Drinking Jam Jar
A lidded glass jar with a handle, sold as a drinking vessel. It arrived with the American South revival of the 2010s, and behind the affectation there is a genuinely useful piece of kit for a particular kind of drink.
We Make One
46cl with a proper handle, built for the Expedition Punch.
Original Handled Drinking Jam JarAlternatives
Budget Alternative
Washed-out actual jam jars (free): charming once, thin-rimmed forever
Premium Option
Kilner handled jars (£6-8): the original pressed-glass quality
Care & Maintenance
Care Instructions
- We recommend hand washing where possible: thick pressed glass survives the odd dishwasher cycle, but there is no reason to test it
- Hand-wash anything with printed decoration
- Check rims for chips: a chipped jar retires
Expected Lifespan
- •Years at any price: the failure mode is gravity, not wear
Usage
Long, rustic drinks served over cubed ice: a Moonshine Lemonade, a Southern-style sweet tea cocktail, a Mason jar Mule. Also the practical vessel for batched drinks carried to a picnic, since the lid actually seals.
Where It Came From
The Mason jar has been an American preserving vessel since John Landis Mason patented the threaded lid in 1858. Drinking from one is a much more recent affectation.
It arrived through the American South revival of the late 2000s, with barbecue restaurants, bourbon and Southern food, and became shorthand for rustic authenticity in bars across the world within about five years. By 2015 it was a cliché.
The cliché has faded and the object has stayed, which is usually a sign that something works. What survives is the version with a moulded handle and a proper sealing lid, which does two things no tumbler does.
What It Is Actually Good For
The lid. A sealed jar carries a drink without spilling, which makes it the obvious vessel for anything batched and taken somewhere: a picnic, a beach, a boat, a garden.
Batch a Negroni or a bottled Old Fashioned into a jar, seal it, chill it, and pour it over ice at the other end. Or build the drink in the jar, seal it, and carry it as it is.
The second use is shaking. A sealed preserving jar is a serviceable emergency cocktail shaker. It holds pressure adequately, the seal stays put, and a drink shaken in one is no worse for it.
Size and Handle
Around 450 to 500ml for the common drinking version, which takes a long drink over a full load of ice. Larger jars exist, hold a litre, and are for batching rather than drinking.
Buy the handled version. Glass this thick is a poor insulator in the wrong direction: it holds cold well and transmits your hand's heat into the drink steadily, and a straight-sided jar is uncomfortable to hold once it frosts.
Wide-mouth jars take ice and garnish easily; narrow-mouth ones seal slightly better for carrying. For drinking, wide.
Using Real Preserving Jars
Mostly fine, with two cautions.
Check the rim. Preserving jars are made to take a sealing disc, and some have a rim edge that is comfortable against a lid and unpleasant against a lip. Jars sold for drinking have a rolled or smoothed rim.
Check the glass. Older and cheaper jars are annealed rather than tempered, so they are more vulnerable to thermal shock. Do not pour anything hot in, and do not take one straight from a freezer to a hot wash.
Otherwise they are the same object. A standard Kilner or Ball jar with a handle costs less than most tumblers and does more.
Pro Tip
The jar flatters big, generous serves and punishes delicate ones. If the drink needs garnish tweezers, it needs a different glass.
What to Look For
- Genuinely thick glass: thin walls crack with ice
- A handle that fits more than two fingers
- True 40cl+ capacity: ice eats volume fast
- A flat, stable base
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Short aromatic drinks in a wide-necked jar
- Hot drinks into cold glass: jars are not toddy vessels
- Reusing actual food jars: sharper rims, thinner glass
- Serving without enough ice: the volume unbalances the recipe
Professional Tips
- The lid is the point. Batch and carry, then drink from it.
- Real preserving jars work. Use ones rated for drinking.
- Wide mouth for ice, narrow for carrying.
- Handled versions only, unless you like cold hands.
Specifications
Material
Glass
Capacity
46cl typical
Details
Handled, screw-neck profile
History & Context
Drinking from jars came up through the American South, where sweet tea and less legal liquids were served in whatever held liquid. The 2010s bar revival turned it into a fashion; the fashion faded and the function stayed. A thick handled jar remains a genuinely practical vessel for a long outdoor drink.
Common Questions
What drinks work in a jam jar glass?
Long drinks over cubed ice with a rustic register: moonshine lemonade, Southern sweet tea cocktails, a Mason jar Mule. It also suits anything batched and carried, since a sealed jar travels without spilling.
How much does a jam jar glass hold?
The common drinking size is 450 to 500ml, which takes a long drink over a full load of ice. Litre jars exist but are batching vessels rather than glasses, and are awkward to drink from.
Can you use real jam jars as glasses?
Usually, with two checks. Preserving jars are made to seat a sealing disc, so some have a rim that is unpleasant against a lip. And cheaper jars are annealed rather than tempered, so avoid hot liquids and sudden temperature changes.
Can you shake a cocktail in a jam jar?
Yes, at a pinch. A sealed preserving jar holds pressure adequately and the seal stays put, so a drink shaken in one is none the worse. It is a serviceable emergency shaker, though a Boston is faster and far easier to strain from.
Used In These Cocktails
Related Equipment
Related Ingredients
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits