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When you go to a bar, a restaurant, or somebody’s house who knows how to entertain, the drink you choose will decide the type of glass that you are given. Anybody with a little bit of class knows that you do not serve cocktails, wines, or champagne in a simple cup. Each category of drink has its own specially designed glass that is built with a specific purpose.

The most common type of glass, and the most recognizable, is the wine glass. It probably should not be called the “wine glass,” but should be called the “wine group of glasses.” Each different type of wine has a different style of glass, designed to bring out the most in its specific drink. All wine glasses are stemmed. This allows the drinker to hold the glass without having the heat of his hand affect the temperature of the drink. A red wine glass is wide, allowing more of the wine to mix with oxygen, which brings out the flavor of the wine. A white wine glass has a narrower opening, since white wine needs less interaction with oxygen than red wine.

Champagne glasses are similar to white wine glasses. But, when inspected closely, the difference can be seen. Champagne is “sparkling wine,” meaning that it has carbonation. To keep the carbonation in the drink as long as possible, the glass is designed to expose as little of the beverage to the air as possible. The champagne glass has a taller bowl than wine glasses, and a much narrower opening. Very little of the champagne in the glass is open to the air, so the champagne stays bubbly longer than it would in another style of glass.

Another recognizable style of glass is the martini glass. These glasses are not built specifically for the martini, but are also used with other mixed cocktails. Like wine glasses, the martini glass has a stem to keep the drink from being warmed by your hand. The drink holding portion of the cup is shaped like an upside-down cone. The rim is very wide, which allows the drink maker to garnish the beverage with fruit or decorations, and still gives the drinker room to sip from the cup.

Of course, everybody knows what the shot glass is. In addition to being functional, they are often decorated and treated as collectibles. The shot glass is reserved for hard liquor, such as whiskey and tequila. The glass is designed to hold one serving of the beverage, which is also referred to as a “shot.” The shot glass can be used for sipping, or for pouring a serving of liquor into a mixed drink, but is usually used for downing the whole shot in one swallow.

Whatever your drink of choice, a type of glass has been designed to ensure that you get the most enjoyment. Many of us have used a regular cup in a pinch, but we know that it is a poor substitute to using the glass actually designed for the drink.

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Any wine enthusiast (or anybody older than 15) knows that most good wines come with a cork. The cork cannot be removed by hand, you must use a cork removing tool. Which tool should you use? Wine drinkers have a choice between the traditional standard cork screw, the rabbit corkscrew, the wing corkscrew, or the high-tech gas pressure bottle opener. Whatever your need, there is a tool for you.

The standard corkscrew is the cheapest and most common form of wine bottle opener. It consists of a coiled piece of metal with a very sharp point on one end and connected to a handle on the other. The user manually pokes the sharp end into the cork and twists in the direction of the coils. This drives the coil further into the cork, allowing it to get a grip and give the user leverage. When it is screwed into the cork, the user pulls upward to remove the cork from the bottle. This works most of the time. Failure to screw the coil far enough into the cork can cause breakage if the cork is wedged tightly. A weaker person might have difficulty getting enough leverage to pull the cork from the bottle.

The wing corkscrew gives efficiency to the standard corkscrew. Like the standard corkscrew, the coil is screwed into the cork far enough so that it will not break when it comes out. Unlike the standard corkscrew, the wing corkscrew has two wings that are pulled out, which are connected to hinges on the body of the corkscrew. When the cork is ready to come out, the user pushes down on the wings, causing the coil to retract straight up, pulling the cork along with it. It does not require the same manual force as the standard corkscrew. It is much easier to use.

The rabbit corkscrew is a more complicated version of the wing corkscrew. From the side, it resembles the profile of a rabbit. Like the other corkscrews, it requires the user to put the coil into the cork. Unlike the other corkscrews, the rabbit corkscrew screws into the cork automatically, as well as pulling the cork out automatically. Somebody who is handy with a rabbit corkscrew can open a bottle of wine in three seconds. The device is put on the top of the wine bottle, the wings are opened, the coil drives into the cork, the handles are closed, and the cork pops out of the bottle. This style of corkscrew is a bit more expensive than the simpler versions.

A gas pressure bottle opener works different from corkscrews. The bottle is placed into the opening, and a straight needle is driven down all the way through the cork. They system has a gas cylinder inserted to power it. When activated, gas is pumped through the needle into the bottle. The pressure change in the bottle causes the cork to pop out. The system is simple, and only requires the push of a button to operate. The only disadvantage is that the system requires changing the gas cylinder when it runs out.