If you want to drink a bit less, then you might think it’s just as simple as limiting your intake. However, glass shapes can actually get in the way of these plans. These glasses can be surprisingly deceptive, causing you to drink more than you may think…
Glass Shapes: The Role They Play
Basic alcohol servings
To better understand how glass shapes can influence your drinking, it’s good to first know what a standard drink is. Each kind of alcoholic drink has a different standard serving size. This is because each drink has different levels of alcohol in them. For instance, a single 1.5-ounce shot of liquor can have up to 8 times the amount of alcohol as a 12-ounce can of beer!
However, many places which serve alcohol don’t match their glass sizes with serving sizes. One common example is that restaurant wine glasses tend to be 8-10-ounces, despite a standard wine serving only being 5-ounces. Plus, different brews can have different alcohol amounts. Craft beers can have nearly twice the amount of alcohol as normal beers, but are still usually served in the same kind of glasses.
Tricky glasses
Bars and other places like to serve some of their drinks in unconventional glass shapes. They may have very tall, wide, or even curvy glasses. As a result, it can be a lot harder for you to determine how much alcohol you’re drinking. These glasses can hold your alcohol in such a way which causes you to think you’re drinking less than you really are.
This means people tend to drink more when they have these fancy glasses. When someone is using a standard glass, they can usually tell how much they can drink before they hit their limit. Shaped glasses make this difficult, and so people end up underestimating the alcohol content and their intake, even if they’re trying to be responsible.
What you can do
The best way to avoid those deceptive glass shapes is to just stick with what you know. Keep your drinks in glasses which match their standard serving size. If you know you’re at a place that likes to use those uncommon glasses, try to ask for a standard one. When that isn’t an option, just ask that they only fill it up to the regular serving amount. That way, you know exactly how much alcohol you’re drinking.
