Nick & Nora Glass
A Nick & Nora is a small stemmed glass with a deep, bell-shaped bowl that curves in at the rim, 17cl in Urban Bar’s listing. It is for drinks served up, without ice: stirred drinks such as the Gibson and the Brooklyn, and short shaken ones such as the Last Word. The name comes from Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man films, and Dale DeGroff gave it to the glass at New York’s Rainbow Room in 1987, by VinePair’s account.
About the Nick & Nora Glass
The Name Comes From The Thin Man
Nick and Nora Charles are the married detectives of Dashiell Hammett’s 1934 novel The Thin Man and the film series that followed, by VinePair’s account, in which a Martini is rarely out of reach.
The glass took their name in 1987, when Dale DeGroff asked Minners Designs for a glass like the one in the films and found the Little Martini in its 1930s catalogue. Dale DeGroff, setting up the bar at the reopened Rainbow Room in New York, asked the glass house Minners Designs for something like the glasses in the Thin Man films, and found a small one in its catalogue called the Little Martini. He named it the Nick and Nora.
Audrey Saunders, DeGroff’s protégée, carried it into the cocktail revival of the 2000s, and it was part of the glassware at her Pegu Club in New York, VinePair says. It has been widely copied since.
It Is Built for Drinks Served Up
A drink served up has nothing in the glass to keep it cold, so it starts warming the moment it is poured. A small glass is the answer: the drink is gone while it is still cold.
The bowl closes in toward the rim, so a full glass keeps its surface under the bowl’s broadest point. That makes it easier to carry without spilling than a coupe, and much easier than a V-shaped martini glass.
Stirred drinks are its main work: the Gibson, the Tuxedo, the Old Pal, the Brooklyn. It also takes short shaken drinks, the Vesper and the Last Word among them, and creamy ones such as the Brandy Alexander.
Sizes, and What Fits
Urban Bar’s Nick & Nora glass is listed at 17cl.
The drinks that call for one finish between about 75ml (a Grasshopper) and 130ml (a Silk Stocking) once stirred or shaken, so our guidance is a glass of 150 to 170ml, which takes all of them with room under the rim.
A shaken sour of 150ml or more, or a drink with an egg white foam, wants a coupe instead; Urban Bar’s Alto Coupe is 18cl.
Nick & Nora, coupe and martini glass compared (capacities from Urban Bar’s listings; the drinks are ours)
Nick & Nora
- Usual capacity
- 17cl (Urban Bar)
- Bowl
- Deep bell that curves in at the rim
- Typical drinks
- Stirred drinks and short shaken ones
Coupe
- Usual capacity
- 18cl (Urban Bar’s Alto Coupe); its retro coupes 21cl
- Bowl
- Wide and shallow
- Typical drinks
- Shaken sours, egg white drinks, sparkling cocktails
Martini glass
- Usual capacity
- 21cl (Urban Bar’s Verdot); larger is common
- Bowl
- Straight-sided V
- Typical drinks
- The Martini, by tradition
| Glass | Usual capacity | Bowl | Typical drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick & Nora | 17cl (Urban Bar) | Deep bell that curves in at the rim | Stirred drinks and short shaken ones |
| Coupe | 18cl (Urban Bar’s Alto Coupe); its retro coupes 21cl | Wide and shallow | Shaken sours, egg white drinks, sparkling cocktails |
| Martini glass | 21cl (Urban Bar’s Verdot); larger is common | Straight-sided V | The Martini, by tradition |
Chill It, Then Keep Your Hand Off the Bowl
Chill the glass before you mix: in the freezer while you work, or filled with ice and water that you tip out before straining. A warm glass takes the edge off a cold drink straight away.
Then hold it by the stem. A glass for drinks without ice has a stem for one reason: to keep a warm hand away from the drink.
Using the Nick & Nora Glass
Usage
Drinks served up, without ice: stirred drinks such as the Gibson, Tuxedo, Old Pal and Brooklyn, and short shaken ones of up to about 130ml finished, among them the Vesper, Last Word and Brandy Alexander.
Pro Tip
Strain to just under the rim and stop. A Nick & Nora is meant to be nearly full, which is what keeps a small drink looking generous.
Professional Tips
- Chill it every time. A small glass warms quickly.
- Up to about 130ml of finished drink fits a 140ml glass.
- Hold it by the stem, never the bowl.
- Shaken sours of 150ml or more belong in a coupe.
Alternatives
Budget Alternative
Small port glasses or old cocktail glasses, if they hold at least 140ml. Fill one from a jigger before you buy a set.
Premium Option
A thin, cut rim and a bowl of about 17cl, in lead-free crystal. What you pay for is a finer rim and less weight in the hand; the drink is the same.
Specifications
Material
Glass or lead-free crystal
Capacity
17cl in Urban Bar’s listing
Details
Deep, bell-shaped bowl curving in at the rim, on a tall slender stem
More to explore
Common Questions
What is a Nick & Nora glass?
Why is it called a Nick and Nora glass?
What are Nick and Nora glasses used for?
What size is a Nick & Nora glass?
Nick & Nora or coupe: which should I buy?
Can I serve a Martini in a Nick & Nora?
How do I chill a Nick & Nora glass?
Why are proper cocktail glasses so small?
Can you serve port or sherry in a Nick & Nora glass?
Sources.
Checked between 18 October and 19 October 2026.
- VinePair, “How the Nick & Nora Became the Most Famous Glass of the Cocktail Revival” (secondary source: DeGroff, 1987, Rainbow Room, Minners Designs’ Little Martini, Saunders and Pegu Club; the glasses in The Thin Man do not look like it).
- Urban Bar, “Retro Nick & Nora Cocktail Glass 17cl” (reference maker (Dan, 17 Oct); capacity in the product name).
- Urban Bar, “Alto Coupe 18cl”.
- Urban Bar, “Verdot Crystal Martini Glass 21cl”.
Made with the Nick & Nora Glass
Used In These Cocktails
Related Equipment
Updated 19 October 2026