FOOD NEWS
The Clever Reason Behind The Shape Of The Iconic Martini Glass
By Nico Danilovich
The martini may have come about thanks to an 1863 vermouth dubbed "Martini,” and is most likely the descendant of the Martinez cocktail, an old-timey category of drink that also spawned the Manhattan. However, it would be a couple more decades until the martini glass made its appearance, and there’s a clever reason behind the shape of the iconic martini glass itself.
The martini glass began as a way to improve flavors, not appearances, as it allows the liquid to stay colder for longer. Additionally, its V-shaped bowl with a widened brim exposes a greater portion of the liquid to oxygen, allowing the spirits to breathe, and it also helps a toothpick of olives stand up rather than fall to the bottom.
Supposedly, the shallowness of this glass also made it useful during the Prohibition era, since it was arguably easier to pour out with haste if imbibers got busted by police at a speakeasy. Martini glasses caught steam in the Roaring '20s, thanks to the various art exhibits they were featured at, and it is indeed difficult to argue that the glass is anything but a true work of art.