The Best Highball Glasses For Any Home Bar

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The highball glass is a classic piece of barware, and it’s excellent for both mixing and serving cocktails and mocktails of all types. Although highball glasses might seem like very basic pieces of glassware, though, there are actually a ton of small variations that make a huge difference in the user’s drinking experience.

In this post, I’ll explain what a highball glass is and recommend seven of what I believe to be the best highball glasses out there.

What Is A Highball Glass?

There are three distinguishing features of a highball glass:

• They hold between 10 and 16 ounces, usually closer to 12.
• They have straight vertical sides with no angle like a wine glass.
• They’re made of transparent or semi-transparent glass.

As long as the actual drinking vessel portion of the glass meets these three requirements, it can be considered a highball glass. Other than that, though, the criteria are pretty loose. It can have any etching or painted pattern on the outside, it can be tall or short, and it can even have a flat base or a footed stem.

Why is it Called a Highball Glass?

The name “highball glass” comes from the fact that they were the glasses traditionally used to mix whiskey highballs, drinks with a single shot of whiskey and a whole bottle of ginger ale or another soft drink.

The origins of the word “highball” are unclear, but the most likely explanation is that a “ball” used to be the colloquial term for a shot of whiskey when the drink became popular in the late 1800s. When one wanted to order a ball of whiskey during the day (when the sun was high in the sky, as they would have said back then), they would have it diluted with a whole bunch of mixer to create a slightly more relaxed drinking experience. Hence, the combination of “high” and “ball.”

7 Highball Glass Recommendations

The table below lists seven of the best highball glasses available, along with each of their capacity and price range on a scale of $-$$$$$. Below the table, you can find a bit more info about each model on the list and find out why I included it.

Model	Capacity (oz.)	Price Range (# of Glasses)
[amazon link=”B00HZFCNIA” link_icon=”none” title=”Marquis by Waterford Markham” /]	13	$$$$ (4)
[amazon link=”B07PQJ1XBV” link_icon=”none” title=”Riedel Highball Glasses” /]	10.75	$$ (2)
Recycled Sea Glass Tall Drinking Glasses	12	$$$$$ (6)
Fiorella Highball Glasses	19	$$$ (4)
Vance Cut-Glass Highball Glass	12	$ (1)
Fluted Acrylic Drinking Glasses	15	$$ (4)
Recycled Mexican Confetti Drinking Glasses	16	$$$ (4)

1. Marquis by Waterford Markham

by [amazon link=”B00HZFCNIA” link_icon=”none” title=”Marquis by Waterford” /]

[amazon fields=”B00HZFCNIA” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Marquis by Waterford Markham Set of 4″]

I normally keep these crystal highball glasses high up on a shelf meant for only my finest glassware, and I only bring them out at particularly classy dinner parties. When I do, they nearly always get looks of admiration from my guests because of their classic yet sophisticated look. A delicate wedge cut pattern around the sides of the glass not only looks great but also provides a good grip while drinking.

The crystal material is a bit brittle so I wouldn’t recommend these for everyday use, but they’re nice to have as an option when you need to pull out the fine dishware. They are part of a set that also includes bowls, wine glasses, and decanters with the same pattern on the outside, and I’d honestly recommend springing for the whole thing if you can.

2. Riedel Highball Glasses

by [amazon link=”B07PQJ1XBV” link_icon=”none” title=”Riedel” /]

[amazon fields=”B07PQJ1XBV” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Riedel Highball Glasses”]

Another crystal highball glass option, this pair of two has a classic retro look thanks to the vertical ridges and detailed crystalline facets on the old fashioned glass bases. They’re the smallest glasses on this list, but the German manufacturers used sturdy glass that makes them excellent for everyday use. I own two of these sets along with a matching set of rocks glasses, and they have made for some very nice cocktail hours at block parties over the years.

3. Recycled Sea Glass Tall Drinking Glasses

by Pottery Barn

The hand-blown glass material of this set is made from already-recycled glass, but Pottery Barn still manages to make it look better than any other glassware I’ve ever seen – I know that’s a bold statement, but I swear it’s true. The glasses have a foggy aquamarine-tinted color inspired by sun-bleached seaglass, and they are given a bumpy, delicately bubbled outer texture that looks absolutely gorgeous. The material feels good in your hand, too, and the bubbles provide a good grip. This model definitely has a more casual and summery aesthetic than the previous items on this list, and I love it.

I should add that you can buy these glasses separately or in a set of six.

4. Fiorella Highball Glasses

by Anthropologie

Anthropologie is my favorite place to shop for glassware because they always have beautiful designs. This cocktail glass is my favorite because it’s nice and large but still has an elegant shape. Even though the glass is very thin, it’s surprisingly durable and is great for everyday use. That being said, it is not dishwasher-safe.

If you’re paying attention to this glass’s capacity or its bell-bottomed shape, you may notice that it’s not technically a highball glass. It’s still great for cocktails and mocktails, though, and I’ve received so many compliments on it when serving drinks in it during dinner parties that I couldn’t help but include it.

5. Vance Cut-Glass Highball Glass

by Crate & Barrel

One of my favorite five-star restaurants uses this model when I order a mixed drink there, and you can literally see why when the drink is brought to the table; the glass used is of such high quality that it is actually clearer than most highball glasses. Not only that, but the glass’s linear cuts contribute additional glints of light. The result is a drink that looks more vivid and brightly-colored. Because of that effect, I recommend using this glass to serve drinks with interesting tones and hues.

6. Fluted Acrylic Drinking Glasses

by West Elm

Unlike the other highball glasses on this list, this model is made of acrylic. The material is extremely durable and will stand up to most impacts and any kind of weather, making it great for outdoor parties. It also takes especially well to being dyed, so the glass is available in four distinct semi-transparent colors: clear, gray, teal, and grapefruit.

Also unlike most competitors, these glasses have a thinner bottom half and a thicker top half. This design makes them easier to hold even when they’re wet and allows them to stack for more compact storage.

7. Recycled Mexican Confetti Drinking Glasses

by West Elm

This is another recycled glass product, but it is elevated above the competition by the hand-painted design on the outside rather than the material itself. The white design on the outside makes it look like the glass’s exterior was splattered with thick gobs of paint. It looks pretty cool even when the glass is empty, but it turns from cool to stunning when the glass is filled with a bright liquid – take a look at one of the images on the product page and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

The highball glasses pair beautifully with the shorter, slightly wider double old fashioned glasses available with the same striking splatter pattern.

Highball Glass FAQ