Bonwits

The tall glass for everything with bubbles.

A highball glass does more work than any other glass in the cupboard: gin and tonic, sparkling water, iced tea, a Tom Collins. Five sets that do it well, from plain and cheap to cut crystal.

By the Bonwits editors
Updated September 27, 2026
5 picks
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The tall glass for everything with bubbles

The short list.

5 picks. Tap any to check today’s price.

  1. The honest entry point
    Libbey Classic Highball Drinking Glass, 11 ounce, Set of 6
  2. The one to buyOur pick
    ZWIESEL GLAS Paris Long Drink Glass 11 Ounce (Set of 6)

    No. 02Zwiesel Glas

    ZWIESEL GLAS Paris Long Drink Glass 11 Ounce (Set of 6)

    $44 on Amazon today

  3. The light, stackable one
    Luigi Bormioli Top Class Highball Glasses, Clear, 11.75 Oz, Set of 6
  4. The one with pattern
    Nude Hemingway Set of 4, Crystal Highball Glasses 10.5 oz
  5. If money is no object
    Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Glass Distil Barware Collection Kirkwall Collins Cocktail Glasses (Set of 6), 11.1 oz

Before you buy

Read this first.

Picks
5
Price range
$35 to $127
Updated
September 27, 2026

The tall glass is simple on purpose. A narrow, straight or nearly straight wall and a flat bottom keep a carbonated drink fizzy longer, because less of the surface is open to the air, and leave room for a column of ice. The traditional names are loose. A highball glass is the shorter of the two, usually somewhere around 10 to 12 ounces. A Collins glass is taller and slimmer, made for the longer, fizzier drink that bears its name. At home, one good set can do both jobs.

What separates a good one from a cheap one is mostly the rim and the base. A thin rim is pleasant to drink from and does not bump the lip, but it chips if the glass is soft. A heavy base keeps a tall glass from tipping when a hand reaches across the table. Lead-free crystal, such as Schott Zwiesel's Tritan, lets a maker have both: a thin, bright glass that survives the dishwasher.

These are for mixed drinks, soft drinks and water at the table. For a wider, shorter everyday tumbler, see our guide to the everyday tumbler; for spirits served neat, the whiskey glass.

What we judged on.

4 tests, applied to every pick below

  1. 01

    Size and shape

    Roughly 10 to 13 ounces, tall and narrow enough to hold carbonation, with room for ice and a mixer.

  2. 02

    Rim and base

    A thin or laser-cut rim that resists chipping, and a base with enough weight to stay upright.

  3. 03

    Material

    Soda-lime glass at the entry level; lead-free, dishwasher-safe crystal above it.

  4. 04

    Dishwasher life

    Glasses that makers rate for the dishwasher without clouding, since tall glasses get used daily.

No. 01The honest entry point

Libbey

Libbey Classic Highball Drinking Glass, 11 ounce, Set of 6

A plain, straight-sided 11 ounce glass from an old American glassmaker, at about $6 a glass.

Libbey Classic Highball Drinking Glass, 11 ounce, Set of 6
Price
About $35 for six (Amazon today: $34.99)
Keeps for
Years; replacements cost little
Capacity
11 oz
Size
About 5.9 in tall, 2.5 in wide
Material
Lead-free glass
Care
Dishwasher safe
Set
6 glasses

Libbey has made glass in Toledo, Ohio, since the nineteenth century, and a great many restaurant tables in the country carry its work. The Classic Highball is its plainest tall glass: 11 ounces, straight-sided, just under 6 inches tall and 2.5 inches across, lead-free and dishwasher safe.

There is nothing clever about it, and that is the case for it. It suits water, iced tea and a gin and tonic equally, it looks right on any table and a broken one is no cause for grief. For a household with children or a large party, it is the sensible set.

Skip it if you notice the thickness of a rim. It is ordinary soda-lime glass, sturdier than it is fine.

The catch. A thicker rim than crystal, and soda-lime glass can cloud after years of hard dishwasher water.

No. 02The one to buy

Zwiesel Glas

ZWIESEL GLAS Paris Long Drink Glass 11 Ounce (Set of 6)

German crystal with a thick base and a clean, straight wall, for not much more than the Libbey.

ZWIESEL GLAS Paris Long Drink Glass 11 Ounce (Set of 6)
Price
About $44 for six (Amazon today: $44.10)
Made in
Germany
Keeps for
Many years; Tritan crystal resists chipping and clouding
Capacity
About 11 oz
Size
6.1 in tall, 2.4 in wide
Material
Tritan lead-free crystal
Made in
Germany
Care
Dishwasher safe
Set
6 glasses

Zwiesel Glas is the Bavarian glassworks behind Schott Zwiesel, and the Paris long drink glass is the tall glass most houses should own. It is 11 ounces, 6.1 inches tall and 2.4 inches across, with a heavy base under a straight, clear wall. It is made in Germany of the company's Tritan crystal and is dishwasher safe.

Tritan is a lead-free crystal that the maker strengthens against breakage and chipping, which is why it can be thinner and brighter than soda-lime glass at a similar price. The heavy base gives a tall glass the steadiness it needs on a crowded table.

Skip it only if you want pattern or cut. The Paris is deliberately plain, and the same collection includes a rocks glass if you want a matching pair.

The catch. The heavy base adds weight; people who like a feather-light glass should look at the Luigi Bormioli.

No. 03The light, stackable one

Luigi Bormioli

Luigi Bormioli Top Class Highball Glasses, Clear, 11.75 Oz, Set of 6

A thin, laser-cut rim in Italian lead-free crystal, and glasses that stack in a shallow cupboard.

Luigi Bormioli Top Class Highball Glasses, Clear, 11.75 Oz, Set of 6
Price
About $50 for six (Amazon today: $49.99)
Keeps for
Many years with ordinary care
Capacity
11.75 oz
Material
SON.hyx lead-free crystal
Rim
Laser cut, reinforced
Storage
Stackable
Care
Dishwasher safe
Set
6 glasses

Luigi Bormioli is an Italian glassmaker from Parma, and its Top Class highball is the most refined glass to drink from at this price. It is made of the company's SON.hyx lead-free crystal, with a laser-cut rim that is thin at the lip and reinforced against chipping. It holds 11.75 ounces.

The shape is slightly shorter and wider than the Paris, closer to a classic highball than a Collins, and the glasses stack. That matters in an apartment kitchen, where tall glasses take up more shelf height than anything else.

Skip it if you want a weighty glass. It is light in the hand, which some people read as less substantial.

The catch. Stacked glasses can wedge together if put away damp; dry them first.

No. 04The one with pattern

Nude

Nude Hemingway Set of 4, Crystal Highball Glasses 10.5 oz

A lead-free crystal highball with fine vertical lines that catch the light around the ice.

Nude Hemingway Set of 4, Crystal Highball Glasses 10.5 oz
Price
About $60 for four (Amazon today: $60.00)
Keeps for
Many years with ordinary care
Capacity
10.5 oz
Size
About 6.1 in tall, 3 in wide
Material
Lead-free crystal
Pattern
Linear, optical
Care
Dishwasher safe
Set
4 glasses

Nude is a crystal brand from the same Turkish glass group as Paşabahçe, and it is sold on Amazon by Paşabahçe USA. The Hemingway highball is 10.5 ounces, about 6 inches tall and 3 inches across, in lead-free crystal with a linear pattern pressed into the wall. The lines give the glass an optical shimmer when it is full of ice and soda.

The pattern also helps with grip when the glass is cold and wet, and it hides fingerprints better than a plain wall. It is a good choice for a bar cart or for a household that wants its tall glasses to look like something.

Skip it if you prefer a plain glass that goes with everything. At 10.5 ounces it is also the smallest glass here, a proper highball rather than a Collins.

The catch. Sold in fours rather than sixes, so a full set costs more than it first appears.

No. 05If money is no object

Schott Zwiesel

Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Glass Distil Barware Collection Kirkwall Collins Cocktail Glasses (Set of 6), 11.1 oz

A cut-crystal Collins glass that looks like an heirloom and goes in the dishwasher.

Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Glass Distil Barware Collection Kirkwall Collins Cocktail Glasses (Set of 6), 11.1 oz
Price
About $127 for six (Amazon today: $126.63)
Made in
Germany
Keeps for
Decades; the maker says it will not etch, cloud or discolor
Capacity
11.1 oz
Size
6.1 in tall, 2.4 in wide
Material
Tritan lead-free crystal, cut pattern
Made in
Germany
Care
Dishwasher safe; maker says no etching or clouding
Set
6 glasses

Schott Zwiesel's Distil collection is cut glass in patterns named after Scottish places, and the Kirkwall is the most restrained of them. The Collins glass holds 11.1 ounces and stands 6.1 inches tall, 2.4 inches across, the tall, slim shape the drink calls for.

It is made in Germany of Tritan, the maker's lead-free crystal of titanium and zirconium oxide, which it describes as resistant to breakage, chipping, scratching and thermal shock. Schott Zwiesel says the glasses are completely dishwasher safe and will not etch, cloud or discolor for the life of the glass. That is rare for cut glass, which traditionally has to be washed by hand.

Skip it if you want a fine, thin rim. Cut glass is heavier by nature than a plain glass of the same size, and the pattern is a matter of taste that a plain set never asks of you.

The catch. About three times the price of the plain Paris glass for the same size and material; you are paying for the cutting.

Highball or Collins

A highball glass is shorter and holds around 10 to 12 ounces, which is right for a spirit and mixer over ice. A Collins glass is taller and narrower, for longer drinks topped with soda. If you buy only one set, buy something around 11 ounces and 6 inches tall, which does both.

Care

Every glass here is dishwasher safe. Load tall glasses so they do not touch, since knocks in the rack cause more chips than anything else, and use a rinse aid if your water is hard to keep them from spotting.

Do not pour boiling water into a glass straight from the freezer, or ice into a glass straight from a hot dishwasher.

How many to own

Eight to twelve for a household that has people over. Tall glasses do double duty as water glasses at a casual dinner, so they get used and broken faster than stemware.

Questions.

What is the difference between a highball and a Collins glass?

Size and proportion. A Collins glass is taller and narrower, a highball slightly shorter. Many sets sold as one are sold as the other, and at home they are interchangeable.

What size should a highball glass be?

Around 10 to 12 ounces. That leaves room for ice, 1.5 to 2 ounces of spirit and a mixer.

Is crystal glassware dishwasher safe?

Modern lead-free crystal, such as Schott Zwiesel's Tritan and Luigi Bormioli's SON.hyx, is made for the dishwasher. Old leaded crystal should be washed by hand.

Why do drinks stay fizzy longer in a tall glass?

A narrow glass leaves less surface open to the air, so carbonation escapes more slowly than from a wide tumbler or coupe.

Can I use highball glasses for water and iced tea?

Yes. That is what most of them do most days, which is why a durable, dishwasher-safe set is worth more than a delicate one.

Sources.

  1. Wikipedia, Highball glass
  2. Wikipedia, Collins glass
  3. Zwiesel Glas and Schott Zwiesel
  4. Libbey
  5. Nude Glass

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