Around this time last year we were invited by Tanqueray to collaborate with them on their Tini Ten campaign - a collection of mini cocktails designed to showcase their classic No. Ten Gin. ‘Do you have any small glasses?’ the marketing department asked. Well, of course, we did. We'd only started Muddled a few weeks previously but we'd already sourced some gorgeous little glasses.
Some of them were obviously designed for sipping sherry or liqueurs while others just looked like very small cocktail glasses but were they really that small? Most of us are used to the large coupes or martini glasses which seem to be the norm in bars these days but back in the early to mid-20th century, when most of these glasses were made, cocktails were smaller. Look at Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest; the glass in which he drinks his Gibson on the train looks almost comically tiny in his well-manicured hand.
When it comes to cocktails, bigger isn't necessarily better. We find that many of today’s glasses are simply too large. The drink is beginning to get warm by the time you’ve finished it and chances are that you'll be asleep in the corner after consuming a few (especially if you're a bit of a lightweight like us). Generally speaking, we prefer a smaller glass at cocktail hour with a capacity of no more than 150ml and when it comes to parties, we favour something even more diminutive.
A smaller drink is perfect for celebrations, especially if your guests are new to the world of cocktails. It gives them the opportunity to sample several without becoming roaringly drunk in the first five minutes. A few weeks ago we threw a little party in which we served mini martinis, martinezes, margaritas and negronis. Everyone had fun and no-one had a headache in the morning.
Did we mention that lots of little glasses look glorious all together on a tray? The gallery above shows just some of the tinies we've experimented with over the last year. If you like things to be uniform, we have a number of matching sets available in our shop but this is an opportunity to be creative and have fun. Remember those Edwardian sherry glasses tucked away at the back of the cupboard? They'll look gorgeous en masse with a crisp martini in them. Look for glasses that are a similar size or shape or have patterns that will work well together. To make things easier, we've put together some Muddled Mix and Match which do just that. Head over to our Glasses page and look out for the Mini Cocktail Edit ribbon.
Once you've selected your mini glasses, you'll need cocktails to put in them. We find that the easiest way to prepare them is to make batches in advance. Obviously glasses vary in size but around 50- 60ml is about right for one serve. Have a look at your chosen recipe and scale it up accordingly. You can find more of our party planning tips over on The Cocktail Chronicles.
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