Coupe glass
The stem keeps your hand away from a cold drink, while the rounded bowl makes an up serve easy to sip.
- Capacity
- 150–240 ml5–8 oz
- Typical pour
- 90 ml3 oz
- How it’s served
- Served up — no ice in the glass
- In this collection
- 161 cocktails
Why this shape
A shallow, wide bowl on a stem. The stem exists so your hand never touches the drink; a coupe serve has no ice in it, so the only thing keeping it cold is how cold it was when it was poured and how much you leave it alone. The wide surface pushes aromatics straight up at you, which is why it suits drinks with citrus oils expressed over the top.
Getting it cold
Non-negotiable. Freezer for twenty minutes, or fill it with ice and water while you build the drink and dump it just before straining. A warm coupe is the single fastest way to ruin an up serve.
The usual mistake
Overfilling it. A coupe is shallow and wide, which means it spills if it is full — fill to about two thirds and it survives the walk to the table.
Where it comes from
The story that it was moulded from Marie Antoinette's breast is charming and entirely false; the shape predates her and was designed in England in the 1660s for sparkling wine.
No coupe glass? Use this instead
Use a small martini glass or stemmed dessert glass.
Cocktails served in it
161 in all, pouring between 66–142 ml2¼–4¾ oz.
