Glassware

Rocks Glass

A rocks glass is a short, wide tumbler with a heavy base, sold as a single (our shop’s Club ICE tumbler is 26cl) or a double (Urban Bar’s run 32 to 35cl). It holds spirits and short drinks over ice, and drinks built in the glass, from the Old Fashioned and the Negroni to sours on the rocks. The thick base keeps it steady under a muddler and when a large cube drops in.

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A plain, straight-sided rocks glass with a thick, heavy clear base, photographed against white.

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Essential Equipment

Recommended for every home bar

The tool

About the Rocks Glass

We Make One

A 26cl heavy-based tumbler with a textured ICE pattern, available singly or in pairs.

Club ICE Tumbler, 26cl

Rocks, Lowball and Old Fashioned Are One Glass

Rocks refers to the ice, Old Fashioned to the drink and lowball to its height beside a highball. A recipe that names any of them means a short, wide, heavy-bottomed tumbler.

Some catalogues call the single an Old Fashioned glass and the double a rocks glass. The difference that matters is the size.

Single or Double Depends on the Drink

A single, such as our shop’s 26cl Club ICE tumbler, suits stirred drinks over one large cube. Our Old Fashioned is 45ml of bourbon with sugar and bitters, the Negroni 90ml, and either sits comfortably with a 5cm cube.

A double, 32 to 35cl in Urban Bar’s listings, is for bigger drinks. Our Penicillin and Honey Sour are around 115ml before the ice, the Jungle Bird about 140ml, and the Mai Tai goes over crushed ice packed to the rim. They need the room.

The Sazerac is the exception to the ice: it is strained into a chilled rocks glass rinsed with absinthe, with no ice at all.

Single and double rocks glasses against their neighbours (single and highball from our shop; double from Urban Bar’s listings; Glencairn from its own site)

Single rocks

Typical capacity: 26cl (our shop)
Ice: One large cube
Our drinks in it: Old Fashioned, Negroni, Boulevardier

Double rocks

Typical capacity: 32 to 35cl (Urban Bar)
Ice: Cubes or crushed
Our drinks in it: Penicillin, Jungle Bird, Mai Tai

Highball

Typical capacity: 38 or 42cl (our shop)
Ice: A glass full of cubes
Our drinks in it: Rum and Coke, Paloma

Glencairn

Typical capacity: 200ml (Glencairn)
Ice: None
Our drinks in it: Whisky or aged rum, neat

Glass	Typical capacity	Ice	Our drinks in it
Single rocks	26cl (our shop)	One large cube	Old Fashioned, Negroni, Boulevardier
Double rocks	32 to 35cl (Urban Bar)	Cubes or crushed	Penicillin, Jungle Bird, Mai Tai
Highball	38 or 42cl (our shop)	A glass full of cubes	Rum and Coke, Paloma
Glencairn	200ml (Glencairn)	None	Whisky or aged rum, neat

The Heavy Base Does Two Jobs

It keeps the glass still. The Old Fashioned, the Caipirinha and the Dawa are built and muddled in the glass, and a light tumbler slides about under the muddler.

It also copes with cold. Thick glass takes a large frozen cube better than thin, though a glass straight from a hot dishwasher can still crack if ice goes in at once. Let it cool first.

One Large Cube Melts Slowest

Volume for volume, one big cube presents far less surface to the drink than a scatter of small ones, so it melts more slowly. In a short drink, where every millilitre of meltwater shows, that keeps the drink closer to how it started.

Stir a drink built over one large cube for 15 to 20 seconds. Over a glass of smaller cubes, or in a mixing glass, give it 20 to 30.

Look at the Base First

Thick, flat and even. Cut patterns are a matter of taste and do nothing to the drink, though deep cutting makes it harder to see the level as you pour.

Using it

Using the Rocks Glass

Usage

Short drinks over ice and drinks built in the glass: the Old Fashioned, the Negroni and the Boulevardier, sours on the rocks such as the Penicillin, and spirits with a cube. Doubles take the larger sours and crushed-ice drinks like the Mai Tai.

Pro Tip

For an Old Fashioned, use one large cube that nearly fills the width of the glass. It melts slowly, so the drink keeps its strength and its chill for longer.

Professional Tips

One large cube melts more slowly than several small ones.
Singles for stirred drinks over one cube; doubles for sours and crushed ice.
Chill it for drinks served without ice, such as the Sazerac.
Let a glass from the dishwasher cool before a frozen cube goes in.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

Plain heavy tumblers from a supermarket or a charity shop. Check that the base is thick and flat; the pattern makes no difference.

Premium Option

Crystal with a fine rim and a heavy base. It drinks more pleasantly and still sits firm; the drink itself does not change.

Specifications

Material
Glass
Capacity
Single 26cl (our shop); double 32 to 35cl (Urban Bar’s listings)
Details
Short and wide, with straight sides and a thick, heavy base

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Are a rocks glass and an Old Fashioned glass the same thing?

Yes. Rocks, Old Fashioned and lowball all describe the same short, wide, heavy-bottomed tumbler; the names come from the ice, the drink and the height. Some catalogues use Old Fashioned for the single size and rocks for the double, so check the capacity rather than the name.

Should I buy single or double rocks glasses?

It depends on what you make. A single, such as our shop’s 26cl Club ICE tumbler, suits stirred drinks over one large cube, such as the Old Fashioned and the Negroni. A double, 32 to 35cl in Urban Bar’s listings, takes sours over cubes and crushed-ice drinks like the Mai Tai.

What size is a rocks glass in ml?

Our shop’s single is 26cl; Urban Bar’s doubles are 32 and 35cl, and makers vary. A stirred drink of 60 to 105ml over one large cube fits a single; a 150ml sour or punch over cubes needs a double.

Why are rocks glasses so heavy?

For stability and for the cold. Drinks are built and muddled in the glass, and the weight keeps it still under a muddler. A thick base also copes better than thin glass when a very cold cube goes in, though a hot glass should cool first.

What drinks belong in a rocks glass?

Short drinks over ice: the Old Fashioned, the Negroni, the Boulevardier, whisky with a cube, and sours served on the rocks such as the Penicillin. The Sazerac goes in a chilled rocks glass with no ice at all. Long drinks with a mixer, such as rum and cola, belong in a highball.

Why use one large ice cube?

Melting happens at the surface, and one big cube has much less of it than the same weight of small cubes. It cools the drink while adding less water. A 5cm cube fits most rocks glasses, and a sphere works the same way.

Is a rocks glass good for whisky?

For whisky with ice or a splash of water, yes: there is room for a cube and the base is steady. For tasting a whisky neat, the open top lets aroma drift away; a Glencairn, which narrows at the rim, keeps it in.

Can rocks glasses go in the dishwasher?

Plain ones usually can. Wash cut crystal and decorated glass by hand. Thick glass holds heat, so let a glass from a hot dishwasher cool to room temperature before a frozen cube goes in, or it can crack.

Sources.

Correct as of 18 October 2026.

Jerry Can Spirits shop, “Club ICE Tumbler, 26cl”.
Urban Bar, “Classico Margot Old Fashioned 32cl”.
Urban Bar, “Urbino Old Fashioned 35cl”.
Jerry Can Spirits shop, “Crystal ICE Hiball, 42cl”.
Glencairn Crystal, “The Glencairn Glass” (200ml).

Master the Technique

The four glasses most drinks need

Make something

Made with the Rocks Glass

Used In These Cocktails

Boulevardier French Connection Penicillin Honey Sour Tommy’s Margarita Old Fashioned

Show all 73 cocktails

Related Equipment

Updated 18 October 2026

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