Espresso Martini Glasses: Coupe vs Martini vs Nick & Nora

The espresso martini is served without ice, which puts unusual weight on the glass: it’s the only thing keeping the drink cold, and its shape decides whether your foam is a display or a memory. Three shapes matter — and one habit matters more than any of them.

Coupe: the modern default

Curved bowl, wide surface, stable stem. The coupe shows the foam layer and three-bean garnish like a display case, survives being carried across a party, and has quietly replaced the V-glass in most good bars. 5–6 oz is the right size. If you buy one set of stems, buy these.

V-shaped martini glass: the icon

Unmistakably “a martini,” and every branded kit ships one — see the Kahlúa and Grey Goose editions. The costs: it spills on the first enthusiastic toast, and the narrow apex concentrates the drink’s weight where it warms fastest. Fine at a seated table; risky anywhere else.

Nick & Nora: the bartender’s pick

Small tulip bowl on a tall stem — concentrates aroma, spills nearly never, and its 4.5–5.5 oz capacity enforces proper portions. The connoisseur inclusion in luxury kits. Its one drawback is the smaller foam surface: less visual drama, same drink.

What doesn’t work

Stemless “martini” bowls (your hand warms the drink in minutes), rocks glasses (this drink has no ice to justify one), and anything over 8 oz (a correct 4.5 oz pour looks lost).

The habit that beats the hardware

Freeze the glass. Ten minutes in the freezer before the pour does more for the drink than any upgrade on this page: cold glass preserves the foam you worked for in the 15-second shake and holds the drink at temperature to the end. It’s step one of the classic recipe for a reason.

Buying routes

Two good coupes run $15–30; crystal doubles that. Kits that bundle glasses with the bottles are compared in the kit-with-glasses guide, and the full hardware shopping list — shaker included — is in the DIY build.