool, on a boat or on a stone patio, a shatterproof plastic set avoids broken glass where people walk barefoot.

How we chose these seven sets

We started from what a restaurant bar asks of a margarita glass: a rim wide enough for salt, a size that suits the way the drink is made, and glass sturdy enough to be washed and handled often. We then looked only at sets sold on Amazon in the United States and in stock when we checked, from brands that publish their own details, and took every specification from the maker’s Amazon listing: capacity, count, material, dimensions, dishwasher safety and country of manufacture where given. Where a listing leaves something out, we write “Not stated”. We chose eight sets to cover every common style, classic stemmed, hand-blown, coupe, rocks, stemless, frozen, novelty and shatterproof, rather than eight versions of the same glass. We left out sets from sellers with no identifiable brand, sets that were low in stock, and crystal martini glasses sold as margarita glasses. We have not used these glasses ourselves; the details come from the makers, and we say so where a listing contradicts itself.

Salting, chilling and caring for your glasses

Salt the rim, not the glass. Run a lime wedge around the outside edge only, then roll the edge in a plate of coarse salt or chile-lime salt. Salt on the inside falls into the drink. On a wide glass, salt half the rim so guests can choose.

Chill before you pour. A few minutes in the freezer helps a frozen margarita stay frozen, but only use the freezer for glasses the maker says are freezer safe, such as Libbey’s Cactus set. Never pour boiling water into a chilled glass or put a cold glass straight into a hot dishwasher.

Wash hand-blown glass by hand. Even where a listing says dishwasher safe, handmade recycled glass is uneven in thickness and lasts longer with warm water and a soft sponge. Machine-made glass and Tritan crystal can go in the dishwasher, top rack if the maker says so.

Rinse off the salt promptly. Salt and lime left to dry on the rim are harder to clean and can leave a film.

Margarita glass questions, answered

What is a margarita glass called?

Restaurant suppliers often call the classic stepped glass a coupette or simply a margarita glass. Margaritas are also served in coupes, rocks glasses and stemless margarita glasses.

What size should a margarita glass be?

For a shaken margarita served up, 7 to 9 ounces is plenty. For frozen margaritas, 9 to 16 ounces gives room for the slush. For on the rocks, an 8- to 12-ounce rocks glass leaves room for ice. Larger glasses make larger pours easy, so measure the tequila.

Are hand-blown Mexican glasses dishwasher safe?

Some makers say yes, but handmade glass varies in thickness, and Dos Sueños itself recommends hand washing. Washing by hand in warm water is the safer habit and protects any colored rim.

Can you serve a margarita in a martini glass?

You can, but a V-shaped martini glass spills easily and has a narrow base. A coupe holds a shaken margarita more securely, and a classic margarita glass suits frozen drinks better.

What glasses are best for a margarita party?

A large matching set, such as Libbey’s twelve-glass party set, covers most guests. Add a few shatterproof glasses for the pool or patio, and keep some glasses for alcohol-free drinks so everyone has something to hold.

Our final word on margarita glassware

Buy the Libbey twelve-glass set if you want classic margarita glasses for every guest. Choose Dos Sueños for hand-blown Mexican character, the Zwiesel Glas coupe for margaritas served up, MexHandcraft’s rocks glasses for margaritas over ice, and the Amazing Abby set for anywhere glass could break. Whatever you pour into them, our guides to the best margarita machine for home and the best margarita mix cover the drink itself, and our guide to margarita accessories covers the shakers, salt and tools that go with it. For the tequila, see tequila types explained.

Related guide: Best gifts for margarita lovers.

Related guide: Margarita glass vs rocks glass.

Related guide: Margarita glass alternative.

And if you would rather someone else poured tonight, see our drinks menu or call to order.