Crystal glasses will be a decoration of the festive table. Manufacturers surprise with the assortment, variety of shapes, colors. Each enterprise tries to stand out with something special: cutting, decoration. The dishes are turned into real masterpieces, pleasing to the eye.
Advantages of crystal glasses:
- Fine tableware never goes out of fashion.
- Crystal differs from glass in its transparency and is never dull.
- The glasses are cut by hand, cutting the design with a diamond wheel. The sharp edges refract the light well, filling the vessel with bright sparkles.
- The main distinguishing feature of glass with a high lead content is a characteristic pleasant ringing sound, which is explained by the high density of the amorphous mass.
Content
What drinks are served in crystal glasses
There are no restrictions for crystal, sparkling vessels are filled with juices, fruit drinks, wine, cocktails, tonics, all kinds of alcoholic and carbonated drinks. For each drink, a specific design of dishes has been developed based on the cultural characteristics of the country that produces the drink.
Tea
Coasters are back on top of popularity. They are made of silver, copper-containing alloys according to original sketches. From an ordinary accessory they have turned into a luxury item. The dishes must correspond to the status.
Many Russian manufacturers produce crystal glasses for coasters. They perfectly match the coasters produced.
Important! Hot tea is poured into a vessel with thin walls slowly, directing the stream of boiling water by the spoon, so that the water gradually warms the walls. The sharp temperature contrast can cause the vessel to crack or crumble into small pieces.
Whiskey
The noble English drink is drunk:
- in pure form;
- with ice;
- mixing with soda water.
There are several types of crystal glasses produced for crystal whiskey.
- Shot glasses come in medium and large sizes. They drink from the container in large gulps to immediately assess the strength and aging of the favorite drink of Scottish hunters.
Crystal Whiskey Shot Glass. - Tumbler – a classic shaped glass for a drink. The vessel is distinguished by thick walls and a massive stable bottom. Round (barrel) and faceted wall shapes are allowed, containers with 6 or 8 faces are produced.
Each manufacturer develops a design individually. - Rocks – a tall vessel with a thick bottom, widening upwards. Designed for whiskey with soda, lots of ice. The thick bottom warms up slowly, the ice melts gradually.
The pleasure of drinking whiskey is extended.
Water
Crystal glasses for water come with thick and thin walls. In pressed ones, drinks stay cool longer.
- Collins is a medium-height, cylindrical container;
- A highball is a wide vessel that tapers at the base;
- Old fashioned – a small glass, intended for cocktails and water, with cylindrical or rounded walls at the bottom.
By the way, water containers are considered universal; other non-alcoholic drinks, cocktails, and tonics are poured into them.
Beer
Glasses that help to reveal the taste characteristics of beer, to feel the hop or ethereal aroma of fermented malt. For the foamy drink, glassware is produced according to the canons established over the years.
- A conical pint is a vessel with sloping walls that widen at the top, thin-walled, blown out.
- The Irish pint or tulip pint is recognizable by its smooth, graceful contours, reminiscent of an opening flower bud. Many brand manufacturers have such glasses in their range. They are usually offered in sets of 6.
- The German pint or willy becher is the most popular form of beer container. The vessel is narrow at the base, widens at the top, then narrows slightly. The glass is comfortable to hold in your hands, the beer remains cool, with most of it on top.
- A tumbler is a wide glass with thick walls, produced by pressing, heavy.
- A shtange is a tall cylindrical vessel with a thick bottom and thin walls.
What to look for when choosing a cool crystal glass
The purity of crystal is determined by the content of lead oxide. Americans call glass with a small content of plumbum crystal.
Instead of dyes, metal oxides are added during production:
- ruby color is obtained by adding gold or copper (copper ruby is lighter);
- blue tones are given by cobalt;
- pink and lilac colors – selenium;
- purple - nickel;
- green, brownish – chromium, it all depends on the concentration of the substance in the batch.
Crystal has low thermal conductivity, the glass will not heat up in your hand for a long time. The walls transmit sound well, even with a slight impact a "crystal ringing" appears.
The cut should be sharp, and break up the light into spectral shades well. Fusing occurs when the technology is violated, when the dishes are polished for too long in a mixture of sulfuric and hydrochloric acid.
Important! Before buying, you need to carefully inspect the dishes; there should be no small stones, visible grains of sand, or bubbles in the walls or bottom.
Recommendations for the care of crystal glasses
Crystal is valued for the play of light on its facets. Dirt and drops of drink accumulate in them. The glassware becomes dull and loses its former shine. Lemon juice or vinegar will help restore the former shine to the cut.
Wash crystal by hand in a solution of dry mustard and with a detergent that has no smell. It is better to take a new sponge without traces of grease. Foam rubber is directed to hard-to-reach places with a brush or a spatula. Clean crystal is turned over on a cloth, then wiped until it squeaks.
By the way, dishes with dried wine stains and sweat stains are soaked for 4 hours in a warm soap-soda solution. After that, it is enough to rinse the crystal.
Famous manufacturers of crystal glasses
Bakhmetevskaya Artel (Russia) produces:
- tea glasses with diamond cut, standard and reduced (low), transparent and with a gold rim. The products are equipped with "Kolchugin" cup holders;
- Tall, mesh-cut glasses for flips, mojitos, Long Island shakes, layered cocktails.
The company Neman (Belarus) specializes in the production of glasses:
- with a rounded base shape;
- standard format;
- with gilding.
The company "Russian Crystal" revives lost traditions, producing drinkware with silver, bronze, brass decor in the style of decorative and applied art of Tsarist Russia.
The Nachtmann factory (Germany) produces German crystal glasses, whiskey and beer glasses of traditional shapes, transparent and colored.
The Bohemia-Lux concern (Czech Republic) produces premium tableware, elite with gold.
The company "Aleks Crystal sro" creates real masterpieces from transparent and colored crystal with gold painting, smalt molding, mother-of-pearl, engraved rim.
Manufacturers offer a wide range of crystal glassware for cold and hot drinks. For the home table, universal crystal glasses of classic shape are often purchased. Elite ones with decorative design will be a chic gift for any pleasant event.
