The term ‘shot glass’ was coined in the 1940s but small glasses have been used for hundreds of years to serve a kick of drinkers’ favorite tipples. Today’s cool shot glasses come in a multitude of eye-catching designs and materials to suit all tastes. Read on to see our top picks of cool shot glasses.
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Vandor Star Wars Yoda Ceramic Shot Glass
‘Judge me by my size do you?’ A Yoda-emblazoned 2 oz shot glass is an impressively large double shot glass. Not all the ‘glasses’ in our review are made of glass. Materials such as ceramic and metal also feature and each has their own characteristics influencing the drinking experience.
With Yoda on one side and the stylized ‘May the Force be with you’ this is a real fan favorite. It measures 2.5” x 2” x 2” (H x W x D) and has a good heft. This light green shot glass looks great and is dishwasher proof although we do recommend hand-washing if you want to be totally confident that your Yoda glass looks perfect time after time.
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Tru Blue Steel Stainless Steel shot glasses
Our second set of glasses is this amazing selection of barware from Tru Blu Steel. Brushed interior stainless steel with a polished steel outer finish looks more expensive than their price tag would suggest. The engraved twin shooter design harks to these being double shot glasses. A couple of shots of tequila from these will certainly hit the spot! On a hot day, a chilled spirit quickly produces beads on the exterior, enticing you and ensuring the tin won’t stay full for long. Each cup measures 2 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide. Made from food grade 18/8 stainless steel these won’t crack or break like glass making them ideal for around the pool or outdoors use. They are dishwasher safe but hand drying will make sure you don’t get water droplet staining. Tru Blu Steel is a small, family-run business which has a proud reputation for customer satisfaction.
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JoyJolt Afina Collection shot glasses
The traditional glass does have its advantages of course, great for keeping your shots cold and for feeling special in your hand. As a material it’s easy to sterilize, it’s 100% recyclable and made from sustainable raw materials. JoyJolt produce an amazing range of glasses and this Afina set is a fantastic-looking example. You get six heavy base jigger-esque 1.5 oz shot glasses which measure 3.25” x 1.75” x 1.75” and are totally dishwasher safe.
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JoyJolt City Heavy Base Square shot glass set
Our second offering from JoyJolt is this visually interesting set of square cross-section glasses. There are six in the pack and each has a good heft weighing 4.25 oz. They glasses measure 2.5” x 1.5” x 1.5”. They feel robust and we would expect them to last you a long time and survive blows and accidental dropping better than a cheaper rival product. These JoyJolt glasses will hold two shots if filled to the brim and to be honest this is how we would expect to see them used!
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Silver Buffalo Star Wars Characters shot glasses
We simply have to revisit Star Wars when a trendsetting company like Silver Buffalo gets involved. Based in the Big Apple they design exciting homeware products that look great in everyone’s kitchen or living space. These have good high contrast imagery and attractive typesetting. These glasses hold 1.5 oz so you can get a full shot without having to fill them completely. A bit more care than usual is necessary with these as they aren’t dishwasher proof and should only be handwashed in luke(sorry)warm water.
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Circleware Tipsy shot glasses
‘Beautiful’ or ‘colorful’ are the first words that spring to mind when you open the Circleware package. Inside are six, brightly colored, weighty glasses that conform to FDA regulations being free from harmful chemicals such as phthalate, BPA or polycarbonate. The manufacturer proudly proclaims how environmentally friendly they are as up to 80% of the glass that is recycled can be re-used. Recycling glass consumes less than 40% of the energy than that used manufacturing new glass. These are 1.7 oz capacity shot glasses so you can pour a decent 1.5 shots without needing to fill them to the brim. We love the colors and shapes of the Circleware glasses and we readily recommend them. These can also be used as whisky nosing glasses due to their shape.
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Circleware Kickback Glass shot glasses
Surely no article entitled ‘Cool shot glasses’ would be complete without mentioning these fun cowboy boot shaped offerings from Circleware. The crystal-clear glasses are a great talking point for your guests. And the design is not just pleasing aesthetically, the low centre of gravity and wide base make them resistant to spillages. The high quality and thickness of the glasses ensure that these Circleware products are more rugged than they look and can take some rough handling. They hold 1.5 oz and are dishwasher proof.
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KOVOT Skull shot glasses
Plans for Halloween or the Day of the Dead? Or just into Gothic horror? Then these stylish skull designs might be right up your street. Made of high quality, clear glass and boasting a 1.5 oz capacity these are ideal for your holiday get-togethers. They feel robust too which is always welcome in a party atmosphere when hand-eye coordination may vanish and you want your drinking vessels to survive the night. This set comes well-packaged with six 3D skull glasses.
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Gangster Mug Shots shot glasses
For a few dollars more, to coin a film title, you can purchase this ‘educational’ set of six shot glasses from The Unemployed Philosophers Guild. The Mug Shots range is a set of glasses that bear monochrome police photos of six infamous gangsters – a mug shot and a profile image, and their rap sheets. They notorious felons include Capone, Dillinger, Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano, Machine Gun Kelly, and Pretty Boy Floyd.
These are double shot capacity glasses as you might expect. No singles here. The Mug Shots glasses are dishwasher safe according to the box but we feel that their life will be extended by gentle hand washing. This set comes in a fun box making it ideal to give as a gift to a special someone in your life.
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Lucky Shot .308 Real Bullet hand-blown shot glass
When thinking about cool shot glasses you might be forgiven for assuming that a glass is just a glass. In fact this article might be the first time you’ve seen so many different takes on the humble shooter. Lucky Shot doesn’t disappoint with their unusual and striking shot glass complete with an embedded .308 bullet! It’s a real bullet but the glasses are free from gunpowder residue and lead so they are totally safe to drink from. During the manufacturing process the glasses are individually hand-blown to incorporate the shot into the shot glass. It’s fascinating to turn each unique glass in your hand to see how the bullet was placed into its body. We have to hide a smile when reading Lucky Shot’s advisory note that suggests not taking these glasses anywhere that live ammunition is not permitted such as airports or federal buildings just in case you get into some serious trouble!
These glasses are 2 oz capacity and are dishwasher safe.
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Periodic Tableware Laboratory shot glasses
The lure of the laboratory awaits! With this Periodic Tableware you can relive your High School chemistry days or send a gift to your favorite science boffin. This set comes with two mini beakers and two mini Erlenmeyer (conical) flasks each with a capacity of 40 ml (1.4 oz). These aren’t novelty glasses but comprise genuine laboratory borosilicate glass ideal for serving generous quantities of precisely measured ethyl alcohol. They are dishwasher safe too.
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Himalayan Salt shot glasses
Metal and glass are so last year (apparently!) This set of four from Deco are individually hand carved from Himalayan salt. These are a great alternative to your traditional shot glasses. Apart from the originality value they have several benefits. The first is that they help keep your drink chilled. The material is also anti-bacterial which is great news where hygiene is concerned. The third is that the longer you stand your drink the more flavour is imparted to it from the salt which makes these cups perfect for tequilas.
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The Deco set is FDA approved for use as drinking vessels just in case you’re wondering. They are 3” high and have a 2 oz capacity. These are manufactured in Pakistan where the raw material is to be found. It’s worth noting that due to the hand-crafted nature of these glasses that they all look different to each other which can be a positive to aspect to people.
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Decodyne Moscow Mule Copper shot glasses
The Decodyne four piece copper double shot ‘glasses’ are beautifully made and attractive to look at. These are mini Moscow mule cups which made from a food grade stainless steel body and lacquered pure copper exterior plating that won’t tarnish over time. We have a lot of goodwill towards these cups, the brass handles have a distinctive look, the rims are smooth and rounded which are great to drink from, and cleaning is achieved with just a light hand washing. They come in a nice box which makes them suitable for gift giving. So if you’re after a chilled vodka shot or two then we happily give this Decodyne copper cup set our recommendation.
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NOVICA ‘Ripe Ruby’ Hand Blown Shot Glasses
The ruby red spiral glasses from Novica are truly eye-catching. Handmade in Mexico by Javier and Efren these unique tequila glasses set off anyone’s collection or home bar. In artificial light the tints have a slight copper color but in natural light the dark ruby red shines through. The set contains six stunning glasses and they measure 3.5” tall with a capacity of 2 oz. Each package comes complete with a certificate of authenticity and the company story.
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NOVICA ‘Tequila Blues’ Hand Blown Shot glasses
Our second foray into the superb NOVICA range is this hand blown six-piece set with vivid cobalt blue rims. As you might expect from their handmade nature each piece is unique and may have tiny air bubbles or little eccentricities in the recycled glass. These 2 oz shot glasses are rated as dishwasher safe in the top rack only but we would recommend hand washing to be on the safe side. If you love their look and applaud the designers’ use of recycled glass then this set could be for you!
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Gold Filled Genuine gold-filled shot glasses
In the mid-to-high price bracket we enjoy recommending this set of shot glasses by Gold Filled. Gold Filled by name, gold-filled by nature. Unusual and elegant, these glasses have their bases filled with gold leaf and look exquisite and quite remarkable. The set comprises six glasses which measure 3.7” in height and have a capacity of 1.5 oz. The glass is very clear and has neat internal reflections of the gold running through it. They come in a gorgeous presentation box which we would find hard to part with! Perhaps a gift to give to yourself…
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Sribnyk – Gallery of Silver Art ‘Gryphon’ shot glass
At the seriously high end of the market you’ll find Sribnyk, a Ukrainian artisan company in Eastern Europe that specializes in top of the range silverware. The ‘Gryphon’ typifies their products, beautiful silverwork with gilding and premium materials. Each piece is made to order and has a 5-day turnaround on average. They bear the relevant marks from the Ukrainian State Assay Office.
This shot glass weighs around 70 g and should be cleaned by hand using appropriate silver and gold products.
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Summary
We’re sure you’ll agree there is an amazing amount of choice when it comes to cool shot glasses. Our preferences for the best available across a wide range of prices will continue to expand so be sure to check back regularly.