You cannot go wrong with a chilled glass. They make your cocktails look and stay cool. In order to chill, get your highball and cocktail glasses out and try one of these three methods:
A. The most common method is to place the glasses in the freezer for about two hours. The result will be a frosty-looking glass that will keep your drink very cool. Remove the glasses from the freezer right after you shake your cocktail. If you will be mixing a stirred drink, remove the glasses right before you do it.
B. If you’d rather skip the freezer, you can refrigerate the glasses for three to four hours. As in the case of frozen glassware, remove them right after you shake the cocktail or right before you mix a stirred drink.
C. If using a refrigerator or freezer is not an option, and all you have is an ice bucket lying around—use it! Fill the bucket with ice and place glasses into the ice. Let the glasses chill for about 20 to 30 minutes.
D. If any of the methods mentioned above are not practical for you, you can always try the quick way. You can chill a glass by filling it with crushed ice and giving it a swirl. After you discard the ice, add the drink. The swirling works well with cocktail glasses. It might not be too great for highball and old-fashioned glasses; fill these up completely with ice, and let them sit for a few minutes before discarding the ice.
Now that you’ve chilled your glass, it’s time to check out some drink recipes.