Let's start with a definition; the Collins glass is named after the London waiter named John Collins, who served a mixture of genever gin, lemon juice, sugar, and water in the 19th century to his patrons in a glass that now shares his name¹ . Well, isn't that spiffy? Yes, but what is it?! How do I know I have a Collins glass in my hand versus a highball, or delmonico, or zombie, or, or…

shush, will you? It's a fine question though, and I wish I had a straight and unequivocal answer for you, but alas, I'm a relativist, and here we are. Near as I can tell and from what I can find it's primarily a matter of both shape and volume. Let's take a look:

As you can see, both are chimney-style glasses and there's a generally accepted cut-off at 12oz which defines it as either a highball or collins. There is also a chimney-shaped glass in the 5-8oz range called a 'delmonico' or 'fizz' glass but they're rarely seen or used anymore. The form factor is important in that a double-old fashioned glass is usually 8-12oz like a highball but is shorter and stockier and has more of a bucket-shaped build. And, should I ever catch you making a drink which calls for a highball glass in a an old-fashined style glass I will most definitely come put the hurt on you. Why, you ask? Well, you're more likely to use a straw with the chimney-styled glasses and more likely to stir (with a sip/stirrer thingy) and drink from the side (and get an up-close and personal experience with the drink's garnish) using a bucket-style. So, you see, form meets function in the cocktail world too.

For my review I'll be comparing 3 glasses, 2 Collins and 1 highball of various sizes and quality to get a feel for how they function in preparing the same drinks and in handling in general. I will rate them in four areas; size, style/feel, use/durability, and overall value. The drink I've made with each of them is the Gin Fizz (I refuse to call it a Tom Collins because I'm not using Old Tom gin) and while I have varying levels of experience and time with each of them, I believe the impressions and assesments of the merits and drawbacks to be on-target.

Vivant Highball Glass by Riedel, $39.99 (4 pack):

This is the only crystal glass in the bunch (Tyrol) and it's reflected in the price. The crystal also makes them quite heavy, if gorgeous to look at. However, under all of this pretty pretty crystal lies a major flaw; this isn't a freaking highball glass. Hell, it's not even a Collins glass; this behemoth bastard is 18.5 ounces in size (Riedel should know better). It's basically a glorified drinking glass that should be used for serving water. You make a tall cocktail in this and you end up with one of three things, and none of them good; having to make a triple to avoid looking silly having 3-4 inches of space left at the top of the glass, having 3-4 inches left at the top of the glass because you don't want to be dead in your soup after one drink, or having to continue to top the damned drink with club soda or whatever you're topping it off with and ending up having mildly flavored and off-putting soda water. 

So, cocktailians, skip this one. They're gorgeous, but like so many gorgeous things, they'll just break your heart or leave you dead drunk or both. To be fair there is one quality to this glass that I loved design-wise. The bottom of the glass has a pressed cross-hatch pattern that looks splendid and prevents the glass from sticking to a flat, solid surface. This is a great feature; far too often in the humid Oklahoman Summer I lift my glass and find it firmly sealed to my cocktail napkin, the coaster, or have to peel it off the table gently. This etched pattern mitigates that to some degree and is very aesthetically pleasing.

Size Rating: (use for water, not mixed drinks)

Style/Feel Rating: (clean lines, classy, feels of quality)

Use/Durability Rating: (crystal makes me nervous and the hand-washing is a pain)

Overall Value Rating: (for my intended purposes, a terrible value)

Highball Glass by LSA International, $29.99 (4 pack):

I loved the way these glasses looked as soon as they came out of the box. These are hand-blown soda lime glasses and look very sophistcated while remaining unassuming. The top lip has a very flat edge and the weight of the glass is reassuring and not as overwhelming as the Riedels. Now, once again, we're not dealing with a true highball glass as these are 13.5 ounces. However, this turns out to be a very comfortable size for the double (i.e. 3 oz gin) Gin Fizzes I tend to make. Through my extensive use of these (what can I say, I found a box for half-price on eBay) I've found them to be a very servicable daily-use glass. They are nice enough to put in front of guests and hearty and durable enough for everyday wear and tear – though I have noticed a few tiny knicks and chips develop at the base on the inside of one from having the ice dispenser thunk ice into them.

Overall this is a very nice glass; my main problem involvesthe design of the base as there's no beveling or etching as with the Riedels to rpevent them from sticking too much to surfaces. They are a perfect height for the traditional long sip-n-stir bar straws used in tall drinks as well as leaving a half inch or so at the top of the glass. So, while I cringe now when I dispense ice directly into them (versus scooping), these are a very good all around tall drink glass (truly a Collins glass) that provide a bit of upscale look and feel to the beverage.

Size Rating: (great size for a traditional Collins)

Style/Feel Rating: (nice crisp look w/ a heavy base)

Use/Durability Rating: (don't be cavalier with them, but overall just fine)

Overall Value Rating: (great glass at a fair price, great price on eBay if you can find it)

Jungle Highball Glass by Cocktailvibe (aka Impulse Enterprises), $9.60 (ea.):

In full disclosure, I was sent these by Cocktailvibe, a provider of high-end glasswar
e and lifestyle products, as the result of a discussion they and I had regarding their advertising on this site. I assured them they were sending it at their peril and that I would give a full and honest review. These are the first true highball glasses in our small group here, weighing in at 10 ounces, and, as such, I adjusted my Gin Fizz recipe to a single, with 1.5 oz of gin, to get a proper feel for how mixed drinks in these glasses truly felt. Each of these glasses is unique and very much appear hand-crafted which lends a sense of quality and craftsmanship to them. One of my favorite features of using this glass was that the 'jungle' motif etched into the base and bottom-third of the glass provided a grip on the glass not felt with its smooth-sided counterparts.

The true highball nature of this glass allowed me to see how a drink and glassware can, and should, fit together with a designed purpose as I found the Gin Fizzes I made in this somewhat more balanced and more satisfying. That being said, there are a few flaws that should be pointed out in my experience with this glass. First, the base is slightly more rounded than the others in this assessment and it lends the glass a more tenuous feel. The lack of a more flat, heavily weighted, and squared base just felt a tad more unstable. Also, like the LSA, this glass doesn't feature any beveling or etching on the base to prevent it from sticking to surfaces. There is a small indentation in the base's structure that helps but combined with the more rounded base, it gives a slight feel of instability. Finally, this is the only glass which in using it developed a full-on crack in its side. Now, I know that this glass, because of its quality of manufacture and designer nature, is used at least one 5-star hotel in its Food & Beverage operations, so I'm assuming this is a one-off incident as a result of ice-dispensing strategy. Also, cocktailvibe.com offers a no questions asked broken glass replacement policy which allays my concerns in this area, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it as part of a review of my experience. This is a lovely glass, and if a recipe calls for a highball glass, of these three, I wouldn't hesitate to turn to this one as it's a great example of what a highball should be.

Size Rating: (a perfect highball glass)

Style/Feel Rating: (love the jungle design, mark off for base design)

Use/Durability Rating: (with the replacement policy, this is much less a concern)

Overall Value Rating: (great design and size, and sure to make any highball drink more stylish)

So, all in all I feel like the LSA comes out on top of the Collins group, and that the Jungle is a near-perfect example of a highball so both have a place in your glassware collection. However, knowing that most people won't be looking at these specific makes and models for their collection here are some general guidelines:

• Look for 13-14oz in a Collins and 10oz in highball,
• Look for a base that provides heft and a sense of security,
• If available in your price range, look for a base with some texture that prevents 'sticking',
• If possible find a side that gives a feel of grip as well as style, and
• Try to scoop your ice into your glass instead of dispensing from your refrigerator.

If you have other suggestions or recommendations I'd love to hear them, as , well, I'm a bit of a nerd about these sorts of things. Cheers.

1. from cocktaildb.com entry on 'Collins Glass' [↩]