With the global pandemic during nightclubs and bars upside down, people are turning to another alternative. More than people than ever are building their own at-home bars. There are countless occasions where you could make an at-home bar, including weddings, parties, and special events. If you are setting off down this path, you might be struggling to tell the difference between plastic fish bowls and plastic wine goblets. Maybe you need plastic shot cups as well?
Our guide covers everything you need to know about the different types of plastic glassware you can find in a bar, whether it’s for a new pub, wedding or a party you’re throwing for family and friends.
1. Different Types of Glassware
The type of glassware you find in a bar is different than what you’ll have in your kitchen or office space. While you’re likely to have a shelf of drinking glasses, you will probably have a few wine glasses and whisky glass. When you are stocking a beer garden or at-home bar, you want to swap out glass for plastic. It’ll make the clean-up process much easier!
When you’re considering buying glassware for a bar, you have two categories to think about. These are bar glassware and cocktail glassware. The difference is the latter will usually involve a fish bowl drinking glass and things like gold plastic goblets. Novelty bar glassware will include things test tube shot glasses.
Shot Glasses
While you might decide to have some drinkware made of glass on offer, shot glasses are one type where plastic is always best. Plastic shot cups come in different shapes, sizes, and colours. Novelty shot glasses are popular amongst all age groups and are perfect for parties and get-togethers. Test tube shot glasses are the perfect novelty choice for your bar and are suitable for any occasion. They’re also ideal for parties and made with food-grade plastic so you can get creative with your shots. You can quickly turn your shots into an at-home science experiment by mixing shot colours.
Plastic shot glasses are a must add to your shopping list. Another novelty piece of bar glassware you won’t have at home is plastic beer mug shot glasses. These 3oz glasses are ideal for holding larger shots and cocktail samples. If you’re hosting a beach party or are having a rustic wedding, these will be an instant hit with your guests. For novelty glassware, you want something fun, like plastic shot glasses with swim rings.
Goblets
Whatever type of bar you’re putting together, you want to get plastic goblets wholesale. These are the most versatile piece of glassware you can add to your bar. You can use them for wine, gin, and anything you serve with a mixture in a large quantity. If you’re running low on other glasses, plastic goblet cups can double as a cocktail glass. They can utilise plastic margarita glasses for smaller cocktails, champagne, and single servings of wine.
Cocktail Glasses
A fish bowl drinking glass is a go-to choice for cocktails. They’re not something you would find at home, and guests and customers love using them. Cocktails are a little more complicated than wine and liquor drinks. These drinks come in every shape and size, so you want to have options to serve them in. Most bars and parties will offer a novelty cocktail, which you can serve in a cocktail fish bowl or gold plastic goblets. You can even provide cocktail samples in plastic beer mug shot glasses.
If you decide to buy plastic goblets wholesale, you can double these up as cocktail glasses for most types of alcoholic drinks.
2. How To Choose Your Glassware
Dimensions
The thing you have to consider when choosing the glassware for your bar is the dimensions. Consider what drinks will go into what glasses. It’ll make your shopping process easier! You’ll never serve someone as much tequila as you would wine. Drinks have their own unit sizes, meaning you’ll need to buy specific glasses for each type of beverage.
You’ll want to make sure you have plastic wine goblets in a few different sizes. It’s always a good idea to have a champagne flute option on hand, especially for parties and weddings. If you’re not sure which drinks you’re going to serve, plastic goblet cups are a versatile option. They’ll hold anything you want to offer that is larger than a shot.
One of the most popular drinks at bars are group cocktails. You’ll usually serve these in a cocktail fish bowl in place of a jug, holding enough liquid to serve at least three or four people. While you can use plastic fish bowls for individual drinks, you’ll want to have a larger option on hand for groups. Try to get a few different sizes of plastic fish bowls for drinks. You want ones you can serve for groups and individuals.
Most bars offer different sizes of glasses depending on the cocktail you’re having. Just think of how diverse a cocktail list can be. You wouldn’t serve a Manhattan in the same glass as a strawberry daiquiri. It’s a good idea to decide the cocktails you want to serve and use that to determine which sizes to buy.
Plastic or Acrylic
The other thing you should consider when choosing your glassware is whether you want to buy plastic or acrylic. You get a few more options with acrylic, which feels a little more elevated than plastic. If you’re looking to order plastic goblets wholesale or stock up on plastic fish bowls for drinks, plastic is the most affordable option. You want to make sure your plastic is BPA free and suitable for washing and reusing if you need them for more than one day.
Ultimately, you want to have a variety of different sizes of glassware. You’ll want to have plastic fish bowls, plastic shot cups, and plastic wine goblets on your list. These three sets of glassware will set you up for a good start and cover any drink a guest or customer will want.
