What Is a Rocks Glass? Sizes, Uses and How to Choose Leave a comment

What is a rocks glass, short answer: a rocks glass is a short tumbler with a wide brim and a thick base, made for serving whiskey and other spirits neat or over ice. “On the rocks” means over ice cubes, which is where the name comes from. It is the same glass as an old fashioned glass, a whiskey glass or a lowball. A standard one holds about 6 to 10 oz, and a double old fashioned about 12 to 16 oz. Below: where the name and the shape come from, single vs double sizes, what to pour in one, how to choose a good one and why it is the easiest glass to engrave.

What is a rocks glass?

A rocks glass is a short tumbler with a wide brim and a thick base. According to the Wikipedia entry on the old fashioned glass, it is used to serve spirits such as whisky neat or with ice cubes, and for certain cocktails such as the old fashioned. It goes by several names: rocks glass, old fashioned glass, whiskey glass, lowball glass, or simply a lowball.

The thick base gives the glass a steady, solid feel in the hand, and it is sturdy enough that solid cocktail ingredients can be muddled, or crushed, right in the bottom of the glass. The wide brim leaves room for ice and makes it easy to get a muddler, a bar spoon or a large cube in and out.

Why is it called a rocks glass?

Because it is the glass for a drink “on the rocks,” which is bar shorthand for a spirit poured over ice cubes. Order a bourbon on the rocks and this is the glass it comes in. The same glass also works for whiskey served neat, with no ice at all.

The shape is much older than the nickname. The old fashioned glass traces back to the 17th and 18th centuries and the Scottish quaich, a shallow drinking cup with two handles. From the 19th century, glass tumblers replaced those cups.

Rocks glass vs old fashioned glass: is there a difference?

No. A rocks glass and an old fashioned glass are the same glass. Wikipedia lists rocks glass, whiskey glass and lowball as other names for the old fashioned glass. A glassware listing might say old fashioned and a bartender might say rocks, but they mean the same short tumbler.

Where people get confused is size. “Old fashioned glass” on its own usually means the standard, single size. “Double old fashioned,” often shortened to DOF, means the larger version of the same shape. So if you are comparing a rocks glass vs an old fashioned glass in a store, check the ounces, not the name on the box.

Single vs double old fashioned: what size is a rocks glass?

A standard old fashioned glass usually holds 180 to 300 ml, about 6 to 10 US fl oz. A double old fashioned glass holds 350 to 470 ml, about 12 to 16 US fl oz. Those are the usual ranges given in the same Wikipedia entry, not fixed sizes.

• Single old fashioned: about 6 to 10 oz. Enough for a neat pour or a drink over a few cubes.
• Double old fashioned (DOF): about 12 to 16 oz. Room for a large cube plus the pour, or a cocktail built over ice.

Our own engraved rocks glass holds 11 oz, about 330 ml, which sits between the usual single and double sizes. That middle size takes a large ice cube and still leaves room for the drink, without the glass looking half empty when you pour neat.

What drinks go in a rocks glass?

The rocks glass is made for spirits served short, with or without ice. These are its everyday jobs:

• Whiskey on the rocks. Bourbon or scotch poured over ice, the drink the glass is named for.
• Whiskey neat. A straight pour with no ice. The wide, heavy glass handles it well.
• The old fashioned. The old fashioned cocktail shares its name with the glass and is served in it.
• Other short cocktails. Drinks where solid ingredients are muddled in the glass first, which is exactly what the thick base is there for.

For slow, neat tasting, some drinkers reach for a Glencairn or another nosing glass instead. It is narrower and tapers at the top to concentrate aroma, which suits tasting but leaves no room for ice. Our guide to whiskey glass types and sizes compares those shapes side by side. For more on serving whiskey, see our guide on how to drink bourbon.

How do you choose a good rocks glass?

Most rocks glasses look alike in a photo. Four things separate a good one.

A thick base

The base is what makes a rocks glass feel like one. A thick bottom keeps the glass steady on a bar top, stands up to muddling and gives the glass its solid look. A thin-bottomed tumbler may hold the same amount, but it feels like a water glass.

Weight you notice

Pick it up if you can. A good rocks glass has enough heft that it sits firmly when you set it down with ice in it. For a gift, weight is a big part of what makes a glass feel substantial rather than ordinary.

A wide mouth

A wide brim lets you add ice, stir and muddle without fighting the glass. It also makes the glass easy to wash by hand or to load into the dishwasher.

Room for a large cube

Many whiskey drinkers prefer one large cube to a handful of small ones. Check the capacity before you buy: a glass at the small end of the single range leaves little room for the pour once a big cube is in. A glass toward the top of the single range, or a double, gives you room for both.

Setting up a bar at home? Our list of home bar essentials covers what else belongs on the shelf, or browse all of our personalized glassware.

Why is a rocks glass the best glass to engrave?

Three reasons: shape, use and durability. The side of a rocks glass gives a name, a monogram or a crest a clear, flat place to sit. A tapered nosing glass curves in toward the rim, which leaves less room for a design.

It also gets used. A rocks glass comes out for a neat pour, a drink on ice or a cocktail, so personalized rocks glasses live on the bar or the open shelf where people see them, not at the back of a cabinet.

And laser engraving lasts. The design is cut into the glass rather than printed on top, so it will not peel or wash off, and our glasses are dishwasher safe.

What to engrave on custom rocks glasses

• A monogram. A split-letter monogram with the family name is the classic look.
• A first name or initials. The easiest to read, and the usual choice when every glass in a set gets a different name.
• A date. A second engraved side costs $7, so the name can go on the front and a wedding or milestone date on the back.
• A logo or crest. Upload clear artwork so fine lines come out cleanly.

Custom rocks glasses work as a pair for a couple or as a set of four for the person who hosts. They are one of the simplest picks in our gifts for whiskey lovers. For a wedding party, see our best man gift ideas. Every glass is engraved to order, so allow time before the date you need it.

If the glasses are going to someone who keeps a good bottle, a decanter is the natural partner on the shelf. Our whiskey decanter guide explains what a decanter is for.

What is a rocks glass: FAQ