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The tumbler
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Whisky glasses in transition: the history of the tumbler
The “Tumbler” glass top category includes spirits glasses without stems. It is impossible to imagine bars and private homes around the world without them. The origin of this glass lies in Scotland and goes back many centuries. Back then, people drank from flat drinking bowls, usually with two handles, called quaichs, which were first made of wood and later of stone, brass or silver. From the 17th century onwards, from merchants to self-respecting farmers, it was good manners to offer a quaich filled with whisky or brandy when greeting and saying goodbye.
However, in the 18th century, with the introduction of pressed glass production, the drinking glass was introduced and from then on people drank whisky from the “whisky glass”. Initially, this glass had a round base, which meant that the glass could not stand upright, but fell over. The drinking glass owes its name to this condition, which in English means “to tumble” and in German “taumeln, stürzen”. What makes these iconic glasses, also known as whisky glasses, rocks glasses or old fashioned glasses, so special and what characteristics they have, what designs are available, which spirits can be drunk from them and how they can be drunk, is explained in more detail below.
Tumbler Glasses – Shape and Features
The shape and design of tumbler glasses can vary depending on the brand and manufacturer. They can be round or angular, but all have a thick base that makes the glasses robust and stable. Otherwise, tumbler glasses are short and wide, resembling a halved long drink glass. The wide opening of the glass openly releases the whiskey's aromas, allowing them to dissipate quickly. The opening rarely narrows enough to significantly affect the volatility of the aromas. All whiskey glasses are designed to be durable.
The glasses are offered in various sizes. Normal or Single Old Fashioned glasses (S.O.F.) have a capacity of 180 to 300 milliliters. The latter are perfect for drinking on the rocks, mixed drinks, or cocktails. Smaller glasses are less practical for this purpose as they often don't fit well in hand. Larger variants, the so-called Double Old Fashioned glasses (D.O.F.), with a capacity of over 300 milliliters, are also available on the market.
Of course, quality plays a crucial role, manifested in the thickness of the glass walls and the cut of the usually simple design. Cheaper tumbler glasses are often pressed from glass. They are also thicker-walled and have a so-called cut-look, which is created by pressing the glass rather than cutting. High-quality whiskey glasses are made from crystal glass and exhibit clarity and brilliance. This means the highly transparent walls of the glass ensure the spirit shimmers, reflects many light facets, and glows. This wow effect is often missing in cheaper models.
A particularly positive feature of a perfect tumbler glass is that it feels very good and pleasantly heavy in hand. For this reason, many such glasses have a tactile structure that makes holding easier, even when slightly damp.
Cleaning the glasses is also straightforward, as they are dishwasher safe. Just be careful not to drop them, as this could cause a glass to break.
Tumblers - which spirits do you drink from them?
The following spirits can be drunk from tumbler glasses:
Whisky
The sturdy tumbler glasses with a volume of 250 to 400 millilitres are particularly suitable for American bourbon, Japanese and Irish whiskies and rye whiskey. However, less complex blends are also drunk from these glasses. These glasses are not suitable for single malt. It is drunk either neat or on the rocks. If it is drunk neat without ice, it should always be at room temperature. If you drink it “on the rocks”, i.e. on ice, it will not melt as quickly thanks to the thick base of the glass. The heat is only released slowly and the drink stays cool for longer.
Content: 0.7 Liter (€154.79* / 1 Liter)
Gin
If you want to drink a gin & tonic, it is very often enjoyed from a tumbler glass. However, this glass is only suitable for a mild gin or a gin with delicate, complex aromas in a mixing ratio of 1:1 or 1:2. Only then will the gin taste be prominent. Another advantage of these glasses is that only a few ice cubes are needed to cool the drink, which means that the release of carbon dioxide and melting water is very low.
Cocktails
But mixed drinks are also very popular in whisky glasses. For example: The classic whisky cocktail, the Old Fashioned, which requires bourbon, sugar or other aromatic sweeteners, bitters and citrus or orange zest for the finishing touch, is of course served on ice in a tumbler glass.
Closely related to the Old Fashioned is the Sazerac. This is also a classic drink that is drunk from an Old Fashioned glass. The base spirit here is an American rye whiskey or a good cognac. Sugar, ice and a good bitters are added.
The classic bitter-sweet Negroni from Italy, made from vermouth, gin and Campari on ice and decorated with orange zest, is also very popular as an aperitif served in a tumbler glass.
But the Bramble, a cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and blackberry liqueur, is also served in a whisky glass on crushed ice with a slice of lemon and a fresh blackberry.
For lovers of a refreshing, spicy mixed drink that is also drunk from tumbler glasses, the Gin Basil Smash is just the thing. It is mixed from gin, lemon juice, cane sugar syrup, basil and ice cubes, then strained through a hair sieve into a tumbler glass containing ice cubes and decorated with basil leaves.
However, it is also possible to serve vodka in these glasses as part of a White Russian, an after-dinner drink. To do this, ice cubes are placed in the glass and vodka and coffee liqueur are added and stirred until the glass fogs up. Cream is then added to the shaker and shaken vigorously until it thickens. Once it has reached the desired consistency, it is carefully poured onto the drink and decorated with a coffee bean.
Content: 0.1 Liter (€159.50* / 1 Liter)
Content: 0.7 Liter (€78.29* / 1 Liter)
Content: 0.7 Liter (€109.93* / 1 Liter)
Rum
The tumbler glass from which rum is drunk has a round shape, is not quite as large and tapers slightly towards the top. In this glass, the smell of the rum is influenced by the bulbous glass body and the tapered glass walls. This is a positive aspect, as the sense of smell and taste are linked. The tapered glass concentrates the volatile aromas and guides them towards the nose. How intensely the different flavors are perceived and how dominant the alcohol is compared to the other facets depends on the volume and the size of the opening of the glass. Rum should therefore be drunk from a tumbler glass that tapers towards the top.
However, if you want to enjoy rum on ice, you usually opt for the classic tumbler glass due to its larger volume. However, the aromas of the rum do not develop in this glass in the same way as they do in the tapered glass. If you use cooling stones instead of ice, the rum is cooled but not watered down.
Tumblers - how are they used?
Here are a few tips on how to drink the spirit from a tumbler glass for a great taste experience.
The first step is to enjoy the aromas rising from the glass in order to reach the corresponding spirit. In this way, the components and ingredients of the contents of the bottle can be explored.
After swirling the whisky glass, the color and flow behavior of the contents are examined. You can see whether the drink forms streaks around the rim, runs back or flows slowly over the wall of the glass. This indicates the quality of the spirit.
Now you can take your first sip and experience the taste and finish.
Short conclusion
Tumbler glasses, also known as whisky glasses, rocks glasses or old fashioned glasses, are ideal for tasting pure spirits. However, thanks to their straight shape, thick base and relatively large capacity, they are also used for spirits on ice. The advantage is that the drink is kept cool for a long time. With a tumbler glass, fine spirits can be presented in style, whether neat, on the rocks or as a cocktail, and should therefore not be missing in any professional bar or home bar.
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