Glassware

Martini Glass

A martini glass has a straight-sided, V-shaped bowl on a long stem and is sold in many sizes; Urban Bar’s is 21cl. It holds drinks served up, cold and without ice, such as the Martini and the Espresso Martini. A 150 to 180ml glass suits a stirred Martini, and shaken drinks with a head of foam want 180 to 200ml.

See all bar equipment

The tool

About the Martini Glass

A Martini Fills Less Than You Think

Our Martini is 60ml of gin and 10ml of dry vermouth, stirred over ice for 20 to 30 seconds. Counting the melted ice, it comes to roughly 85 to 90ml.

In a glass of 150 to 180ml, or Urban Bar’s 21cl, that sits a centimetre or two under the rim. In a 300ml glass it covers the bottom third and warms quickly, with no ice in it to hold the cold.

Shaken Drinks Need the Larger Size

Shaking adds more water and a head of foam. Our Espresso Martini is 120ml before shaking and finishes at about 150ml with its foam, and the Pornstar Martini finishes nearer 165ml and carries half a passion fruit on its foam.

Both want a glass of 180 to 200ml. Poured into a 150ml glass, they reach the rim and spill when lifted.

Martini glass, coupe and Nick & Nora compared (capacities from Urban Bar’s listings; the drinks are ours)

Martini glass

Usual capacity: 21cl (Urban Bar)
Spills: Easily: widest at the rim
Our drinks in it: Martini, Espresso Martini, Pornstar Martini

Coupe

Usual capacity: 18 to 23cl (Urban Bar)
Spills: Less: the bowl curves in
Our drinks in it: Daiquiri, Sidecar, Paper Plane

Nick & Nora

Usual capacity: 17cl (Urban Bar)
Spills: Least: deep bowl, narrower rim
Our drinks in it: Last Word, Vesper

Glass	Usual capacity	Spills	Our drinks in it
Martini glass	21cl (Urban Bar)	Easily: widest at the rim	Martini, Espresso Martini, Pornstar Martini
Coupe	18 to 23cl (Urban Bar)	Less: the bowl curves in	Daiquiri, Sidecar, Paper Plane
Nick & Nora	17cl (Urban Bar)	Least: deep bowl, narrower rim	Last Word, Vesper

The V Spills, and Gives Something Back

Widest at the rim, the bowl sends the surface over the edge at any tilt. In return it holds the drink under the nose and lifts it on a long stem, away from a warm hand.

If the drink has to cross a room, a coupe or a Nick & Nora gets it there. If it is drunk where it is made, the martini glass does the job.

Chill It First

A drink served up warms from the moment it leaves the mixing glass. Freeze the glass while you gather the bottles, or fill it with ice and water and tip that out just before straining.

Using it

Using the Martini Glass

Usage

Drinks served up without ice. Our Gin Martini and Vodka Martini, 60ml of spirit and 10ml of dry vermouth stirred for 20 to 30 seconds, finish at roughly 85 to 90ml. The shaken drinks we serve in it, such as the Espresso Martini and the Pornstar Martini, finish nearer 150 to 165ml with their foam and need the larger size.

Pro Tip

Put the glass in the freezer before you start mixing, not after. It stays cold through the stir, and the drink goes into it the moment it is strained.

Professional Tips

Chill it in the freezer, or fill it with ice and water while you mix.
Stop a centimetre or so short of the rim.
Hold the stem; a hand on the bowl warms an iceless drink.
Use a coupe or a Nick & Nora when the drink has to travel.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

Plain glass martini glasses of about 150 to 180ml from a catering supplier. The size matters more than the maker.

Premium Option

Thin crystal with a fine rim and a long stem. It is lighter in the hand and nicer to drink from; it does not keep the drink colder.

Specifications

Material
Glass or crystal
Capacity
21cl in Urban Bar’s listing; our guidance is 150 to 200ml
Details
Straight-sided V-shaped bowl, widest at the rim, on a long stem

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What size should a martini glass be?

Our guidance is 150 to 180ml for a stirred Martini, which finishes at roughly 85 to 90ml; Urban Bar’s martini glass is 21cl. Shaken drinks with foam, such as our Espresso Martini and Pornstar Martini, finish nearer 150 to 165ml and want 180 to 200ml. Glasses of 250ml or more are too big for either.

Should I buy martini glasses or coupes?

Coupes, if you are buying one set: a coupe serves everything a martini glass does, and its inward-curving bowl spills less. A Nick & Nora spills less still. The martini glass is the one to add if you like the look and drink close to where you mix.

Is a martini glass the same as a cocktail glass?

Usually, yes. Cocktail glass is the older, broader name, and most people use it for the same V-shaped stemmed glass. Some use it more loosely for any stemmed glass for drinks served up, including the coupe, so check the shape rather than the name.

Why are martini glasses V-shaped?

The long stem keeps your hand's warmth away from an iceless drink, and the wide top puts the drink's surface under your nose. The steep sides also hold a pick of olives in place. The cost is stability: a glass widest at the rim spills easily.

What drinks go in a martini glass?

Drinks served up, without ice. In our library that means the Gin Martini and Vodka Martini, the Espresso Martini, the Pornstar Martini, the Appletini, the Chocolate Martini and the Watermelon Martini. Each is chilled in the glass first and strained in cold.

How do you chill a martini glass?

Leave it in the freezer while you gather the bottles and ice, or fill it with ice and water as you mix and tip that out just before straining. Shake out the last drops of water. A frozen glass keeps an iceless drink cold for several extra minutes.

Can martini glasses go in the dishwasher?

Plain glass ones often can, on a gentle cycle with the stems held firmly in the rack. Wash crystal and fine thin glass by hand. The join between stem and bowl is the weak point, and a crowded rack is where most of them break.

Sources.

Checked between 18 October and 19 October 2026.

The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (David Wondrich), “glass, cocktail” (secondary source: Haerdtl’s design for J & L Lobmeyr at the 1925 Paris Exposition; early cocktail glasses 75 to 90ml; double Martini glass 180 to 240ml by 1939; standard now closer to 150ml).
Urban Bar, “Verdot Crystal Martini Glass 21cl”.
Urban Bar, “Alto Coupe 18cl”.
Urban Bar, “Retro Nick & Nora Cocktail Glass 17cl”.