---
slug: first_cocktail_glasses_to_buy
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/dining_entertaining/glassware_drinkware/cocktail_glasses
type: buying_guide
title: "Home Cocktails: Which Glass Should You Buy First?"
lead: "Start with a pair of rocks glasses. They cover most stirred and spirit-forward classics, double as everyday whiskey glasses, and are far harder to tip over than stemware."
recommendation:
  name: "A pair of 9–10 oz rocks glasses"
  reason: "Most home cocktails are built right in the glass over ice, which is exactly what a rocks glass is for — and it earns its shelf space with whiskey on off nights. Add highballs next for fizzy drinks; buy martini glasses only once you know you'll use them."
published: 2026-07-06
updated: 2026-07-07
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Type", "Typical size", "Covers", "Downside"]}
  rows={[
    ["Rocks (old fashioned)", "9–10 oz", "Old fashioned, negroni, whiskey neat or on ice", "Too small for long drinks"],
    ["Highball", "10–12 oz", "Highball, gin & tonic, mojito", "Wrong shape for short cocktails"],
    ["Martini glass", "6–8 oz today (vintage 3–5 oz, oversized 10 oz+)", "Martini, Manhattan", "Single-purpose and easy to knock over"],
    ["Coupe", "5–7 oz", "Daiquiri, sidecar", "Poor for fizzy or long drinks"],
  ]}
/>