V, Coupe or Nick & Nora? How to Choose the Best Martini Glasses

The V-shaped martini glass is the symbol of the cocktail bar, and it is also the glass most likely to slosh its drink onto your shoes. Punch summed up its reputation as “fragile, unwieldy and prone to spillage”, and for years many serious cocktail bars served martinis in coupes and small Nick & Nora glasses instead. Now the V is back on some of the most talked-about bar menus, partly for the look of it.

So this guide is honest about the trade-offs. It covers classic V-shaped martini glasses in crystal and glass, the coupe and Nick & Nora that many bartenders prefer, and a stemless option for anyone who knocks things over. All of them hold a martini properly; the right one depends on how you drink it and how careful you are with stemware.

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Quick verdict: which martini glasses to buy

Below, five standout sets side by side, then all eight in detail, with the facts each maker or listing gives. For glassware beyond martinis, start with our guide to the best cocktail glasses.

Five martini glasses compared

Our five standout sets, one for each kind of martini drinker, with the capacity and count each maker or listing states. All eight are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacities and materials are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best martini glasses

Five of these eight are the classic V shape: two in fine crystal, one with reinforced stems, a dozen for parties and a cut-glass set. The other three are the alternatives bartenders use, a Nick & Nora and a coupe, plus a stemless glass for stability. Each pick explains who it suits and gives one honest reason to skip it.

V-shape, coupe or Nick & Nora: which shape suits a martini

All three are stemmed glasses for drinks served “up”, meaning chilled and strained with no ice. The stem is there so your hand warms the stem rather than the drink. Where they differ is the bowl.

• V-shaped martini glass. The wide, conical bowl shows off a clear drink and its garnish, and it is the shape most people expect. Its weakness is the wide, shallow top: liquid near the rim has nowhere to go when the glass tilts. Some bartenders still prefer it. In Punch’s report on the V-glass’s return, Ryan Chetiyawardana of Silver Lyan says narrower, deeper V shapes are less unbalanced than people assume, and Takuma Watanabe of Martiny’s in New York says he has never abandoned it.
• Coupe. A rounded, shallow bowl. Difford’s Guide calls champagne saucers, as coupes are also known, “perfect for serving straight-up drinks”, and the curved sides hold the drink better than a cone. It also serves daiquiris, sidecars and margaritas served up, which makes it the most versatile of the three.
• Nick & Nora. A small, deep, tulip-like bowl, usually 4 to 6 ounces. Difford’s Guide dates the style to the 1930s and says it can be used for pretty much any drink served in a coupe. It is the hardest of the three to spill and keeps a small pour cold.

How to choose martini glasses

1. Size: smaller than you think

Difford’s Guide advises that a martini glass should be no bigger than 7 ounces (20 cl), because a true martini warms up in the time it takes to drink a larger one. The IBA’s Dry Martini is 60 ml of gin and 10 ml of vermouth, a little over 2 ounces before stirring with ice adds water. Many martini glasses sold today hold 9 or 10 ounces; they work, but the drink sits low in the bowl. For stirred classics, a glass of about 5 to 8 ounces looks and drinks best. For larger shaken drinks such as a cosmopolitan, a 9- or 10-ounce bowl gives more room.

2. Stemmed or stemless

Stems keep the drink cold and the glass clean of fingerprints; Difford’s Guide advises always handling glasses by the base or the stem. Stemless glasses are steadier and easier to store, and better on a patio or a crowded table, but your hand warms the bowl. If you serve martinis outdoors or at large parties, a stemless set is the safer choice.

3. Crystal or glass

Crystal is clearer and can be blown thinner, so the rim feels finer against the lip. Today’s crystal is often lead-free: Schott Zwiesel’s Tritan crystal is made with titanium and zirconium oxide, and Zwiesel Glas uses the same Tritan name. Where a listing says only “crystal”, as Viski’s does, check with the maker if lead content matters to you. Ordinary soda-lime glass, like Libbey’s, is thicker and cheaper to replace, which matters more than sparkle when you are buying a dozen.

4. Durability and care

Most stemware breaks at the joint between bowl and stem, usually while being washed or dried. Look for features that address this: reinforced or seamless stems (Bormioli Rocco and Libbey’s Kentfield) and a dishwasher-safe rating from the maker. Whatever you buy, never twist the bowl one way and the foot the other when drying, as Schott Zwiesel warns.

5. How many you need

A pair suits a couple; four to six covers a dinner; twelve is a party. Buying a set from a larger collection, such as Libbey’s Kentfield range, lets you add matching glasses later.

How we chose these eight sets

We began with what a martini asks of a glass: a stem or base that keeps the drink cold, a size that suits a drink served up, and a shape that will not throw the drink over the rim. For the honest case on shape, we relied on named reporting: Punch’s article on the V-glass’s return and VinePair’s history of the Nick & Nora by Robert Simonson, plus Difford’s Guide on glass sizes and care and the IBA’s recipe for the Dry Martini. We then looked for identifiable makers sold on Amazon in the United States, including Riedel, Schott Zwiesel, Zwiesel Glas, Libbey, Bormioli Rocco and Viski, and took material, capacity, size and care from each maker’s Amazon listing, writing “not stated” where a listing is silent. We left out unbranded sets with rendered photos, and several crystal sets that were nearly out of stock, including some Riedel and Spiegelau martini glasses. Every pick was in stock when we checked. We have not used these glasses ourselves; where we describe how a shape behaves, we say whose view it is.

Chilling, filling and caring for martini glasses

A martini has no ice in the glass, so the glass itself has to be cold. Difford’s Guide recommends chilling glassware in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before use. If there is no room in the freezer, fill the glass with ice and water while you stir the drink, then empty it just before you strain.

Fill to just below the widest part of the bowl, not to the brim. In a V-shaped glass that last quarter inch is what spills when the glass is lifted. Carry the glass by the stem, and if you are bringing drinks to a table, a coupe or Nick & Nora travels better than a V.

For washing, follow each maker’s rating. Riedel, both Schott Zwiesel sets, Zwiesel Glas and both Libbey sets are listed as dishwasher safe; where a listing says nothing, hand wash. In the dishwasher, set stemware securely and do not jam bowls over the prongs.

Martini glass questions, answered

Why do bartenders serve martinis in coupes or Nick & Nora glasses?

Mainly because they spill less. VinePair’s history of the Nick & Nora describes it as less prone to spillage than a wide-mouthed martini glass, and Punch reports that bartenders also moved away from the V because it had become the glass of sweet vodka drinks. Both shapes also keep a small drink colder for longer.

What size should a martini glass be?

Smaller than many on sale. Difford’s Guide recommends no more than 7 ounces, so the drink is finished before it warms. Glasses of 9 to 10 ounces are fine for larger shaken drinks; for a stirred classic, 5 to 8 ounces looks right.

Are crystal martini glasses worth it?

If you want a thin rim and a very clear bowl, yes. Lead-free crystal such as Schott Zwiesel’s Tritan is also made to resist chips and breaks, which can make it more practical than you might expect. For parties, ordinary glass in a set of twelve is the better buy.

Are stemless martini glasses a good idea?

They are much harder to knock over and have no stem to snap, which suits patios and parties. The drawback is that your hand warms the drink, so chill the glasses first and keep the pours small.

What does Wirecutter recommend for martini glasses?

Wirecutter, the New York Times product-review site, publishes and updates its own glassware recommendations. We are not affiliated with it and could not confirm its current picks when we wrote this, so we have not repeated them here; read its guide directly. Our picks rest on the makers’ specifications and the sources named on this page.

How strong is a martini?

The IBA Dry Martini uses 60 ml of gin, about 2 fluid ounces, plus vermouth. That is more than one U.S. standard drink, which the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines as 1.5 fluid ounces of 40% spirit. A small glass helps keep the pour honest. Drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.

Our final word on martini glasses

Buy the Riedel Vinum XL if you want the classic V in fine crystal, the Schott Zwiesel Mondial if you want crystal you can put through the dishwasher every week, and Libbey’s set of twelve if you host. If spills worry you more than tradition, a Bormioli Rocco Nick & Nora or Libbey’s Kentfield coupe will serve a martini the way many bartenders do.

For the drink itself, our guide to the best martini shaker explains when to shake and when to stir, and if you make the Texas-style Mexican martini with tequila, our guide to tequila types explains which style to pour. For the rest of the glass shelf, see the best cocktail glasses and the best margarita glasses.

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