Party 101 - The Science of Shot Glasses

The name 'shot glass' was first used by The New York Times in 1940 when they tried to regulate the size of one shot of liquor. Shot basically means a small amount of liquid which is either drank in one gulp or is poured into a drink. Shot glasses are usually used for vodka, tequila, whiskey and liquor shots. In the early years, words like 'jiggers'(bigger than a shot glass) and 'pony'(holds only 1 ounce) were used to measure a standard amount of alcohol. The latter is still maintained until today in addition to the more common name, single and double shots. Many people aren't aware that the reason why glasses are made of thick glass is actually to absorb the shock when the glass is slammed on the table which often follows after a person consumes the alcohol.

The ounces of a single shot and a double shot varies from country to country. Although there are no standard measurement for glasses, the measurements are almost similar. In the United Kingdom, a single shot would be 25ml or 30 ml and a double shot is 50ml to 70 ml. Where as in the United State of America, the standard size is considered to be 1.25 to 1.5 fl oz.

These glasses can be found throughout the world. In Japan, small sized glasses which look very similar to the glasses are used to serve sake(a traditional rice wine drink). On the other hand, Italians used small sized glass for 'grappa' which is also an alcoholic drink. Shots were actually part of a fine drinking set, called 'Depression Glass' where the glasses were imprinted or had its rims covered in gold. Apparently it was in the 1950s that they started to print the names of famous landmarks and tourists attractions on the glass itself. Now that has become into a full blown idea where glass collections even comes with shots display cases. Companies have also come up with a convenient idea to enable people to carry a shots everywhere they go. The Collapsible Shot Glass is a stainless steel (don't need to worry about breaking it) pony which amazingly collapses(as the name suggests) and becomes a key chain!

There are five common types of shots, namely, Flared shots, Tonic shots, Novelty shots, Barrel shots and Cylinder shots. The problem with Flared shots is that they break easily since it's not made of thick glass like a typical shots. Tonic shots are commonly used for tonic drinks and they have a slightly narrow bottom and a wider top. Novelty shot glasses come in almost every shape, size and material(even edible ones!) Barrel shot glasses on the other hand are more durable because they are heavier. Lastly, Cylinder shot glasses are taller than the others. Party-goers prefer this shot glass better as its shape allows the alcohol to pour out smoothly.